Following England’s back-to-back wins, hosts New Zealand registered a spirited win in the 3rd T20I, and heading into the 4th, the series is well and truly alive. The game is scheduled for 5:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) on the 27th of March, 2024, at Basin Reserve, Wellington.
Squads:
New Zealand – Sophie Devine (C), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Bernadine Bezuidenhout (WK), Izzy Gaze (WK), Maddy Green, Mikaela Greig, Brooke Halliday, Amelia Kerr, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
England – Heather Knight (C), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt
Players to watch out:
Maddy Green
The 31-year-old middle-order batter from 74 T20I innings has accumulated 951 runs, including the highest of 49*, at a strike rate of 99.58. Maddy hasn’t scored a lot of runs this series, including the warm-up games, departing on scores of 16 (19), 11 (14), 8 (14), 16 (24), and 1* (1). It’ll be hoped she converts her scores, leading the runs tally.
Lea Tahuhu
The 33-year-old pacer from 83 T20Is has scalped 80 wickets maintaining an economy rate of 6.12 and also chipped in with the bat, scoring 188 runs at a strike rate of 110.58. In this series, Lea has returned figures of 1/36 (4), 1/20 (2), and 0/18 (2), while also scoring 15* in her only batting outing. She’ll be backed to return to her economic best.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
The 31-year-old all-rounder in T20Is, from 109 innings has amassed 2323 runs, while from 103 bowling innings has struck 83 wickets, with respective bests of 115 and 4/15. Nat didn’t find much success with the bat in a recent T20 competition but was effective with the ball. Building on the momentum, she can be banked upon for the goods.
Sophie Ecclestone
The 24-year-old left-arm off-spinner from 75 T20I appearances has bagged 109 wickets at an economy rate of 5.86, while also being handy with the bat, adding 210 runs to the tally, striking at 120.00. Fresh off a successful T20 campaign, having taken 11 wickets from 8 games, it’ll be expected that Sophie carries forward her form into this series.
Pitch:
The 22 yards at the Basin Reserve favor batters, offering them a good wicket to bat on. However, the track also benefits bowlers, especially spinners, with ample assistance to exploit, evidenced by the average score in the 130s.
Weather:
With cloudy overhead, the chances of rain are very slim during match hour, meaning we should have a complete game on our hands. The temperature is forecasted to hover around 18°C with strong winds and humidity at 71%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Suzie Bates, Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Gibson, Lauren Bell, Charlie Dean
Match details:
Date – March 27, 2024
Time – 5:30 AM IST
Venue – Basin Reserve, Wellington
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on Amazon Prime Video.