With hosts England claiming victory in the Twenty20 International (T20I) series opener against Sri Lanka, the visitors face a must-win situation in the 2nd T20I to stay alive in the 3-match series. The series decider, 2nd T20I, is set to be played on the 2nd of September, 2023, at The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford, at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
In the T20I opener, the skillful batting display of Danni Wyatt (48) and Alice Capsey (51), along with cameos from Maia Bouchier (21), Freya Kemp (20), and Heather Knight (23), contributed to England posting a formidable total of 186 in 17 overs. However, due to a rain delay, Sri Lanka’s target was revised to 68 from six overs but could only muster 55 runs. Despite Nilakshi de Silva’s (18) late blitz, Sri Lanka lost to England by 12 runs.
Squads:
England – Heather Knight (C), Lauren Bell*, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Lauren Filer, Mahika Gaur, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath (WK), Amy Jones (WK), Freya Kemp, Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt
Sri Lanka – Chamari Athapaththu (C), Oshadi Ranasinghe, Harshitha Gunaratne, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Kaveesha Dilhari, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Anushka Sanjeewani (WK), Udeshika Prabodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Kawya Kavindi, Inoshi Fernando, Hansima Karunaratne, Hasini Perera, Imesha Dulani
Players to watch out:
Bess Heath
The 22-year-old keeper-batter received her maiden call-up to the senior national team on the back of yet another notable domestic season. Bess underperformed in the recently concluded 3rd edition of The Hundred. However, in domestic matches, she scored 249 runs in 8 outings in the 50-over competition and 108 runs in 7 outings in the 20-over competition.
Mahika Gaur
The 17-year-old left-arm pacer is now a double international, having previously played for the United Arab Emirates and making her debut for England in the series opener. After her time with the A setup and an impressive run in domestic games, especially The Hundred, where she took 4 wickets in 6 games, Mahika carried her form into the opener, producing figures of 1/16 (2) on debut.
Nilakshi de Silva
The 33-year-old batting all-rounder in T20Is, in 63 outings with the bat, has amassed 847 runs while also contributing with 11 wickets from 20 bowling outings. Nilakshi had a notable home series against New Zealand and has continued her form, scoring 18 off 10 in the ongoing series opener.
Udeshika Prabodhani
The 37-year-old left-arm pacer has emerged as one of Sri Lanka’s best in recent series, with economical spells and wickets to her name. Udeshika had it all during the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, she had a forgetful start to the series, registering figures of 0/53, but expect the veteran to bounce back.
Pitch:
The Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford features a well-balanced center wicket that’s favorable for both batters and bowlers, especially the pacers, to make an impact on the game. The average score in the 140s indicates favorable conditions for scoring runs as well.
Weather:
The conditions are very pleasant for cricket, with partly cloudy skies overhead and minimal chances of rain during the match hours. The temperature is expected to hover around 21°C with light winds and humidity at 73%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Danielle Wyatt, Maia Bouchier, Chamari Athapaththu, Alice Capsey, Kaveesha Dilhari, Sarah Glenn, Inoka Ranaweera, Charlie Dean, Mahika Gaur
Match details:
Date – September 2, 2023
Time – 7:00 PM IST
Venue – The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Broadcast – All games of the bilateral series will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website.