ENGLAND WOMEN VS. INDIA WOMEN: IND’S TOUR OF ENG 2021, Only TEST | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts England Women will take on India Women in a one-off Test match at the Bristol County Ground, starting from Wednesday.
England will return to Test cricket after playing an Ashes Test against Australia two years ago, which ended in a draw. On the other hand, India last played Test cricket in November 2014 and registered a comprehensive win over South Africa by an innings and 34 runs.
Earlier this year, England comfortably defeated New Zealand in the ODI and T20I series played in New Zealand. Skipper Heather Knight will be hoping that the side can continue the good form in this one-off Test match. In the batting department, the side will be depending on the likes of opening batter Tammy Beaumont, all-rounder Natalie Sciver and captain Heather Knight to deliver the bulk of the runs. Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole and Sophie Ecclestone will be the main options for providing breakthroughs with the ball during the match.
Although inexperienced in the longest format as compared to their opponents, India have named their full-strength squad for this historic occasion. Led by Mithali Raj, the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur will be vital cogs in the batting unit as they tackle the English conditions. The onus will be on veteran Jhulan Goswami to deliver with the ball, alongside Deepti Sharma and Shikha Pandey. Pooja Vastrakar and Ekta Bisht are the other prominent bowling options for this match.
Although England Women will start as clear favorites, one cannot take India Women lightly. With match-winners present on both the sides, expect a highly entertaining game of Test cricket between these two sides in Bristol.
Match Details
- Match: England Women vs India Women, Only Test
- Venue: County Ground, Bristol
- Date & Time: June 16, 2021, at 3:30 PM IST/11 AM Local
Probable Playing XI
England Women
Lauren Winfield, Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight (C), Natalie Sciver, Amy Jones (WK), Sophia Dunkley, Georgia Elwiss, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross
India Women
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj (C), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar
Weather and Pitch Report
Bristol is expected to have mostly cloudy and wet conditions on all days of the match. Thunderstorms are predicted each day. The temperature will be around 18 degrees during the game.
As seen in the County matches played here this season, the pacers should get swing and bounce throughout the game. Batters will need to bide their time in the middle and play their shots judiciously. Spinners will come into play in the second half of the match, making it tough for the batters. The average first-innings score in the last three matches has been 313 runs.
The team batting second has a good record at this venue. Given the bowling-friendly conditions, the captain winning the toss is likely to opt to field first. Any total above 250 runs in the first innings will be a good total on this track.
Top Fantasy Picks
England Women
- Amy Jones had a pretty average series with the bat against New Zealand earlier in the year, making just 95 runs in five innings. Since then, she has been in amazing form in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy, scoring 282 runs in just three innings, including 2 centuries.
- Nat Sciver has been a match-winner with both bat and ball for England in the limited-overs format. She took 10 wickets and scored 131 runs in six innings on the recent tour of New Zealand. Expect her to put in a big all-round performance in the English conditions.
- Katherine Brunt is one of the experienced long-format players for England. She has picked up 41 wickets in 12 Test matches so far. Her recent form has been outstanding, with 16 wickets in her last seven matches against New Zealand and the ongoing Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy.
India Women
- Poonam Raut has been in excellent form since making her comeback in the home series against South Africa. She scored 201 runs in four innings, which included a couple of half centuries. She will be expected to make big runs for the visitors here.
- Mithali Raj is the most experienced player for India in the Test format. In her 10 previous appearances in Test cricket, she has scored 663 runs at an average of 51.00, including 1 double century and 4 half centuries to her name.
- Jhulan Goswami has the experience of playing Test matches in England. In the four matches played in England, she has claimed 23 wickets at an average of 14.93, including 3 five-wicket hauls. She bowled well in the recent home series against South Africa, taking 8 wickets in four matches.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: A Jones
- Batters: H Knight, T Beaumont, M Raj, P Raut
- All-rounders: N Sciver, D Sharma, J Goswami
- Bowlers: S Ecclestone, A Shrubsole, S Pandey
- Captain: N Sciver/H Knight
- Vice Captain: D Sharma/M Raj
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your match prediction and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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