Cricket fans, mark your calendars! The highly anticipated second edition of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) is all set to begin on September 1st. The excitement kicks off with an intense opening fixture between the Barbados Royals and the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the iconic Kensington Oval in Barbados. The match will begin at 00:30 am IST, so make sure to set your alarms and get ready for some thrilling cricket action!
This year’s edition of the WCPL promises to be even more engaging with three teams playing each other twice – the Barbados Royals, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and the Trinbago Knight Riders – set to battle it out for the championship title. The last time the Royals and the Amazon Warriors faced off, the Royals emerged victorious, so the Warriors will be looking for redemption this time around.
Squads:
Barbados Royals – Laura Harris, Hayley Matthews (Captain), Chinelle Henry, Marizanne Kapp, Jahzara Claxton, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Qiana Joseph, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Chedean Nation, Rashada Williams (wk), Trishan Holder, Vanessa Watts, Aaliyah Alleyne
Guyana Amazon Warriors – Stafanie Taylor (Captain), Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Djenaba Joseph, Ashmini Munisar, Shreyanka Patil, Cherry Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Natasha McLean, Shabika Gajnabi, Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Shakera Selman
Players to watch out for:
Laura Harris
First up is Laura Harris, known for her incredible striking ability. Despite only managing 91 runs in the Hundred, her runs came at a rate of 193.6. In the WBBL 2022, she scored an impressive 270 runs at a strike rate of 204. It’s safe to say that Harris is a match-winner in any line-up.
Chenille Henry
Another player to watch out for is Chenille Henry, who has scored 359 runs from her 39 international innings and has taken 14 wickets in the format. Her high score of 34(28) against Ireland in the ICC T20 World Cup and a best bowling figure of 3/26 against New Zealand is the perfect testament to her all-round skills. Her talent makes her a certain player to be followed throughout the tournament.
Shreyanka Patil
Shreyanka Patil, the first Indian player to participate in the WCPL, is also one to watch. Patil rose to fame after a brilliant season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL, where she picked 6 wickets and scored 62 runs at a strike rate of 151.21. She also bagged the Player of the Tournament award after picking 9 scalps from only 2 matches in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. The youngster is well on her way to becoming a big name in the upcoming years.
Sophie Devine
Last but not least is Sophie Devine, ranked fifth on the list of highest run-getters, with 3020 runs. She provides crucial breakthroughs and her 110 T20I wickets is the perfect proof of it. In The Hundred, Sophie managed to score 191 runs at a strike rate of for her team, Birmingham Phoenix.
Pitch
The pitch at Kensington Oval favors the spinners, with the last 5 matches here witnessing the spinners taking a total of 39 wickets while the pacers took 24 scalps. The average first innings score is predicted to be 103 runs, so it’s sure to be an exciting match.
Weather
Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the match is not ideal, with a high chance of precipitation at 70%. It is also expected to be a humid day, with 83% humidity and a high wind speed of 24 km/h. The temperature will hover around 30 degrees Celsius. Keep your fingers crossed for clear skies and enjoy the match!
Fantasy Playing 11:
Shemaine Campbelle, Rashada Williams, Stafanie Taylor, Suzie Bates, Hayley Matthews, Sophie Devine, Erin Burns, Chinelle Henry, Shabnim Ismail, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Afy Fletcher
Match details:
Date – September 1, 2023
Time – 00:30 AM IST
Venue – Kensington Oval
Broadcast – Indian viewers can enjoy the live streaming at Fancode.
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