At the University Oval, Dunedin, for match no. 30 of the ongoing 12th edition of the Twenty20 (T20) Women’s Super Smash, Otago Sparks and Northern Brave will go up against each other. The game is slated for 5:00 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) on the 23rd of January 2024.
Squads:
Otago Sparks – Suzie Bates (C), Emma Black, Caitlin Blakely, Eden Carson, Olivia Gain, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Hayley Jensen, Sophie Oldershaw, Felicity Robertson, Linsey Smith, P J Watkins
Northern Brave – Eimear Richardson (C), Eve Wolland, Chamari Athapaththu, Carol Agafili, Caitlin Gurrey, Marama Downes, Jess Watkin, Nensi Patel, Marina Lamplough, Holly Topp (WK), Shriya Naidu, Lucy Boucher
Players to watch out :
Caitlin Blakely
The 28-year-old batter hasn’t been at her best in this competition, adding 112 runs to the tally from 7 outings, striking at 113.12. Caitlin followed her starts with a solid 50 only recently, and with her form on the rise, it’ll be hoped she makes the most of this return to form.
Emma Black
The 22-year-old pacer has been outstanding in this edition, scalping 13 wickets, at an average of 14.76, and maintaining an economy rate of 5.81. Emma, in her previous 3 outings, returned figures of 2/19, 1/22, and a season-best of 4/17, and will be banked on to lead the charts.
Caitlin Gurrey
The 28-year-old keeper-batter has had a decent tournament thus far, accumulating 164 runs from 9 outings. Caitlin has had a few good outings in this competition, registering scores of 33, 30, and the season-best of 53* only recently. She’ll be counted on for the runs.
Shriya Naidu
The 28-year-old pacer has had a brief ’23/24 Smash season, registering figures of 1/12, 1/13, and 0/7 from her 3 outings, maintaining an economy rate of 5.33. It’ll be expected of Shriya to capitalize on this momentum, producing match-winning spells now in the business end.
Pitch:
The 22-yard strip at the University Oval, Dunedin, provides a balanced playing surface, one that caters to both batters and bowlers. While it favors batters, the average score in the 130s indicates the assistance bowlers, particularly pacers can expect.
Weather:
With rains on the radar throughout the match hours and overcast conditions, there is a possibility of the rain resulting in a washout. The temperature is expected to hover around 11°C with light winds and humidity of 84%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Polly Inglis, Bella James, Suzie Bates, Caitlin Gurrey, Marina Lamplough, Chamari Athapaththu, Jess Watkin, Marama Downes, Emma Black, Eden Carson, P J Watkins
Match details:
Date – January 23, 2024
Time – 5:00 AM IST
Venue – University Oval, Dunedin
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website.