As the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers approach in November/December this year, all teams intensify their practice sessions and participate in tours and practice matches with each other. The Thailand Women’s National Cricket Team is also preparing themselves for the Qualifiers through their upcoming tours with Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The Thai Women will start their Zimbabwe tour at Harare from 18th August to 31st August 2021, playing four ODIs and three T20Is against the Zimbabwe Women’s Team. Then they will move on to Potchefstroom to compete in a five ODI and three T20I series against a South Africa Emerging team of 11 players.
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Thailand Women’s team will tour South Africa and Zimbabwe in the coming month to prepare for the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier
They will tour Zimbabwe from 18th to 30th August and play against South Africa from 5th to 9th September. pic.twitter.com/5IuEBdOeni
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 10, 2021
Despite the pandemic, the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) has invested to organise these two-month-long tours to help the players enrich their performance. Despite their association getting suspended in 2019 and missing the T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers in Scotland, the Zimbabwe Women’s team obtained approval from Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) and started training to host the Thailand squad.
Thailand’s Head Coach Harshal Pathak stated that the biggest benefit from the tours would be gaining valuable experience of playing ODIs and T20s against an international team like Zimbabwe in their territory and in the tough South African conditions. Moreover, the skills that the Thai players have been working hard on after the previous T20 World Cup could be tested and improvised. Hence, these tours would be ideal preparation for the upcoming Qualifiers.
Thailand’s Captain Naruemol Chaiwai stated that familiarising with the Zimbabwe conditions in this tour would provide them leverage during the Qualifiers which will also be held in Zimbabwe. Hence it would pose a great opportunity for the players to learn, adapt and prepare.
The Thailand team Captain and Vice-Captain positions have been handed over to Naruemol Chaiwai and Nannapat Khoncharoekai respectively. The senior all-rounder Sornnarin Tippoch has maintained her place in the team. Two changes were made in the squad since the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. Soraya Lateh and Suwanan Khiaoto have been replaced by seamer Aphisara Suwanchonrathi and off-spinning all-rounder Sunida Chaturongrattana.
The players to look out for in this series would be Natthakhan Chantham, who is the first Thai player to debut in the Women’s T20 Challenge last year and her most probable opening partner, veteran all-rounder Nattaya Boochatham, who performed impressively against the Pakistan squad in the T20 World Cup. Thipatcha Putthawong and Phannita Maya will make their debuts on this tour.
Thailand Women’s Squad for Zimbabwe and South Africa tour:
Naruemol Chaiwai (Captain), Nannapat Khoncharoenkrai (vice-captain), Nattaya Boochatham, Ratanaporn Padunglerd, Chanida Sutthiruang, Natthakan Chantham, Suleeporn Laomi, Sornnarin Tippoch, Rosenanee Kanoh, Wongpaka Liengprasert, Phannita Maya, Onnicha Kampchomphu, Thipatcha Putthawong, Aphisara Suwanchonrathi and Sunida Chaturongrattana.
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