*WESTINDIES WOMEN VS IRELAND WOMEN 1st T20I PREVIEW- 3 MATCH T20I SERIES 2023*
*THE BUILD UP:*
Ireland women walked back dejected after having failed to level the ODI series. The Windies were simply too hot to handle in their home conditions and capitalised on every mistake made by the Irish. In a sense, they were brutal and had it not been for the 2nd ODI washout, they would have brushed aside Ire for a 3-0 blanking.
Both teams come into this series with a small gap of just 2 days in between. There is no room for error as the sides will be looking to lock horns in what is expected to be a cracking T20i series. The Irish are expected to fight better and try and upset the Caribbean women in a format where they compete better and have superior skills to showcase.
The Windies have the edge over Ireland even in this format as they haven’t quite allowed the women from Europe to make it count and win against them. The result reads 0-5 but the counterpart of WI would look to keep these stats aside and dominate in St Lucia.
*IRELAND PROBABLE XI:*
Amy Hunter(wk), Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Rebecca Stokell, Eimear Richardson, Georgina Dempsey, Laura Delany(c), Orla Prendergast, Aimee Maguire, Mary Waldron, Sophie MacMahon
This pitch is expected to help the spin bowlers more than the pacers because of which I feel the role of Aimee Maguire increases by leaps and bounds. She could crack the code to dismantling this WI lineup and make her presence felt. She doesn’t have much experience which could be a factor that backfires but regardless, I would be interested to watch what she has to offer with her left arm orthodox spin.
Laura Delany, the skipper of the Irish side had a forgettable WI ODI tour where she recorded scores of 40,1 and 7. She hasn’t been able to set the stage on fire even in the T20 internationals averaging a mere 17 but would look to make a comeback starting from tomorrow. Her partner, who opens the batting-Gaby Lewis, will be pumped up heading into this series after she enjoyed her batting and made the WI bowlers pay in the recently concluded ODI series. She accumulated 184 runs at a good strike rate and was the thorn in the lineup for WI, who continued to give them troubles. Keep an eye on these two.
*WI PROBABLE XI:*
Cherry-Ann Fraser, Chinelle Henry, Hayley Matthews(c), Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Karishma Ramharack, Shamilia Connell, Shemaine Campbelle(wk), Aaliyah Alleyne
Shemaine Campbell, the wicket keeper and the captain of this side Hayley Mathews have found a special liking to this venue having accumulated the maximum amount of runs here (over 100 for both) and at a good pace. This could very well go onto define the game. The partnership which they stitch together could be fatal to the hopes of Ireland. Infact, Hayley also has a more than decent hand to offer with the bowl as the last international game she played, she stunned all by just leaking 20 off the 10 overs in her hand and even picking up the wicket of Rebecca Stokell. The impact that Mathews has in games that she features in is immense, making her a player to watch out for always.
Shamilia Connell and Afy Fletcher have been bowling beautifully in tandem and were instrumental against Ireland in the ODI series as well. Taking their past performances into consideration and their reputation as T20i bowlers, we could be in for a treat. The Irish will have to decide which way they want to play them- aggressively or play them out safely.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR IRE:*
Highest run getter- Gaby Lewis
Highest wicket taker- Aimee Maguire
*FOR WI:*
Highest run getter- Hayley Mathews/Stefanie Taylor
Highest wicket taker- Afy Fletcher
*FOR THE GAME:*
WI Women to thrash Ireland to complete an easy win