United Arab Emirates and Ireland kick off Group B fixtures at the forthcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup Global Qualifier on the 25th of April, 2024, at 4:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST), at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Squads:
United Arab Emirates – Esha Oza (C), Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Siya Gokhale, Heena Hotchandhani, Al Maseera Jahangir, Lavanya Keny, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Indhuja Nandakumar, Avanee Patil, Rinitha Rajith, Theertha Satish, Khushi Sharma, Mehak Thakur
Ireland – Laura Delany (C), Ava Canning, Alana Dalzell, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Joanna Loughran, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell
Players to watch out:
Kavisha Egodage
The 21-year-old all-rounder, averaging 36.00, has racked up 1728 runs from 70 outings, while also taking 29 wickets from 36 outings, registering bests of 92* and 3/3. Kavisha scored 23* against Thailand and returned figures of 2/6 against Uganda in the warm-up games. The team will count on her to excel with both the bat and ball.
Vaishnave Mahesh
The 17-year-old leg-spinner, averaging 10.92 and maintaining an economy rate of 4.57, has picked up 78 wickets from 58 T20I outings and has also been handy with the bat. Though Vaishnave finished wicketless in both warm-up fixtures, she was economical, registering figures of 0/18 (4) and 0/16 (3). She’ll be backed to get to her wicket-taking best.
Gaby Lewis
The 23-year-old opening batter, from 82 T20I appearances, has amassed 1879 runs at an average of 27.23 and a strike rate of 113.26, registering the highest of 105*. Though Gaby departed for a duck in a T20I last week, in a recent T20I series she registered consecutive scores of 56, 44, 0, 25*, and 42. It’ll be expected of the seasoned batter to find her footing.
Eimear Richardson
The 37-year-old all-rounder in T20Is, from 53 innings, has accumulated 695 runs, and from 63 outings, has claimed 54 wickets, registering respective bests of 3/9 and 63*. Eimear in the warm-up fixtures, in the lead-up to the competition, produced figures of 1/28 and 3/13, while also chipped in scoring 17 in game two. She’ll be banked upon for the goods.
Pitch:
The Zayed Cricket Stadium wicket is a balanced one that offers a fair contest between bat and ball. While batters enjoy the opportunity to score well with an average in the 120s, bowlers, especially spinners, benefit from the conditions.
Weather:
With sunny skies and a low chance of rain, the conditions are pleasant for cricket. The temperature is forecasted to hover around 30°C, with moderate winds and a humidity level of 26%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Amy Hunter, Theertha Satish, Esha Oza, Orla Prendergast, Kavisha Egodage, Laura Delany, Leah Paul, Samaira Dharnidharka, Arlene Kelly, Vaishnave Mahesh, Heena Hotchandhani
Match details:
Date – April 25, 2024
Time – 4:30 PM IST
Venue – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on FanCode and ICC TV.