For the curtain raiser of the Women’s Twenty20 (T20) East Asia Cup, hosts China and the most successful side in the 4 editions of the competition, Hong Kong are scheduled to contest at Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, Hangzhou, China, on the 25th of May, 2023, at 6:00 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
China’s last international appearance was in the 2019 edition of the competition, where they won the championship. In contrast, Hong Kong recently participated in the Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series in Namibia in early May.
Squads:
China – Yuanyuan Cai, Xinyu Chen, Xiuli Jin, Jiaping Li, Han Lili, Zheng Lili, Mengting Liu, Zi Mei, Xu Qian, Zhang Xiangxue, Jing Yang, Rongyu Zhao, Mingyue Zhu, Huang Zhuo
Hong Kong – Kary Chan (C), Maryam Bibi, Betty Chan, Charlotte Chan, ShingChan, Amanda Cheung, Hiu Ying Cheung (WK), Tammy Chu, Cindy Ho, Emma Lai, Heiley Liu, Shanzeen Shahzad (WK), Alison Siu, Yee Shan To
Players to watch out:
Han Lili
The 32-year-old spin all-rounder, in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), in 12 innings with the bat has scored 114 runs and has got the highest of 45*. Han in 16 outings has struck 19 wickets, with the best of 2/11. For China to have a good say, it’s safe to Han Lili has to be ticking.
Zhang Xiangxue
The 26-year-old pacer, in T20Is, has struck 6 wickets in 9 innings and has got the best of 1/5, while has been handy with the bat scoring a few late runs. China would want Zhang to step up and lead the pace attack.
Kary Chan
The 24-year-old spin all-rounder, in T20Is, in 36 outings has struck 41 wickets and scored 573 runs and has got the best of 5/7 and 45, respectively. In the lead-up to Hong Kong’s Quadrangular series, Kary enjoyed a successful stint with Sapphires at the FairBreak Invitation 2023.
Betty Chan
The 34-year-old spin all-rounder, in T20Is, in 20 outings with the bat has scored 71 runs, while in 39 wickets has struck 48 scalps and her best bowling figures are 4/13. Betty too had a notable FairBreak Invitational 2023 stint with the Spirit.
Pitch:
The newly curated deck at Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou adds an element of intrigue to the game. With the anticipation of the center wicket favoring the bowlers, particularly spinners, a competitive score in the range of 120s can be expected.
Weather:
Possible thunderstorms at the start of the game could delay proceedings, but clear skies later pose no threat to the game. The temperature is forecasted to hover around 28°C, with light winds and humidity at 66%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Hiu Ying Cheung, Zheng Lili, Rongyu Zhao, Yee Shan To, Shanzeen Shahzad, Han Lili, Kary Chan, Mingyue Zhu, Maryam Bibi, Zhang Xiangxue, Betty Chan
Match details:
Date – May 25, 2023
Time – 6:00 AM IST
Venue – Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, Hangzhou, China
Broadcast – Access live scores for all the games in the series on the FanCode app and website.