Match: 2nd T20
Teams: Ireland W vs Scotland W.
Venue: Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast, Ireland.
Time: 3:30 pm IST.
Preview: Ireland Women were restricted by Scotland Women in a low scoring thriller by 11 runs in the 1st T20. A game that witnessed a fall of 19 wickets and less than 160 runs in aggregate indicate that the pitch is favouring the bowlers.
Weather Report: A clear sky is predicted for the 2nd T20. Intermittent showers are expected.
Pitch Report: Out of the 17 T20s held at Civil Service Cricket Club, the team batting second has won 12 of those matches. The surface is likely to assist the bowlers initially and bowling first will be a good advantage. But recent match played over here has shown that batting first is a good option too.
Last 3 H2H Records: (*Only Players in current squad)
1. SCO-W vs IRE-W on 23.05.2021.
SCO-W- 87/9.
Sarah Bryce: 14.
Kathryn Bryce: 12 & 8/2 (3).
Katie Mcgill: 20 & 18/3 (4).
Priyanaz Chatterji: 11 & 3/0 (3).
IRE-W- 76/10.
Leah Paul: 18.
Shauna Kavanagh: 12.
Celeste Raack: 15/3 (4).
Laura Delany: 13/2 (4).
Lara Maritz : 12/1 (3).
2.SCO-W vs IRE-W on 14.08.2019.
SCO-W- 126/7.
Sarah Bryce: 49.
Samantha Haggo:18.
Katie Mcgill:16/1 (3)
IRE-W- 130/1.
Gaby Lewis: 65.
Lara Maritz: 4/3 (3)
Laura Delany: 18/1 (3)
3. SCO-W vs IRE-W on 10.08.2019.
SCO-W- 105/6.
Lorna Jack: 32.
Priyanaz Chatterji:20 & 16/1 (2)
Katherine Fraser: 12/1
Katie Mcgill: 18/1 (3)
IRE-W- 94/7.
Gaby Lewis: 14.
Laura Delany: 24 & 19/1 (4)
Lara Maritz: 14/2 (3)
Common Players: Sarah Bryce, Kathryn Bryce, Katie McGill, Priyanaz Chatterji, Leah Paul, Gaby Lewis, Laura Delany, Lara Maritz. (These will be my core players).
Probable Playing Xi:
Ireland Women
Gaby Lewis, Rebecca Stokell, Laura Delany (C), Shauna Kavanagh (Wk), Amy Hunter, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Lara Maritz, Ava Canning, Cara Murray.
Scotland Women
Sarah Bryce (Wk), Kathryn Bryce (C), Becky Glen, Ikra Farooq, Priyanaz Chatterji, Alisa Lister , Samantha Haggo, Katie McGill, Abbi Atiken, Abtaha Maqsood, Katherine Fraser.
Players to watch out for:
IRE-W:
Laura Delany: Ireland’s skipper Laura Delany has played 62 T20Is and has scored 605 runs She also has scalped 35 wickets at an economy of 6.35. She is a must pick.
Gaby Lewis: The experienced Gaby Lewis too is an important pick. She has scored 674 runs in 38 T20I matches at an average of 20.3.
Lara Maritz: Although placed in the bowling section. She can also bat and is coming from a decent outing in Super 50 Cup. Her H2H records too make her an obvious choice.
SCO-W:
Kathryn Bryce: Perhaps the most MVP of the series, the young all-rounder has represented Scotland in 15 T20Is and has notched 412 runs at an average of 50, while with the ball, she has scalped 17 wickets at an impressive economy of 3.27.
Abtaha Maqsood: She is Scotland’s leading wicket taker in this format and has scalped 19 wickets at an average of 10.84. Her best bowling figure is 8/3.
Sarah Bryce: The wicketkeeper batswoman has scored 120 runs in the 4 innings she has played against Ireland. She is the designated opener and her wicketkeeping skills would be an added advantage.
My fantasy playing Xi:
Wk: Sarah Bryce.
Batsmen: Gaby Lewis, Rebecca Stokell, Becky Glen.
Allrounders: Kathryn Bryce, Laura Delany, Katie Mcgill, Priyanaz Chatterji.
Bowlers: Lara Maritz, Katherine Fraser, Celeste Raack.
Other picks: Orla Prendergast, Samantha Haggo, Shauna Kavanagh.
Safe C/Vc: Kathryn Bryce, Laura Delany.
Differential: Lara Maritz, Gaby Lewis, Kaite Mcgill.
Risky: Priyanaz Chatterji.
GL Tip: Kathryn Bryce and Laura Delany are the obvious choices and rightly so. However, you can pick one of them as Capatain and club them with a risky or differential pick.
Pick players from the top order of both teams and focus more on the bowlers and the all-rounders who regularly bat and bowl.
(Disclaimer: You can do your own research and go through the H2H records, ground records before finalising the team. Also keep an eye on the weather as a rain curtailed match will have a separate strategy.)