New Zealand lead the five match ODI series 4-0, after they beat India in the fourth ODI by 63 runs. The two teams will meet for the one last time before the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup for the fifth ODI that will be played at the John Davies Oval in Queenstown on February 24.
Match Preview
Squads
India: Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur (vc), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Jhulan Goswami
New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Amy Satterthwaite(vc), Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Frankie Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
Players to watch out for
Richa Ghosh:
The 18-year old wicket-keeper-bat scored the fastest ODI half-century by any Indian in women’s ODI cricket in her last outing against New Zealand. The right handed batter played some delectable shots and gave some hope to her team when they were chasing a formidable total of 192 from 20 overs.
Smriti Mandhana:
The left-handed opening batter looked in good touch during her short stint in the fourth ODI against New Zealand. She was middling the balls quite well and also looked good on the outfield. She caught one screamer at point to get rid of White Ferns’ captain Sophie Devine in her last match.
Hayley Jensen:
The right arm seamer who came in as the first change was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand against India in the fourth ODI. She scalped 3-32 in her four overs. She bowled in the right areas on a consistent basis and yielded rich dividends. She bowled well with the new ball inside the powerplay.
Amelia Kerr:
This right handed top order batter of New Zealand scored her consecutive third 50+ score in the on-going ODI series. In her last outing, she plundered an unbeaten 68 runs from just 33 balls, to steer her side to a daunting total of 191 in 20 overs. Later in the day, she picked up 3-30 from her 3.5 overs, bowling right arm leg spin.
Pitch
Prior to this match, four ODIs of the series have been played at the same venue. The wicket is nothing less than a batting paradise as the batters get full value for their shots. However, there is something for the bowlers as well, provided they bowl in the right areas for a longer period of time. Seamers and spinners were almost equally effective in the last match that was played here.
Weather
The weather is expected to be mostly sunny during the course of the match. The average temperature will be around 23 degrees Celsius. There will be just a 19 percent cloud cover and 2 percent chance of precipitation. Unlike the last game which was a rain curtailed affair, expect a complete 50-over match. The wind will blow from the east-southeast.
Fantasy playing XI
Richa Ghosh, Mithali Raj, Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates, Smriti Mandhana, Amelia Kerr, Frances Mackay, Hayley Jensen, Jess Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh
Match details
Date: February 24, 2022
Time: 3.30am IST
Venue: John Davies Oval, Queenstown
Live streaming: Amazon Primw
Follow Female Cricket on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news and updates around Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022
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.
