It is the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup opener between hosts England and Sri Lanka, and it cannot get bigger than this. Finally, the wait is over, and in under 30 days, on July 5, new champs will be crowned. But before that happens, all the attention will only be on this encounter.
Visibly, there is no real competition between ENG and SL in the women’s game, but then you just can’t take any opponents lightly. And as usual, all eyes will be on Chamari Athapaththu, who will have the task of taking her side to a win, if at all. On the other hand, the English side will take the field with 11 match-winners.
What to expect from England vs Sri Lanka match?
If one has to be honest, it is not going to be a match, but a mismatch between the two sides. Nat Sciver-Brunt-led ENG are the heavy favorites, given the form, team composition, historical record, and the home conditions.
The team boasts of some format veterans, who have been doing consistently well for the team, and are a direct threat to SL. Brunt found form in the last match against India, and smashed 57 in 45 in a winning cause. Heather Knight has been going great guns this year, scoring 170 in 6 matches, at an SR of 120… even spinner Sophie Ecclestone would be looking to get going. This year hasn’t been the best for her bringing only 2 wickets in 5, but it can all change in a jiffy.
As for Sri Lanka, it all starts and ends with Athapaththu. She is their only batting hope. This year she has 191 runs in 6 games, at an average of 38. If only she can find some support from the other batters, it will hold their team in good stead.
Birmingham pitch report
Expect a firm surface, which is bound to assist the batters; shorter boundaries come into play as well. There will be something for the pacers in it, and expect some early swing. Some aid to the spinners as the innings progresses, but teams should be looking at 170-180 total, after batting first.
ENG vs SL head-to-head
- Matches played: 12
- England won: 10
- Sri Lanka won: 2
- No results: 0
ENG vs SL Probable Playing XIs
England: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Issy Wong, Lauren Bell.
Sri Lanka: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu, Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hansima Karunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika de Silva, Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), Malki Madara, Sugandika Kumari, Chetana Vimukthi.
Who will win ENG vs SL, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup match today?
England should win this match hands down. As per Gemini AI, hosts have an 88% chance of winning, as compared to Sri Lanka’s 12%. If the latter win, it will be a total upset. Don’t expect much from the Island nation here.
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