Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Match 4, IND-W vs NZ-W Match Preview: Head to Head records, pitch report and more

Indian women and New Zealand women (Photo Source : BCCI Women)

India and New Zealand will square off in match No. 4 of the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Friday, October 4.

The Women in Blue have made it to the finals in only one out of the previous eight editions. They were outclassed by a formidable Australian side in 2020. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will want to forget the heartbreaks from yesteryears in marquee events and go the distance in the UAE.

India’s strength this time could be the fine mix of youth and experience in their squad. Also, the conditions in the UAE could help them as they have some excellent spinners to suit the sluggish conditions that are expected to greet the teams.

Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Deepti Sharma, and Radha Yadav are expected to play integral roles for India in the 10-team competition with their spin-bowling abilities. Their batting talents also add a lot of balance to the Indian setup.

Meanwhile, in the batting department, the onus will be on Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana to get their team off to solid starts at the top. Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues will look to use their experience to guide India through the middle overs before the likes of Richa Ghosh and Pooja Vastrakar do the heavy-lifting at the death. The ball tends to swing around for the first couple of overs under the lights in the UAE. Renuka Singh’s burst with the new ball is going to be very crucial.

India lost the finals of the Women’s Asia Cup to Sri Lanka in July but have registered comfortable wins against the West Indies and South Africa in the two warm-up matches they played before the World Cup.

New Zealand have not been in great form in recent times in the shortest format of the game. They have suffered defeats in their last 10 T20Is (seven against England and three against Australia). After picking up a comprehensive eight-wicket win in their first warm-up clash against South Africa, the White Ferns went down to England by five wickets.

New Zealand finished runners-up in 2009 and 2010 but are yet to win the tournament. Last year, they failed to reach the knockouts but will be seeking redemption this time.

A lot would depend on how Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr play at the top of the order. They would need to fire together to set a good base for New Zealand. Bates emerged as the leading run-getter in the three-match T20I series against Australia last month. 35-year-old Sophie Devine will have to play a key role at No. 3 before the likes of Brooke Halliday and Maddy Green tackle the middle overs. New Zealand can expect trial by spin on Friday and it will be interesting to see how they counter the Indian spinners.

New Zealand will depend on experienced pacers Lea Tahuhu and Leigh Kasperek to get them wickets inside the powerplay. Kerr has been their highest wicket-taker this year in T20Is. The leg-spinner has bagged 14 wickets and would want to add to her tally. Meanwhile, Fran Jonas has also picked up 11 wickets this year and showed glimpses of her talent. The left-arm spinner will have to play an important role in the middle overs.

Also Check: Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule

Match Details

Also Check: India Women vs New Zealand Women, Match 4 – Live Cricket Score

Pitch Report

Five women’s T20Is have been played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup. The average first innings score is only 90. Two matches have been won by teams batting first, while chasing teams have emerged victorious on three occasions. A low-scoring encounter could be on the cards. There is no rain threat and fans are set to witness a full match. Winning the toss and bowling first is going to be the better option as it would give chasing teams a chance to assess the conditions.

Head-to-Head Record

Also Check: Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Points Table

Probable Playing XIs

India Women

Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh(w), Shreyanka Patil, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh

New Zealand Women

Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Molly Penfold, Rosemary Mair