The 02 edition of the Capricorn Women’s T20 Series gets underway on the 24th of April with hosts Namibia scheduled to play Hong Kong at the United Cricket Ground in Windhoek at 6:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
While Namibia’s most recent Twenty20 International (T20I) outing was registered against Germany mid-last year, Hong Kong too last played a game in October 2022 against Japan.
Squads:
Namibia – Irene van Zyl (C), Naomi Benjamin, Jurriene Diergaardt, Dietlind Foerster, Merczerly Gorases (WK), Kayleen Green, Victoria Hamunyela, Yasmeen Khan (WK), Bianca Manuel, Mekelaye Mwatile, Wilka Mwatile, Adri van der Merwe, Edelle van Zyl, Sune Wittmann
Hong Kong – Kary Chan (C), Maryam Bibi, Betty Chan, Hiu Ying Cheung (WK), Yasmin Daswani (WK), Mariko Hill, Elysa Hubbard, Marina Lamplough, Natasha Miles, Iqra Sahar, Shanzeen Shahzad (WK), Alison Siu, Yee Shan To, Ruchitha Venkatesh
Players to watch out:
Sune Wittmann
The 28-year-old all-rounder in 44 T20Is has scored 706 runs including the highest of 93*, and has struck 33 wickets with the best figures of 5/10. Sune, in her last 3 outings, registered scores of 41*, 80, and 67 with the bat and bowling figures of 1/6, 1/6, and 0/21.
Yasmeen Khan
The 24-year-old all-rounder in 49 T20I innings has scored 827 runs and in 7 innings with the ball has struck 9 wickets. Yasmeen recently featured in the 02 FairBreak Invitational and while not with the bat, but with the ball had a good run.
Natasha Miles
The 34-year-old, England-born Hong Kong national, in 17 T20Is has scored 369 runs with the highest of 86*. Miles in her last 5 outings, has had a couple of starts and impactful knocks (86* against Japan and a 40 at the 02 FairBreak Invitational against Barmy Army).
Mariko Hill
The 27-year-old all-rounder in 33 T20Is has scored 623 including the highest of 55 and has struck 21 wickets with the best of 3/14. Mariko in the 02 FairBreak Invitational, had a couple of good outings with the bat, and with the ball registered impressive figures of 3/11 and 3/21 among others.
Pitch:
The 22 yards at the United Cricket Ground, Windhoek makes up for a well-balanced pitch that offers a fair contest between bat and ball. While batters enjoy the hardness of the pitch, bowlers too remain in the game big time, especially, the pacers.
Weather:
Despite scattered showers on the radar, we are likely to have a complete game of cricket as clear skies are expected during the match hours, but expect a delay to the start time if the outfield is wet. While the temperature is set to hover at around 21°C, light winds and a humidity level of 73% are forecasted.
Fantasy playing XI:
Yasmeen Khan, Natasha Miles, Adri van der Merwe, Yasmin Daswani, Sune Wittmann, Mariko Hill, Kary Chan, Kayleen Green, Maryam Bibi, Victoria Hamunyela, Betty Chan
Match details:
Date – April 24, 2023
Time – 6:00 PM IST
Venue – United Cricket Ground, Windhoek.
Broadcast – All games of the series will be telecasted on NTV and One Africa TV. A live stream will also be available on the FanCode app and website.