On February 7, 2025, at Junction Oval in Melbourne, Victoria Women and Queensland Fire will square off in a thrilling matchup in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL). This season, Queensland have performed remarkably well, winning three of their last four games. Their supremacy in the league is reflected in their steady play, which has pushed them to the top of the WNCL standings.
On the other hand, the outcomes for Victoria have been inconsistent. They have just won two games, marking a comeback after suffering two straight defeats. With their current ranking of fifth on the table, Victoria will be keen to build on their winning streak and move up the standings.
Squads:
Victoria Women:
Nicole Faltum, Sophie Day, Samara Dulvin, Tess Flintoff, Poppy Gardner, Hasrat Gill, Ella Hayward, Olivia Henry, Rhys McKenna, Sasha Moloney, Jasmin Nevins, Georgia Prestwidge, Sophie Reid
Queensland Fire:
Lily Bassingthwaighte, Bonnie Berry, Lucinda Bourke, Sienna Ginger, Lilli Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Laura Harris, Charli Knott, Grace Parson, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla Wrigley
Players to watch out for:
Tess Flintoff
The 21-year-old is well-known for her strong batting, especially in the middle order. She wins matches with her ability to quicken the pace of play and find boundaries at critical times. She is also an excellent bowler who produces significant breakthroughs. Her versatility adds much-needed balance to the team. In her previous 4 WNCL outings, she has taken 4 wickets and totaled 119 runs, with her top score of 77 not out.
Ella Hayward
The 21-year-old bowling all-rounder is trusted with her reliability and ability to take wickets. Ella is a potent fielder who adds to the team’s overall strength and has already claimed 10 wickets, at an economy rate of 4.04, in the competition so far, and amassed 335 runs, at an average of 47.85, with the highest of 112*.
Charli Knott
Charli Knott is a 22-year-old all-round player, particularly dependable at the top. She can accelerate when necessary and maintains a composed approach at the wicket. She has amassed 229 runs, including a century and two wickets in the most recent outings, and can be relied upon for the goods, extending this form.
Georgia Redmayne
The 31-year-old keeper-batter has a high degree of skill. Her squad benefits from her quick reactions, which limit scoring opportunities and create opportunities to take wickets. In the season so far, she scored 248 runs, including one hundred and two half-centuries. She is a dual threat in both batting and fielding since she can produce runs when needed.
Pitch:
Melbourne’s Junction Oval is renowned for having well-balanced pitch conditions. A competitive total is indicated by the venue’s historical average first-innings score of about 200 runs. Pace bowlers can expect bounce and movement, particularly in the early overs.
Weather:
Although the likelihood of showers is low, an occurrence is still a possibility. High temperatures of about 25°C are predicted, along with mild winds of 15 to 20 km/h throughout the morning.
Fantasy Playing XI:
Georgia Redmayne, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Grace Parsons, Tess Flintoff, Bonnie Berry, Ella Hayward, Charli Knott, Olivia Henry, Jess Jonassen
Match details:
Date: February 7, 2025
Time: 04:30 AM IST
Venue: Junction Oval, Melbourne
Broadcast: In India, the game will be live streamed on FanCode.
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