England kicks off their tour of New Zealand on the 10th of March 2024, with their ‘A’ team taking on the senior national team of New Zealand. The first of two Twenty20 (T20) matches will be played at Sir John Davies Oval, Queenstown, and live action commences at 3:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
New Zealand – Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout (WK), Izzy Gaze (WK), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Hannah Rowe, Eden Carson, Leigh Kasperek
England A – Georgia Adams, Hannah Baker, Alice Davidson-Richards, Tash Farrant, Kirstie Gordon, Freya Kemp, Emma Lamb, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Sophie Munro, Grace Potts, Paige Schofield, Grace Scrivens, Seren Smale, Rhianna Southby, Mady Villiers
Players to watch out:
Maddy Green
The 31-year-old middle-order batter, from 7 Twenty20 (T20) outings in the recently concluded Super Smash, amassed 283 runs at an average of 47.16, with a strike rate of 111.41, and registered the highest score of 77*. Maddy has been in outstanding form across formats of the game and can be counted on to lead the scoring.
Leigh Kasperek
The 32-year-old all-rounder concluded the recent Smash season with 17 wickets from 10 outings, maintaining an economy rate of 5.38, and while also scoring big runs, especially in the One Dayers, she experienced a dip in batting form late in the domestic season. Nonetheless, it’ll be hoped she contributes significantly.
Georgia Adams
The 30-year-old all-rounder, from 10 T20 outings in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, racked up 249 runs, striking at 125.12, while also bagging 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.75. With runs in the domestic One Day competition in both England and Australia, Georgia has made it to the ‘A’ team, and an all-round performance here could see her debut for the senior national team sooner rather than later.
Freya Kemp
The 18-year-old left-arm pacer is a very exciting young talent, and after having missed a lot of games due to injury early last year, she returned to full strength in November on an A tour of India. Freya picked up 3 wickets from 2 ‘A’ games and produced figures of 1/30 (2), 1/2 (1), and 2/24 (4) in the T20 Internationals against India. She can be handy with the bat and will be relied upon for her contributions.
Pitch:
The wicket at Sir John Davies Oval features a well-balanced center wicket that’s favorable for both batters and bowlers, especially pacers, to make an impact on the game. The average score in the 140s indicates favorable conditions for scoring runs as well.
Weather:
The conditions are pleasant at the Sir John Davies Oval with partly cloudy skies and minimal chances of rain. The temperature is expected to hover around 16°C with light winds and humidity at 79%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Suzie Bates, Emma Lamb, Maddy Green, Georgia Adams, Alice Davidson-Richards, Hannah Rowe, Paige Schofield, Leigh Kasperek, Freya Kemp, Jess Kerr
Match details:
Date – March 10, 2024
Time – 3:30 AM IST
Venue – Sir John Davies Oval, Queenstown
Broadcast – Access live scores for the game on the nzc.nz match center web portal.