The ongoing 02 edition of the FairBreak Invitational is well in its business end and match no. 14 will see Sapphires play Barmy Army at the Kowloon Cricket Club, Hong Kong at 7:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST). The two when played each other in the inaugural edition last year, Barmy Army had the better of the Sapphires in a thrilling contest.
In the ongoing edition thus far, while the Barmy Army has won 3 and lost 1 of their 4 games, Sapphires with only a win and 3 defeats in as many games are seeded 5th on the points table with 4.5 points against their name. The Barmy Army with 10 points is 2nd to the Warriors who lead with 15 points.
Squads:
Sapphires
Sana Mir (C), Jivana Aras, Erin Burns, Kary Chan, Aditi Chudasama, Babette de Leede, Tash Farrant, Shabnim Ismail, Sibona Jimmy, Geetika Kodali, Gaby Lewis, Katie Mack, Maryam Omar, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Pull To
Barmy Army
Lauren Winfield-Hill (C), Rumana Ahmed, Shemaine Campbelle, Laura Cardoso, Rubina Chhetry, Deandra Dottin, Kavisha Egodage, Keenu Gill, Roberta Moretti Avery, Tara Norris, Iqra Sahar, Fatima Sana, Nigar Sultana, Ruchitha Venkatesh, Laura Wolvaardt
Players to watch out:
Shemaine Campbelle
The 30-year-old Caribbean international in 119 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) has got to 1047 runs and in 44 innings has also bagged 34 wickets at an economy rate of 5.11. Campbelle started well in the competition with a 33* against Spirit but since has only managed a couple of silent starts but has looked in good nick and could well go on to have a big outing against Sapphires.
Rumana Ahmed
The 31-year-old all-rounder from Bangladesh in 84 T20Is has scored 854 runs and has struck 75 scalps at an economy rate of 5.49. Rumana with figures of 2/21, 3/23, and 1/16 has been very impressive with the ball, and on only 1 occasion was required with the bat and made it count as well with a fine 37.
Erin Burns
The 34-year-old Australian all-rounder has massive cricketing experience having featured in competitions in the UK, India, New Zealand, and Australia, of course. While Burns has had starts with the bat but has failed to convert them, she’s looked good with the ball having registered figures of 1/22, 1/16, 0/11, and 0/22.
Shabnim Ismail
The 34-year-old South African quick in national colors has struck 123 wickets in 112 innings and is handy with the bat as well providing late runs and resistance. Ismail has looked on song in the tournament as well with figures of 0/25, 1/11, 0/20, and 0/10 but the wicket column seems to have dried up and she too would want a few more in there.
Pitch:
The 22-yards at the Kowloon Cricket Club have got runs in them this summer and it isn’t the traditional bowlers’ paradise that we are used to seeing. The evenly balanced track is a highlight as there are rewards for shots and bowlers too are always in the game.
Weather:
With the temperature forecasted to hover around 26°C and no chances of rain spells, we will be treated to a complete game of cricket. It will be a partly cloudy overhead, light winds are expected and the humidity is forecasted at 77%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Lauren Winfield-Hill, Shemaine Campbelle, Laura Wolvaardt, Erin Burns, Kavisha Egodage, Nigar Sultana, Deandra Dottin, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Tara Norris, Rumana Ahmed, Tash Farrant
Match details:
Date – 11th April 2023
Time – 7:30 AM IST
Venue – Kowloon Cricket Club
Broadcast – In India, the tournament will be telecasted on Sony Sports and will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website.