‘A’ teams of hosts New Zealand and England are set to compete in three Twenty20 (T20) matches and as many One Day Internationals from the 16th to the 30th of March, 2024. The series kicks off on the 16th of March with the 1st T20 scheduled for 5:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) at the Sir John Davies Oval, Queenstown.
Squads:
New Zealand A – Kate Anderson, Sarah Asmussen, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Prue Catton, Flora Devonshire, Claudia Green, Mikaela Greig, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer
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 Scholfield, Grace Scrivens, Seren Smale, Rhianna Southby, Mady Villiers
Players to watch out:
Georgia Plimmer
The 20-year-old all-rounder, in the recent Smash season, amassed 187 runs at an average of 46.75 and a strike rate of 102.18 from 10 T20 outings. Georgia failed to make the most of the momentum, departing on scores of 1 and 13 in a couple of warm-up fixtures against England A. However, she is a promising talent and will be trusted to lead the scoring.
Claudia Green
The 26-year-old pacer, from 10 Smash appearances, picked up as many wickets, with the best being 4/24, maintaining an economy rate of 6.18, and can also be handy with the bat lower down the order. Claudia warmed up for the series returning figures of 3/26 (4) against England, and it’ll be hoped she carries forward the form into this series.
Grace Scrivens
The 20-year-old all-rounder impressed in the 2023 U19 World Cup and had a decent domestic season but has failed to score runs consistently. In the recent series against India A, she registered scores of 7, 39, and 10, and her scores in warm-up games against New Zealand read 7 and 49. She’ll be backed to make the most of this form.
Tash Farrant
The 27-year-old left-arm pacer has bagged 15 wickets in 18 T20 Internationals (T20Is), at an economy rate of 6.26. The reoccurrence of a stress fracture had Tash ruled out for the majority of the ’23 domestic season, and in her first game on return, in the warm-up fixture, she scored 15* and produced figures of 1/24 (3). She’ll be banked upon for the goods.
Pitch:
The wicket at Sir John Davies Oval offers favorable conditions for bowlers, especially pacers, leading to an average score in the 140s. Batters face challenges on this wicket but can convert their starts once they find their rhythm.
Weather:
Despite the overcast conditions with cloudy overhead, the temperature is forecasted to hover around 9°C, promising a complete game of cricket as the chances of rain are minimal.
Fantasy playing XI:
Seren Smale, Georgia Adams, Grace Scrivens, Georgia Plimmer, Kate Anderson, Leigh Kasperek, Freya Kemp, Alice Davidson-Richards, Hayley Jensen, Sarah Asmussen, Kirstie Gordon
Match details:
Date – March 16, 2024
Time – 5:30 AM IST
Venue – Sir John Davies Oval, Queenstown
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on the New Zealand Cricket YouTube channel and the scorecard can be accessed on the nzc.nz match center web portal.
