The curtain raiser of the 2023 edition of the Twenty20 (T20) Blaze will witness a face-off between the Windward Islands and Guyana. The game is scheduled to take place at The Conaree Cricket Centre, St Kitts, on the 19th of May, 2023, at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
In the Blaze T20 tournament, Jamaica is the defending champions and the most successful team in the competition with 3 titles, surpassing Barbados who have won a couple.
Squads:
Windward Island – Afy Fletcher (C), Malika Edward, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Kimone Homer, Carena Noel, Jannelia Glasgow, Pearl Etienne, Earnisha Fontaine, Tracy Byron, Abini St. Jean, Nerissa Crafton, Amiah Gilbert, Namiah Marcellin
Guyana – Shemaine Campbelle (C), Shabika Gajnabi, Plaffianna Millington, Sheneta Grimmond, Ashmini Munisar, Katana Mentore, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Mandy Mangru, Kaysia Schultz, Realeanna Grimmond, Cyanna Retemiah, Nyia Latchman, Tilleya Madramootoo, Analesia D’ Aguiar
Players to watch out:
Qiana Joseph
The 22-year-old in 3 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) has only got a wicket to her name. However, in the recently concluded Women’s Super50 Cup, Qiana topped the wickets charts with 16 against her name of only 5 innings.
Afy Fletcher
The 36-year-old all-rounder in 65 bowling innings has struck 55 wickets, while in 31 innings with the bat has scored 135 runs. Fletcher in the 50-over event, in 5 innings scored 149 runs and struck 12 wickets.
Shemaine Campbelle
The 30-year-old all-rounder in 91 T20Is has scored 1047 runs, including the highest of 47, while in 44 innings stuck 34 wickets. Only recently, Shemaine featured for the Barmy Army at the FairBreak Invitational 2023 and recorded a string of starts.
Cherry-Ann Fraser
The 23-year-old in 9 T20Is has struck 8 wickets at an economy rate of 8.48 and has got the best figures of 3/20. Cherry-Ann, in her most recent international outing, against England last year, produced figures of 3/20 and 0/17.
Pitch:
The 22 yards at the Conaree Cricket Ground are expected to favor the batters, however, there will also be enough in it for the bowlers to make an impact. In the early stages of the game, pacers are likely to benefit from movement, while spinners will play a crucial role during the middle overs.
Weather:
It will be a pleasant day to be at the Conaree Cricket Centre for some cricket with mostly cloudy skies and a low chance of rain. The temperature is forecasted to hover in the mid-20s, with moderate winds and a humidity level of 70%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Shemaine Campbelle, Mandy Mangru, Kimone Homer, Malika Edward, Shabika Gajnabi, Pearl Etienne, Sheneta Grimmond, Afy Fletcher, Qiana Joseph, Plaffianna Millington, Jannelia Glasgow
Match details:
Date – May 20, 2023
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Conaree Cricket Centre
Broadcast – All games of the tournament will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website.