In a first-ever showdown, hosts Malta and Estonia are scheduled to go head-to-head in a 4-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series on November 18th and 19th. On the opening day action, 18th of November 2023, the two teams will contest the doubleheader at the Marsa Sports Club, Malta, at 1:00 PM and 5:15 PM Indian Standard Time (IST), respectively.
Squads:
Malta – Aneeta Santhosh, Anjana Antony, Anupama Rameshan, Bibina Baby, Claire Sammut, Jessica Rymer, Jyoti Neupane, Likitha Yadav, Lissmol Josy, Shamla Cholasseri, Silvana Bandeva, Sneha Varli, Stella Arooja, Susan George, Sushma Khatri, Svitlana Iushchenko, Thanooja Rayammarakkaruveettil, Tracy Calingin
Estonia – Amy Pattenden, Asma Shifa, Beenish Wani, Geethma Madanayake, Laima Dalbina, Liina Sormus, Maret Valner, Medha Gooch, Mirjam Frey, Natalia Tykhonravova, Natalia Zholudz, Ragne Hallik, Sirli Pattenden, Viktoria Frey
Players to watch out:
Jessica Rymer
The 30-year-old keeper-batter, with 7 Twenty20 International (T20I) appearances, has accumulated 149 runs, averaging 37.25. Jessica, in her most recent T20I outing, rewrote her career best with an unbeaten 51* against Romania in the Women’s Continental Cup earlier this year. The team will rely on her to lead the batting chart.
Shamla Cholasseri
The 31-year-old all-rounder, in 7 T20I outings, has accumulated 90 runs and also scalped 10 wickets. In the last league game of the Continental Cup, Shamla notched up her career best of 37*, and in the following game, the 3rd place playoff against Romania produced her best bowling figures of 4/9. It’ll be expected of her to deliver the goods both with the bat and ball.
Viktoria Frey
The 18-year-old pace all-rounder, in her only T20I, scored 10 runs and returned figures of 0/17 (2). Estonia made their T20I debut earlier this year against Norway in the Nordic Cup. During the tournament, the team played a game (T20) against Finland XI, and Viktoria top-scored with an unbeaten 21* and finished with figures of 1/30. It’ll be watched if she translates the form and scores big runs.
Laima Dalbina
The 35-year-old pace all-rounder, in her maiden T20I appearance, added 8 runs to the tally while also picking up a wicket, recording figures of 1/15 (2.5). In the following game against Finland XI, Laima sent down another economical spell, producing figures of 1/15 (4). Estonia can count on Laima to have a good outing.
Pitch:
The center wicket at the Marsa Sports Club is a balanced one that offers a fair contest between bat and ball. While batters enjoy the opportunity to score well with an average in the 120s, bowlers, both pacers and spinners benefit from the conditions.
Weather:
With moderate winds, humidity at 54%, and the temperature forecasted to hover around 21°C, the conditions promise a complete game of cricket. The overhead is expected to be cloudy, but the chances of rain are minimal.
Fantasy playing XI:
Jessica Rymer, Natalia Tykhonravova, Svitlana Iushchenko, Shamla Cholasseri, Anupama Rameshan, Sushma Khatri, Ragne Hallik, Viktoria Frey, Stella Arooja, Amy Pattenden, Laima Dalbina
Match details:
Date – November 18, 2023
Time – 1:00 PM IST and 5:15 PM IST
Venue – Marsa Sports Club, Malta
Broadcast – The games will be live-streamed on FanCode and European Cricket Network’s YouTube channel.