In a must-win game, England Women will cross paths with India Women at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on March 16, 2022.
England Women are still hunting for their first win in the tournament and languishing at the bottom half of the points table. On the other hand, India Women have won two out of their three games and are positioned third.
England have now lost three close matches, which went down the wire. They went head-to-head against South Africa Women in their latest clash and lost by three wickets. However, they were on the receiving end of Marizanne Kapp’s brilliance, with the ball as she bagged a five-for and scored crucial 32 runs with the bat.
Though Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones revived the side from a collapse with fifties, the end result wasn’t something pleasing for Heather Knight’s side. The bowlers were modest and failed to break the partnership when required.
Now that they have shifted Danielle Wyatt to the top order, leaving Lauren Winfield Hill, they can go with an extra bowling option. But Wyatt hasn’t been in the best forms, which has been one of the worries for this side.
On the flip side, centuries by Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur were enough to brush aside the team from the Caribbean in their latest clash. However, the Indian side seems to be in good shape, with a lot of them contributing towards victories.
Indian bowlers were brilliant in the last game as they ran through the West Indies middle and lower-order after the initial carnage from Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews. In the process, Jhulan Goswami (40) became the most wicket-taker in the Women’s World Cup history, surpassing Lynette Fallston (39).
But the worry for the Women in Blue would be regarding the form of skipper Mithali Raj, wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh and their openers, Yastika Bhatia and Shafali Verma.
However, it's noteworthy that the English Women will be blazing all guns for their first win as it's a must-win for them. Indian Women, on the other hand, will be looking to go with the momentum and secure the necessary points.
Match Details
England Women vs India Women - Match 15
Date and Time - March 16, 2022, 6:30 AM IST
Venue- Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Broadcast - Star Sports Network, Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report
This is the sixth time the Bay Oval pitch is getting used in the ongoing World Cup. It will help the spinners a tad more. The batters will enjoy batting on this pitch, with the average score being around the 260s. The toss-winning skipper will bat first.
Weather Conditions
According to the forecasts, there is clear weather for this blockbuster of a game. It will be sunny and partly cloudy throughout the match.
Squads
England Women
Tammy Beaumont, Danielle Wyatt, Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver, Amy Ellen Jones (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Charlotte Dean, Anya Shrubsole, Natasha Farrant, Emma Lamb, Freya Davies, Lauren Winfield-Hill
India Women
Yastika Bhatia, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Taniya Bhatia, Renuka Singh, Shafali Verma
Probable Playing XI
England Women
Tammy Beaumont, Danielle Wyatt, Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver, Amy Ellen Jones (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Charlotte Dean, Anya Shrubsole
India Women
Yastika Bhatia, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
CE Fantasy XI
Harmanpreet Kaur, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Tammy Beaumont, Natalie Sciver, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt
Captain- Heather Knight
Vice-Captain- Smriti Mandhana