Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Match 17, ENG-W vs SCO-W Match Preview: Head to Head records, pitch report and more

Cricket gusto is soaring high with the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup 2024 gradually inching towards the knockout phase in the coming days. There have been some intense battles where teams displayed their top game under crunch situations. For some teams, it was a matter of playing like a champion team while for some it was just the beginning of a new chapter in their rich cricketing history. Once such encounter will take place between the neighbouring countries England Women (ENG-W) and Scotland Women (SCO-W), respectively.

Notably, the upcoming match 17 will take place on Sunday, October 13, at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium, situated in Sharjah. Speaking of the teams in concern, England are on an unbeaten run so far in the tournament and will only look to further solidify their stakes by topping the Group B by clinching a win against a spirited Scottish side. With the likes of Natali Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Alice Capsey, in the last game, they soaked in the pressure of run chase quite efficiently. Hence the English side has presented their case for a tough competitor during the semifinal clashes.

Scotland on the other hand, have made their debut in the T20 World Cup but have not lived up to their expectations. The story for them so far has been the fact that the side often crumbled against a strong bowling attack of major nations. Even against the 2023 finalists, South Africa, they endured a tough loss as they saw another batting collapse. The magnitude of their batting woes can be understood by the fact that only two batters managed to score double figures. Hence, they will have a point to prove when they step onto the field against a formidable England side and hope to inflict a major upset. Hence the upcoming sumptuous fixture will be a battle between supremacy and resilience.

Also Check: Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule

Match Details

Pitch Report

The surface of the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium is sporting in nature. This essentially means that the pitch will assist both the bowlers and the batters equally as the game progresses. Not to forget the short boundary dimensions as well, which will come under play during the game as clearing the fence should not be an issue for the big hitters. Hence, the skipper winning the toss at this renowned venue will look to put up a big score on the board to keep the chasing team under pressure. Therefore, batting first should be the ideal decision on such a track in the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup fixture.

Head-to-Head Records

Both England and Scotland Women have never faced each other in the T20 internationals. Hence this will be the first occasion between the neighbouring nations to clash on a rather bigger stage than they would have expected. Hence with no prior head-to-record to peep into, the first-ever game will keep the fans guessing on who holds the edge in the shortest format of cricket.

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

Probable Predicted XI

England Women

Team England have been in red-hot form with their winning streak in the ongoing marquee event. They displayed some stellar performances with both bat and ball to get past the 2022 runner-ups South Africa in what could be called a slightly tight finish. However, they kept their nerves calm during the seven-wicket victory. Hence, it is very unlikely that the English side will tinker too much with their playing XI combinations.

The key aspect of their team has been the fact that nearly nine players in the squad can bat decently well along with possessing all-round abilities. Hence the side has enough depth in both the batting and bowling departments. Players like Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge smashed above 40 scores to keep the side in the hunt in a thrilling run chase while those like Sophie Ecclestone showed her spin prowess by picking two key wickets by conceding just 15 runs in her four-over quota. So the English side will look to maintain its dominating brand of cricket against Scotland as well.

Predicted XI: Maia Bouchier, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Danielle Gibson, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlotte Dean, Sarah Glenn, Linsey Smith.

Scotland Women

Debutants Scotland are yet to clinch a single win in the tournament but playing against their fierce neighbour means that they have got an extra motivation to punch above their weight in the upcoming T20 World Cup clash against England. Hence, every Scottish player would be itching to take on one of the best teams of the mega cricket carnival. After having been humbled by South Africa with a huge margin of 80 runs, the Kathryn Bryce-led side will look to regroup and continue the positives they have carried even in defeats.

Notably, five bowlers shared a wicket between them which meant that it was an all round bowling effort from the young side. Meanwhile, in the batting department, Scotland have the likes of skipper Kathryn Bryce and Rachel Slater, who can push any opponent to their limits on their day. Hence, they will aim to finish on a high as they have already crashed out of the Women's T20 World Cup. So the likely playing XI will be the best team they can possibly field on Sunday without fiddling with the team's combination ahead.

Predicted XI: Saskia Horley, Sarah Bryce (wk), Kathryn Bryce (c), Ailsa Lister, Priyanaz Chatterji, Darcey Carter, Lorna Jack, Katherine Fraser, Abtaha Maqsood, Rachel Slater, Olivia Bell.