The second match of the Fairbreak Global Invitational T20 tournament will be played between Tornadoes and Sapphires at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on May 5.
Match Preview – Tornadoes v Sapphires Women
Squads
Tornadoes: Stafanie Taylor (captain), Sophie Devine, Sterre Kalis, Andrea-Mae Zepeda, Katey Martin, Chanida Sutthiruang, Mary-Anne Musonda, Sune Luss, Sita Rana Magar, Aliya Riaz, Divya Saxena, Winifred Duraisingam, Natasha Miles, Maryam Bibi, Diana Baig
Sapphires: Sana Mir (captain), Shabnim Ismail, Maryam Omar, Jade Allen, Grace Harris, Emma Lai, Elyse Villani, Shebani Bhaskar, Natasha Farrant, Kim Garth, Kary Chan, Geetika Kodali, Babette de Leede, Gaby Lewis, Christine Lovino
Players to watch out for
Sophie Devine:
The captain of the White Ferns will feature for Tornadoes. She is one of the best all-rounders in the world of women’s T20Is. She is a right handed opening batter and a right arm seamer. She has featured in more than 100 T20Is and has a wealth of experience. She has muscled over 2500 T20I runs and has 98 T20I wickets.
Sune Luus:
This South African all-rounder will represent Tornadoes. Recently, she captained South Africa to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. She has been around at the international level since 2012. She has featured in 83 T20Is. The right handed batter has mustered 866 runs, including four half-centuries and has accounted for 47 wickets, including two wicket-hauls, bowling right arm leg spin.
Shabnim Ismail:
The leader of the South African bowling attack will play for Sapphires. The right arm speedster has been around at the international level since 2007. She has featured in 98 T20Is and picked up 110 wickets. She is a good new ball bowler and has a lethal bouncer in her repertoire.
Grace Harris:
This attacking right handed top order batter will be a part of Sapphires. She has recorded the fastest century in the history of WBBL. She achieved the feat in just 42 balls. She was also a part of the Australian team in the 2022 World Cup. She has played 13 T20Is and muscled 120 runs at a strike rate of more than 150. With the ball, she has six T20I wickets to her name, bowling off spin.
Pitch
The last match that was played here saw more than 350 runs being scored. The wicket seems to be a batting friendly one. It will be important for the bowlers to hit the right lines and lengths on a consistent basis. Only four wickets fell in the last match which indicates that it is not easy for the bowlers.
Weather
The weather is expected to be warm with plenty of sunshine. The average temperature will be around 36 degrees Celsius. There will be no cloud cover and there is no chance of rain. The wind is expected to blow from the west-southwest.
Fantasy Playing XI
Katey Martin, Elyse Villani, Gaby Lewis, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Sophie Devine, Sune Luus, Stafanie Taylor, Shabnim Ismail, Tash Farrant, Sana Mir
Match details
Date: May 5, 2022
Time: 5.30pm IST
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
Live streaming: Fan Code
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I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.