The 12th match of the Hundred will be played between Welsh Fire and Manchester Originals on July 31 at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Both the teams have had a disappointing start to the competition as they have lost the two matches that they have played so far. Will the Fire be able to achieve their first win or will it be Originals who will break their losing spree? Tune in to find out…
Squads
Manchester Originals: Lizelle Lee, Emma Lamb, Georgie Boyce, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mignon du Preez, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross (c), Eleanor Threlkeld (wk), Cordelia Griffith, Laura Jackson, Alex Hartley, Natalie Brown, Alice Dyson, Hannah Jones, Danielle Collins
Welsh Fire: Bryony Smith, Hayley Matthews, Alice Macleod, Georgia Redmayne, Sarah Taylor (wk), Sophie Luff (c), Georgia Hennessy, Piepa Cleary, Alex Griffiths, Katie George, Nicole Harvey, Sune Luus, Amy Gordon, Natasha Wraith, Bethan Ellis, Lauren Filer
Players to watch out for
Harmanpreet Kaur (Manchester Originals):
India’s T20I captain has had two wonderful outings in the Hundred. She has scored 78 runs in two games, including the best of 49 not out. She has a strike rate of 123.80. She is the leading run-scorer for her team and third overall. Apart from her batting, she has also chipped in with the ball bowling three sets across the two matches.
Kate Cross (Manchester Originals):
The captain of the Originals is the leading wicket-taker for the side. She has picked up 4 wickets in two matches. She has looked in good rhythm and has pitched the ball in the right areas. With the bat, in the first game, she played a cameo in which she scored an unbeaten 12 off 4 balls. The Originals would want their captain to fire with both bat and ball.
Hayley Matthews (Welsh Fire):
The right-hand attacking bat from West Indies is the top run-scorer for her team. She has scored 63 runs in two matches, including the best of 33. She has a strike rate of 157.50. With the ball, she has picked up one wicket in two outings. She bowls right arm off-spin.
Piepa Cleary (Welsh Fire):
She is the leading wicket-taker for the Fire. The right arm seamer has accounted for two wickets in as many games, including the priced wicket of England opening bat Danielle Wyatt. She is disciplined with respect to her lines and lengths and does not give away too many freebies to the batters.
Weather conditions
It is a 11am (local) start at The Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The weather looks for a full game of cricket. The average temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius, with a gentle breeze blowing from the west.
Pitch
It is a good wicket that aids both bowlers and batters. This will be the second game of the tournament at this venue. In the first game, the team batting second comfortably won the match. It was a low-scoring encounter as the team batting first could only manage to put on board 110. Out of the nine wickets that fell, four were taken by spinners, three by seamers and two were run outs.
Fantasy playing XI
Lizelle Lee, Georgia Hennessy, Georgia Boyce, Sophie Luff, Alice Macleod, Hayley Matthews, Harmanpreet Kaur, Emma Lamb, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Piepa Cleary
Date: July 31, 2021
Time: 3.30 pm IST
Venue: The 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.