Excitement is brewing for the eighth Women’s T20I Nordic Cup. On August 26th at 6:30 pm IST, the Swedish women’s team will go head-to-head with Norway at the Tikkurila Cricket Ground in Vantaa. In their previous seven encounters, Sweden has emerged victorious each time, but will they be able to maintain their perfect record against Norway?
Recent statistics show that both teams have faced some challenges in their last few matches. Norway has been unable to secure a win in their last five games, while Sweden has only managed to clinch one victory out of their last five matches. However, with some key players in their lineup, both teams are still in with a chance to turn their fortunes around.
Squads:
· Sweden – Eman Asim, Kanchan Rana, Rashmi Samashekar, Ekaerina Bogdanova, Elsa Thelander (wk), Signe Lundell, Meghana Alugunoolla (wk), Hareer Chamto, Imali Jaasooriya, Surya Ravuri, Maria Ehsan, Saanvi Bhanushali, Anya Vaidya, Gunjan Shukla (c), Dia Gangwani, Fatima Zahra, Ritu Raheja, Neeha Kayani
· Norway – Anushka Gorad (wk), Bijeyata Kumari (wk), Ananya Rautela, Misbah Ifzaal, Sagana Kunaratnum, Mirab Razwan, Soly Poulose, Farima Safi, Pooja Kumari, Lopa Mudra, Paridhi Agarwal, Shangeerthana Raveendrakumar, Dulmini Gamage, Ramya Immadi, Ayesha Hasan
Players to watch for:
· Signe Lundell
Signe Lundell, the young and talented 21-year-old, will have a crucial role to play for Sweden. In her 16 matches so far, she has scored 186 runs and taken two wickets, with a top score of 49 against Germany. Sweden will look to stretch their perfect record against Norway and she will have a major role in it.
· Gunjan Shukla
The veteran has picked 21 scalps with her left arm pace bowling. Apart from that, she can give a handful of contributions from her bat too. She has scored 120 runs with a high score of 37. She will look to add to her tally in the upcoming match.
· Ayesha Hasan
Ayesha Hasan will be looking to make a big impact in the upcoming match. Despite a duck in their last game, Hasan has scored 140 runs in her 10 innings and is a talented player with lots of potential. Norway has lost both of their matches in the Nordic Cup and for them to open their account, she will have to come big.
· Pooja Kumari
She will also be someone to watch out for if Norway hopes to turn the tables on Sweden. The stalwart has taken 8 wickets from her 9 innings. A best of 3/10 came against the same opposition. And Norway will hope that she repeats her heroics in the next match.
Pitch
The pitch at Tikkurila Cricket Ground is known to favor bowlers, with an average first-innings score of just 65. This means that pacers will have a significant advantage, and whichever team manages to negotiate them better will likely come out on top.
Weather
Conditions look good with just a 20% chance of precipitation. It will be a humid day, with 75% humidity and a moderate wind speed of 21 km/h, and the temperature is set to hover around 21 degrees Celsius.
Fantasy Playing 11
Elsa Thelander, Signe Lundell, Kanchan Rana, Sagana Kunaratnum, Gunjan Shukla, Anya Vaidya, Dulmini Gamage, Surya Ravuri, Maria Ehsan, Pooja Kumari, Paridhi Aggarwal
Match details:
Date – August 26, 2023
Time – 6:30 PM IST
Venue – Tikkurila Cricket Ground, Vantaa.
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