The Gold Coast District Cricket Club, Queensland, will host the ‘A’ teams of Australia and India for a one-off, four-day red-ball game starting on the 22nd of August 2024. Thus far in this all-format series, Australia swept the T20 series 3-0 and secured the 3-match One-Day series 2-1, with India taking the final game.
Squads:
Australia A – Charli Knott (C), Nicole Faltum (VC), Maddy Darke (WK), Maitlan Brown, Sophie Day, Emma de Broughe, Tess Flintoff, Katie Mack, Lilly Mills, Grace Parsons, Kate Peterson, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll
India A – Minnu Mani (C), Shweta Sehrawat (VC), Uma Chetry (WK), Shipra Giri (WK), Priya Punia, Shubha Satheesh, Tejal Hasabnis, Kiran Navgire, Sajana Sajeevan, Raghavi Bisht, Saika Ishaque, Mannat Kashyap, Tanuja Kanwar, Priya Mishra, Meghna Singh, Sayali Satghare, Shabnam Shakeel, Soppadhandi Yashasri
Players to watch out:
Maddy Darke
The 23-year-old top-order batter, in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), Australia’s domestic 50-over competition, amassed 475 runs from 10 outings in the 2022-23 season and 458 runs from 12 outings in the 2023-24 season. In this series, she registered scores of 27, 106*, and 22 in the One-Dayers and is a reliable anchor who will be counted on to lead the scoring in this game.
Charli Knott
The 21-year-old all-rounder, in the 2023-24 WNCL, bagged 12 wickets and added 328 runs from 12 outings. Charli was brilliant during her stint in England over the past few months; however, in this series, she has only managed starts of 26, 9, and 11 in her recent One-Day outings, while making a return with the ball and being among the wicket-takers. She will hopefully build on this form and deliver the goods.
Shubha Satheesh
The 25-year-old top-order batter, from 3 Test innings, has accumulated 97 runs, with the highest of 69 coming against England late last year on her Test debut, proving her mettle. She then, against South Africa a couple of months back, registered scores of 15 and 13*. In the two One-Dayers in this series, Shubha managed starts of 16 and 24 and will be backed to convert them into substantial scores in this game.
Minnu Mani
The 25-year-old all-rounder, in the 2024 domestic red-ball games, while not adding many runs to the tally, has returned with the ball read 6/73, 5/47, and 3/65. Minnu has had a notable series thus far, recording scores of 17*, 22, 27, 1, and 34, alongside bowling figures of 1/22, 1/20, 2/53, 0/36, and 2/4. She is an experienced campaigner and, given her recent success, can be relied upon for an all-round effort.
Pitch:
The 22 yards at the Gold Coast District Cricket Club are favorable for bowlers, particularly pacers, due to its bounce and seam, while spinners also remain in the game throughout. As the game progresses, the wicket does get better for batting, and a healthy contest can be expected.
Weather:
With clear, bright skies forecasted throughout the course of the 4 days of the unofficial Test, the conditions are ideal for cricket in Queensland. The temperature will range in the mid-20s (°C), with light winds and 67% humidity.
Fantasy playing XI:
Maddy Darke, Tejal Hasabnis, Georgia Voll, Shubha Satheesh, Charli Knott, Minnu Mani, Tanuja Kanwar, Raghavi Bisht, Maitlan Brown, Priya Mishra, Saika Ishaque
Match details:
Date – August 22-25, 2024
Time – 5:00 AM IST
Venue – Gold Coast District Cricket Club, Queensland
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, and it will also be available for streaming on Kayo Sports.