In the last league match of the Women’s Hundred 2023, Birmingham Phoenix will take the field against London Spirit at the picturesque Edgbaston, Birmingham. The match is scheduled to take place on the 24th of August at 7:30 pm IST. Both teams are already out of the playoff race. Phoenix is having a bitter season and is yet to open their account while the Spirit have won just one match. Despite everything, both teams will look to end their season on high. The two sides have met twice with London Spirit having the upper hand with a 2-0 lead.
Birmingham Phoenix lost their last match to Trent Rockets by 3 runs, Amy Jones was the top scorer with an unbeaten 46 of 30 balls and Emily Arlott took a figure of 3/15 from her 20 balls. London Spirit also faced a similar fate as they lost the match against Northern Superchargers on the penultimate ball where Amelia Kerr performed valiantly with both bat and ball, scored 60 not out of 32 deliveries, and took 2/24 respectively.
Squads:
Birmingham Phoenix – Amy Jones, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott, Sophie Devine, Hannah Baker, Katie Levick, Eve Jones (C), Abtaha Maqsood, Erin Burns, Chloe Brewer, Sterre Kalis, Davina Perrin, Tess Flintoff, Abbey Freeborn, Charis Pavely
London Spirit – Heather Knight (C), Amelia Kerr, Charlie Dean, Danielle Gibson, Grace Harris, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Munro, Sophie Luff, Grace Scrivens, Tara Norris, Niamh Holland, Richa Ghosh, Lauren Filer, Chloe Hill, Alice Monaghan
Players to watch for:
· Eve Jones
The Phoenix skipper has not had an ideal season, she managed only 71 runs from her 5 innings at a strike rate of 102.9. The Central Sparks opener will look to end her season on a positive note in the last match against the Spirit.
· Erin Burns
The Australian all-rounder has scored 65 runs from her 6 innings at an average of 10.83. Even her off-spin has not produced enough breakthroughs as she has managed just 1 wicket from her 17 sets. Her all-round performance might prove to be crucial in the last league match.
· Grace Harris
The 29-year-old power hitter has scored 368 runs with a strike rate of 168.8 from her 24 international innings. She has had an under-par season with only 27 runs coming from her 5 innings at a strike rate of just 93.1, the Australian will hope to smash the balls throughout her innings against the Phoenix.
· Tara Norris
The Pennsylvania-born pacer has picked just 2 wickets from her 5 innings in the ongoing season. In March, she took the world by storm when she became the first-ever bowler to take a fifer in the Women’s Premier League, and will look to replicate her performance in her last match.
Pitch
While it is a decent batting pitch, the seamers will get movement with the overcast conditions. The team who will see off the opening spells with minimal damage is likely to have a better outing.
Weather
As the weather forecast predicts heavy rain during the game, there is a high possibility that it will be a rain-curtailed game. Temperatures will be around 21°C, humidity 66% with a light breeze expected.
Fantasy Playing 11
Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine, Emily Arlott, Danielle Gibson, Tess Flintoff, Erin Burns, Katie Levick, Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean
Match details:
Date – August 24, 2023
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Edgbaston, Birmingham
Broadcast – All games of the tournament will be telecasted on the Sony Sports Network and will be available for live-stream on Sony LIV and Fancode.
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