Ranked 6th and 7th on the points table, Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes, are poised to clash at the Allan Border Field, Brisbane for match no. 42 of the ongoing 2023 edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). The game is slated for the 17th of November, 2023, at 10:40 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
Melbourne Stars – Sophia Dunkley, Meg Lanning (C), Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Olivia Henry, Milly Illingworth, Rhys McKenna, Sasha Moloney, Jasmine Nevins, Sophie Reid, Annabel Sutherland
Hobart Hurricanes – Nicola Carey, Julia Cavanough, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Shabnim Ismail, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Emma Manix-Geeves, Tabatha Saville, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Bryony Smith, Molly Strano, Amy Smith, Elyse Villani (C), Naomi Stalenberg
Players to watch out:
Meg Lanning
The 31-year-old top-order batter, in 88 WBBL appearances, has amassed 2982 runs, including a best of 101, averaging 40.84. Meg hasn’t been at her best with the bat this season; however, in her recent few outings, she has stepped up for her side. Notably, in her previous 5 outings, Meg has notched up two significant scores (75 and 67*), and it’ll be watched if she can follow up with another big score.
Kim Garth
The 27-year-old all-rounder, in WBBL, has claimed 65 wickets in 71 bowling outings and chipped in with the bat, scoring 376 runs from 41 outings. Kim has had an ordinary season thus far with just 5 wickets to her name, though she has been economical (6.32). After four wicketless outings, she was back in the wickets column with figures of 1/24 (4) in her most recent outing, and it’ll be expected of her to carry forward this momentum.
Bryony Smith
The 25-year-old promising English all-rounder has had a quiet maiden WBBL season. Bryony has bowled a few overs but continues to search for her maiden wicket, while with the bat, she has accumulated 74 runs from 9 innings. Struggling one down, Bryony was promoted to open the batting, and in her previous couple of outings, she has registered scores of 11 and 25. She’ll be banked on to capitalize on these starts.
Shabnim Ismail
The 27-year-old South African pacer has taken 47 WBBL wickets in 51 outings, maintaining an economy rate of 6.08. Shabnim has had another good WBBL season this year, with her economy in check (6.41). However, she hasn’t picked up as many wickets as she would have liked, with just 9 to her name off 10 outings. In her previous 3 outings, she’s bagged a couple of 2-fers, and the Hurricanes will be hoping she makes the most of this form.
Pitch:
The Allan Border Field dishes a balanced center wicket that provides a fair contest between bat and ball. The 22 yards at the venue offer enough assistance to both spinners and pacers, while batters find the most delight with the average score in the 150s.
Weather:
With showers forecasted throughout the match duration, there is a possibility of the game being washed out if the skies don’t clear. The temperature is expected to hover around 21°C, with moderate winds and a humidity level of 67%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Lizelle Lee, Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani, Maia Bouchier, Annabel Sutherland, Heather Graham, Alice Capsey, Nicola Carey, Molly Strano, Shabnim Ismail, Sophie Day
Match details:
Date – November 17, 2023
Time – 10:40 AM IST
Venue – Allan Border Field, Brisbane
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website.