The Central Hinds and Canterbury Magicians haven’t had much success in the 2024–25 Hallyburton Johnstone Shield (HJS) so far, managing only one win from four games. In round 5, the two teams will go head-to-head on the 14th of December 2024 at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, at 3:00 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
Central Hinds women’s cricket team
Mikaela Greig (C), Aniela Apperley, Georgia Atkinson, Ocean Bartlett, Flora Devonshire, Kate Gaging (WK), Claudia Green, Emma Mcleod, Rosemary Mair, Thamsyn Newton, Jess Ogden, Hannah Rowe, Kerry Tomlinson
Canterbury Magicians women’s cricket team
Sarah Asmussen, Missy Banks, Nat Cox, Jodie Dean, Kate Ebrahim, Harriet Graham, Laura Hughes (C), Emma Irwin, Frankie Mackay, Jess Simmons, Izzy Sharp, Libby Stead, Gabby Sullivan
Players to watch out:
Emma Mcleod
The 18-year-old all-rounder in the HJS last season accumulated 113 runs from 8 outings and picked up a wicket from 2 innings. Emma has had a notable start to this HJS season, registering scores of 25 and 41 against the Wellington Blaze and twin scores of 35 against the Auckland Hearts, while also producing a 2/47 in her most recent outing. The promising talent can be counted on for the goods.
Ocean Bartlett
The 21-year-old leg-spinner, from 8 HJS outings last season, secured 9 wickets, including the best of 4/33, while maintaining an economy rate of 4.91. Building on her last season’s success, Ocean produced figures of 6/27 and 2/30 against the Wellington Blaze and 1/36 and 0/44 against the Auckland Hearts. It’ll be hoped that she carries this momentum into the business end, leading the tally.
Kate Ebrahim
The 33-year-old all-rounder didn’t feature in the HJS last summer, but in 2022–23, she finished as the leading run-scorer with 588 runs at an average of 98.00 and 5 wickets at an economy rate of 4.59 from 9 outings. After a quiet start to this season, Kate registered scores of 106* and 86*, while also claiming 3 wickets in her recent outings. She can be counted on for the goods.
Frankie Mackay
The 34-year-old all-rounder in the 2023–24 HJS amassed 308 runs at an average of 38.50 from 9 innings, while also scalping 16 wickets from 10 outings, maintaining an economy rate of 3.69. Frankie missed the first couple of rounds of games and, in subsequent games, registered scores of 7 and 27, alongside bowling figures of 3/27 and 2/37. She’ll be trusted for her all-round efforts.
Pitch:
The center strip at Pukekura Park offers a balanced playing surface that slightly favors the bowlers. While it is conducive to batting, the average score in the 170s suggests there is assistance for bowlers, particularly pacers.
Weather:
The forecast predicts partly cloudy skies and a complete game of cricket in New Plymouth. The temperature will hover around 19°C, with light winds and humidity at 83%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Izzy Sharp, Thamsyn Newton, Emma Mcleod, Flora Devonshire, Frankie Mackay, Claudia Green, Kate Ebrahim, Georgia Atkinson, Hannah Rowe, Sarah Asmussen, Rosemary Mair
Match details:
Date – December 14, 2024
Time – 3:00 AM IST
Venue – Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
Broadcast – The game will be live streamed on New Zealand Cricket’s YouTube channel.
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