The fifth match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier 2021 will be played between Malaysia and Kuwait on November 23 at the ICC Academy in Dubai. Both the teams lost their first match to UAE and Bhutan respectively.
Squads
Malaysia: Winifred Duraisingam (c), Nik Nur Atiela, Aisya Eleesa, Mas Elysa, Ainna Hamizah Hashim, Elsa Hunter, Mahirah Izzati Ismail, Wan Julia (wk), Nur Arianna Natsya, Nur Natasya Nazira, Amalin Sorfina, Yusrina Yaakop, Noor Hayati Zakaria, Wan Nor Zulaika
Kuwait: Amna Tariq (c), Shanti Balasubramani, Aakriti Bose (wk), Siobhan Gomez, Aaliya Hussain, Mariamma Hyder, Maria Jasvi, Zeefa Jilani, Khadija Khalil (wk), Glenda Menes, Priyada Murali, Maryam Omar, Venora Shaina, Rida Zainab
Players to watch out for
Mahirrah Izzati Ismail:
The right arm off-spinner was the most successful bowler for Malaysia in their first match against UAE. She scalped 2-20 in her three overs. She took the key wickets of Esha Oza and Chamani Seneviratna, both of whom were looking good in the middle. She was consistent with her lines and lengths and her consistency reaped fruits in the form of wickets.
Wan Julia:
The wicket-keeper bat, who opened the batting for Malaysia in her last match against UAE top scored with 44 runs off 50 balls, including four boundaries. She was involved in two key partnerships, one of 43 runs with her opening partner and captain Winifred Duraisingam and the other of 39 runs with Elsa Hunter. Julia was there till the 18th over of the innings.
Maryam Omar:
The right hand middle order bat was the leading run-getter for Kuwait in their last outing against Bhutan. She scored 29 runs off 34 balls, including three boundaries. When wickets were falling all around her, she was the one to stand tall and take the onus of her team’s batting. She came in to bat in the sixth over and was there in the middle till the 16th over of the innings. With the ball, the right arm off-spinner claimed 1-19 in her four overs.
Priyada Murali:
The right-hand opening bat was the only other batter from Kuwait to score in double digits in the last fixture against Bhutan. She mustered 10 runs off 16 balls, including one boundary. During her brief stay at the crease she looked solid with the bat. Kuwait will want their opening bat to score big in the upcoming matches.
Weather
The weather is expected to be sunny and pleasant with an average temperature of about 31 degrees Celsius during the first half of the match. The temperatures will drop to about 28 degrees Celsius as the evening (local) sets in. In the latter half, the weather will be clear and warm. Wind will blow from the west-northwest.
Pitch
The wicket offers assistance to both batters and bowlers. Runs are available here if the batters apply themselves well, while for the bowlers, they can extract a lot from the wicket, provided they stick to the basics.
Match details
Date: November 23, 2021
Time: 3pm IST
Venue: ICC Academy, Dubai
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
