The eighth match of the Hundred will be played between Southern Brave and Welsh Fire. Both the teams have had contradicting starts to the tournament. While Southern Brave emerged victorious against Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire suffered defeat at the hands of Northern Superchargers.
Squads
Southern Brave: Danielle Wyatt, Smriti Mandhana, Sophia Dunkley, Stafanie Taylor, Maia Bouchier, Carla Rudd (wk), Amanda Wellington, Anya Shrubsole (c), Fi Morris, Tara Norris, Lauren Bell, Paige Scholfield, Sonia Odedra, Ella McCaughan, Charlotte Taylor
Welsh Fire: Bryony Smith, Hayley Matthews, Georgia Redmayne, Sarah Taylor (wk), Sophie Luff (c), Georgia Hennessy, Alice Macleod, Piepa Cleary, Alex Griffiths, Katie George, Nicole Harvey, Bethan Ellis, Lauren Filer
Players to watch out for
Anya Shrubsole (Southern Brave):
The captain of the Southern Brave contributed with both bat and ball to lead her side to their first win of the Hundred. The England all-rounder chipped in with a quick-fire 40 off 30 balls, smashing five boundaries and a six. Opening the bowling, she wrecked havoc as she picked up 4-13 in 20 balls.
Stafanie Taylor (Southern Brave):
The West Indies all-rounder had a wonderful outing against Trent Rockets in her first match of the Hundred. With the bat, the swashbuckling right hand batter smacked 45 off 31, hitting four boundaries and a six. Her unbeaten innings was followed by a delectable bowing spell as she scalped 1-26 in 20 balls.
Hayley Matthews (Welsh Fire):
The right hand opening bat and right arm off spinner from West Indies was the standout performer for her team against Northern Superchargers. She scored 30 off 20 balls, hitting five boundaries and a six. With the ball, she accounted for 1-29 off 15 balls and opened the bowling from the other end.
Bryony Smith (Welsh Fire):
The opening batter and opening bowler for Welsh Fire made some useful contributions in her first match of the Hundred. She scored 19 off 11 balls, including two boundaries and a six. The off spinner picked up 1-26 in her full quota of 20 balls.
Weather conditions
It is a 3pm (local) start at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The weather looks like a mixed bag of tricks. Between 3pm and 7pm, there is a fair chance of rain as the weather predicts an average 35% chance of precipitation. The average temperature is around 20 degrees celsius. There will be a gentle to a moderate breeze blowing from the west.
Pitch
This will be the first game of the tournament at this venue. So far, the venue has hosted 8 men’s T20Is and out of these 8 matches, teams batting second have won 6. The average score here is 141.
Average 1st innings score: 142 (max score: 182 and min score: 89)
Average 2nd innings score: 140 (max score: 177 and min score: 90)
Out of the top 5 wicket-takers at this venue, three are seamers and two are spinners. The pitch may assist the seamers more than the spinner, because of the gentle to a moderate breeze blowing across the ground.
Fantasy playing XI
Sarah Taylor, Maia Bouchier, Georgia Redmayne, Danielle Wyatt, Anya Shrubsole, Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews, Bryony Smith, Lauren Bell, Piepa Cleary, Amy Gordon
Date: July 27, 2021
Time: 7.30pm IST
Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Live streaming: Fan Code
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.
