MATCH DETAILS:
Tournament: South Africa Women’s vs England, 2022
Date: 2ND AUGUST, 2022
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Time: 17:30
The 7th match of the Women’s Cricket Competition at the Commonwealth Games 2022 will be played between Group B teams England and South Africa at Edgbaston in Birmingham on August 2. While the hosts won their campaign opener against Sri Lanka, the Proteas lost their first fixture against New Zealand. With some key players missing out from the squad, it is going to be a challenge for South Africa.
England and South Africa recently locked horns for a one-off Test, three ODIs, and as many T20Is. While the Test match ended in a draw thanks to centurions from both the teams, South Africa ended up losing both the ODI and T20I series by 0-3. England is in fine form and backed with a big series win in addition to the victory in their first match. Hosts England Women would look to book a berth in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games Women’s Cricket Competition 2022 as they play South Africa Women. England Women come here with a win against Sri Lanka Women in their opening game and they have got their first points. South Africa Women made a poor start losing against New Zealand Women in their first game.
South Africa Women were hammered by England Women in the recent T20 series where they lost all the three games they played. This would put pressure on them. England has had an excellent record playing at home in recent years and they would look to continue the same way. However, this is a tricky format, and we would wait and see how South Africa takes on the challenge.
ENGLAND WOMEN
The third T20I match between England Women and South Africa women will be played at the County Ground at Derby on 25th July, Monday. England has already pocketed this T20I series with an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match series. The British women are currently hosting South African women in a series with multiple formats. The tour began with a one-off test between the two countries that ended in a draw at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton. After this only test match, there was a three-match one-day international series played between the two sides. This series was played from the 11th to the 18th of July 2022. After this ODI series was completed, the two teams are now engaged in a 3-match T20I series. This series will be played from 21st July to 25th July.
SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN
In the last game between these two countries, South African openers Lara Goodall and Anneke Bosch provided a brilliant platform for the Proteas women’s team with a stand of 102 runs from 14.2 overs. England bounced back after this, to restrict the South African charge to 148 runs for 6 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. During their chase, the English openers also did a fair job with Danielle Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley providing a good start to the English team. The stand-in captain for England Nat Sciver hammered a quick-fire 47. There was a cameo played by Amy Jones later to take England to yet another win over the Proteas with one over to spare.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
We expect to see a cloudy day at Birmingham on August 02. The track would be flat as we have already seen in the games that have been played. Bowlers would get some assistance from the weather and batters shall have to be watchful. A score of 160 runs would be good for the side that bats first in this game.
VENUE DETAILS
Edgbaston, Birmingham is an ideal venue for batters as the ball comes to the bat nicely allowing them to play their strokes freely. Fast bowlers get the ball to move when it is hard and new and have been successful. It is a difficult venue for spinners as the wicket doesn’t let them grip the ball.
TOSS: TO BAT
This is an afternoon game, and the batting conditions are expected to be best at the start of the game. Bowlers would enjoy bowling on this track in the second innings of the game. Hence, we believe the side winning the toss in this game won’t have any hesitation in opting to bat first.
ENG-W VS SA-W, 7TH T20I PROBABLE PLAYING XIS:
ENGLAND WOMEN:
Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Wyatt, Natalie Sciver (c), Amy Jones (wk), Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Issy Wong, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Freya Kemp
SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN:
Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Mignon du Preez, Laura Wolvaardt, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus (C), Delmi Tucker, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
ENG-W VS SA-W, 7TH T20I PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS
PROBABLE BEST BATTER
SOPHIE ECCLESTONE:
One of the finest bowlers that the English side has ever had, Sophie Ecclestone has been a regular in the squad. She has proved to be a match winner, has regularly provided her side with crucial breakthroughs in the game, and is also a tough nut to crack in the white-ball format. Putting the batters under trouble is her forte, and she would continue to do so.
PROBABLE BEST BOWLER
NAT SCIVER:
England’s stand-in skipper Natalie Sciver has been in fine touch recently. She has been a terrific performer against the Momentum Proteas across all formats, and the upcoming fixture will not be that difficult for her to crack. She has been a key component of the middle-order and was also among the top scorers in the two teams’ multi-format series.
WINNING PREDICTION
South Africa Women would have to win this game to stay alive in the tournament. Their bowlers had a poor outing against New Zealand Women and the side would have to come up with a better show here. England has dominated South Africa in the past. They are enjoying a dream run at home and this would make them favorites to win here.
England Women to win.
