The fourth game of the Hundred and the second match of the day will be played between Northern Superchargers and Welsh Fire on July 24 at Headingley, Leeds. The two teams have some exciting players in their line-ups with the likes of Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Hayley Matthews and Laura Wolvaardt, alongside a pool of English domestic stars.
Squads
Welsh Fire: Piepa Cleary, Bethan Ellis, Lauren Filer, Katie George, Amy Gordon, Alexandra Griffiths, Nicole Harvey, Georgia Hennessy, Sophie Luff (c), Hayley Matthews, Alice Macleod, Georgia Redmayne, Bryony Smith, Sarah Taylor (wk), Natasha Wraith
Northern Superchargers: Hollie Armitage, Ami Campbell, Laura Kimmince, Jemimah Rodrigues, Lauren Winfield-Hill (c), Laura Wolvaardt, Alice Davidson-Richards, Phoebe Graham, Sterre Kalis, Kalea Moore, Bess Heath (wk), Beth Langston, Helen Fenby, Katie Levick, Linsey Smith
Players to watch out for
Sarah Taylor (Welsh Fire):
She has been one of the most successful wicket-keeper batter for England. With an international career spanning over 12 years, she represented the national side in 90 T20Is and scored 2177 runs, including 16 half-centuries at a strike rate of 110.67 and average 29.02. Behind the stumps, she has accounted for 74 dismissals. She holds the record of having the maximum stumpings (51) in women’s T20Is and second-highest dismissals (74). The right hand bat is also the second-fastest to 1000 T20I runs in women’s cricket.
Hayley Matthews (Welsh Fire):
She is a West Indies international cricketer. Right from a very young age, she achieved a lot in the field of cricket. At the age of 11, she was the captain of her school’s boys’ team. By the time she was 12, she was already in the Barbados senior women’s team. She made her West Indies debut in 2014 at the age of 16. The right hand opening bat and right arm off-spinner has featured in 58 T20Is and has scored 1028 runs, including one century and four half-centuries. She has a strike rate of 104.47. With the ball, she has scalped 54 wickets in 52 innings, including two four-wicket hauls.
Lauren Winfield-Hill (Northern Superchargers):
The right-hand opening bat, who plays for England is a talented cricketer, who will be leading the side in the inaugural competition. She is a seasoned campaigner, who has been around in the international arena since 2013. She has featured in 40 T20Is for England and has scored 552 runs at a strike rate of 111.29. She has also scored three half-centuries.
Laura Wolvaardt (Northern Superchargers):
She is a South African international cricketer and has been around in the international circuit since 2016. The right hand opening bat has represented the Proteas in 30 T20Is and has mustered 517 runs at a strike rate of 107.26. She has also hit three half-centuries in 28 innings. She also holds the record of being the 2nd youngest women cricketer to score an ODI century. She achieved this feat against Ireland when she was 17 years and 105 days old.
Weather conditions
It is a 2.30 pm (local) start and the weather looks good for a day’s play of cricket. The average temperature is expected to be around 19°C. There will be a light cloud cover and a gentle breeze blowing across east-northeast. There is almost no probability of rain as the weather forecasts low chances of precipitation.
Pitch
Till date, there has been only one T20I played between the men’s team of England and Pakistan. It was held on July 18, 2021. It was a high scoring game as England batting scored 200 and Pakistan in return were reduced to 155. It is important to note that a total of 19 wickets fell in the match, out of which 11 were picked by pacers and 8 by spinners. The aforementioned statistics emphasize that the pitch is good for batting but at the same time it assists the bowlers.
Fantasy XI Predictions
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.