ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020: 1st Semi-Final, India vs England: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 1st semi-final of the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be played between India and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney.

The match starts at 03:00 PM local time (04:00 AM GMT) (09:30 AM IST). This match will be live on Star Sports Network. Live Streaming will be available on Hotstar.

Preview for Dream11 Fantasy

After a month of heart-pumping, edge-of-a-seat stuff, we are finally down to the business end of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020. The first semi-final is set to be a re-match of the last edition’s semi-final with a rampant Women in Blue locking horns with England at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

England has long been a bogey team for Team India- especially in ICC events and T20Is. The Women in Blue have lost five of their last T20Is against England which also includes the semi-final drubbing they suffered two years ago. They are also yet to beat England in a T20 World Cup fixture, having lost five on the bounce and will be hoping to finally buck the trend and make way to their first-ever finals.

England, on the other hand, will be looking as much in the sky (to hope there is no rain) as they’ll look at the opening pair in Amy Jones and Danielle Wyatt to finally come up with the goods in the semi-final. Unlike India, who have been largely dependent on their top-3, England’s batting-unit has been spearheaded by their middle-order courtesy Natalie Sciver and captain Heather Knight, and as much as India would hope that their misfiring middle-order comes good, they’ll hope the same isn’t the case with England’s top-order.

That said, will the game even get underway, considering the forecast? India wouldn’t be bothered as much as England, as the former will go through to the finals in case of a washout, courtesy their top-spot in the group-stage.

Weather Condition/Report

Rain, rain and more rain is set to be the order of the day in Sydney on Thursday if the weather reports are to be believed. According to the report, the temperature is set to fluctuate between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius while the humidity is set to hover around 83%. Chances of rain- 100℅

Pitch Condition/Report:

The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground usually gets slow, aiding spinners in the second half. But with so much rain around, early moisture might also come into play, bringing the fast bowlers into the picture.

Average first innings score: 113 (In 2 Women T20Is played at the venue)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 1, Lost – 1

Injury and Availability News

(Will be shared when there’s an update)

Probable Playing XIs

India Women

Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav.

Bench – Pooja Vastrakar, Harleen Deol, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh.

England Women

Amy Ellen Jones (wk), Danielle Wyatt, Natalie Sciver, Heather Knight (C), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn

Bench: Georgia Elwiss, Mady Villiers, Kate Cross, Freya Davis

Top Picks: 

India: Shafali Verma has been the bedrock of India’s batting-unit thus far in the tournament. The 16-year-old has consistently given whirlwind stars to her side in the group stage. In 4 games, Verma has racked up 161 runs at an average of 40.25 and a strike-rate of 161. 

But barring Deepti Sharma, who scored a crucial 49* against Australia and Jemimah Rodrigues (85 runs), the big guns in Smriti Mandhana (38 runs at 12.6) and Harmanpreet Kaur (26 runs at 6.5) have been completely out of sorts; something India will hope isn’t the case in the semi-finals.

As far as bowling is concerned, the spin quartet of Radha Yadav (5 wickets in 2 games), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (5 wickets in 4 games), Deepti Sharma (2 wickets in 4 games) and Poonam Yadav (7 wickets in 4 games) will lead the pack. But don’t forget fast bowler Shikha Pandey, who has been equally brilliant- 7 wickets in 4 games- thus far.

England: While India has been grappled with their middle-order woes, the opposite is the case with England, whose middle-order- led by Nat Sciver (202 runs at 67.33) and skipper Heather Knight (193 runs at 64.33)- has done the bulk of the scoring.

The spin duo of Sophie Ecclestone (8 wickets in 4 matches) and Sarah Glenn (6 wickets in 4 games) and pacer Anya Shrubsole (8 wickets in 4 games) will spearhead the bowling unit.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Shafali Verma, Heather Knight, Natalie Sciver

Vice-Captain – Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Poonam Yadav

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Taniya Bhatia

Batsmen –  Smriti Mandhana, Fran Wilson, Shafali Verma (VC), Heather Knight

All-Rounders-  Deepti Sharma, Nat Sciver (C)

Bowlers- Sophie Ecclestone, Poonam Yadav, Sarah Glenn, Shikha Pandey

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Amy Jones

Batsmen –  Jemimah Rodrigues, Veda Krishnamurthy, Heather Knight, Danielle Wyatt (VC)

All-Rounders-  Deepti Sharma, Katherine Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (C)

Bowlers- Shikha Pandey, Anya Shrubsole, Radha Yadav

Experts Advice

If you are looking to pick batters from India, opt for their top-order in Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. In the case of England, the most prudent options will be Heather Knight and Natalie Sciver.

That said, the likes of Danielle Wyatt and Harmanpreet Kaur are big-match players, and picking them as captain/vice-captain in grand league team may well turn out to be worth a punt.

If you are looking to opt for spinners, you don’t have to look past Poonam Yadav and Sophie Ecclestone, who have been absolutely brilliant in the tournament thus far.

Probable Winners

India Women are expected to come out as winners.

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.