Ireland-W vs South Africa-W 1st T20I Match Prediction - Who will win today's match?

The Ireland Women will be locking horns with South Africa Women in the first T20I at the Pembroke Cricket Club in Sandymount, Dublin on June 3. South Africa will be hoping to do well in this series as they start their preparations for the next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup that they will be hosting. Meanwhile, the Proteas will also be playing their first match after their heartbreaking semifinal exit from the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 in New Zealand a couple of months ago.

South Africa will yet again be led by Sune Luus who had showcased exceptional captaincy skills in the Women’s World Cup. They would be fielding a bunch of outstanding players including the likes of Laura Wolvaardt, Chloe Tryon, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, etc.

The Irish team, on the other hand, will be led from the front by Gaby Lewis. The hosts have a lot of experience in the squad with some seasoned campaigners like Leah Paul and Shauna Kavanagh to name a few along with Lewis herself. They would be hoping to make the maximum use of their home conditions to challenge a strong Proteas squad.

Match Details

Venue: Pembroke Cricket Club, Dublin

Date & Time: June 3rd, 2022, 09:00 PM IST

Live Streaming: FanCode

Pitch Report

The surface at Dublin is extremely good for batting. The ball is expected to come nicely onto the bat and it will be a paradise for the batters once they are well set in the middle. The bowlers, on the other hand, must ensure that they keep their lines and lengths right. A run-fest is on the cards on this wicket and the captain winning the toss will look to bowl first.

Probable Playing XIs IRE W vs SA W

Ireland Women

Gaby Lewis (c), Alana Dalzell, Shauna Kavanagh, Leah Paul, Arlene Kelly, Jane Maguire, Georgina Dempsey, Mary Waldron (wk), Rachel Delaney, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack

South Africa Women

Laura Wolvaardt, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Sune Luus (c), Chloe Tryon, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune

Probable Top Performers

Probable best batter of the match:

Laura Wolvaardt:

Veteran South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt would be coming into this series on the back of outstanding performance in the recently-concluded Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 where she almost single-handedly helped Velocity win their maiden title with a valiant unbeaten 40-ball 65. Laura would be eager to attack the Irish bowlers right from the word ‘go’ and lay a solid foundation for the Proteas upfront.

Probable best bowler of the match:

Ayabonga Khaka:

The onus will be on Ayabonga Khaka to make the new ball do the talking along with Shabnim Ismail and the 29-year-old would be geared up to make a tremendous impact in the wickets column. In the 36 WT20Is that she has featured in, Khaka has gone on to register 32 scalps to her name averaging 23.12. She would be expected to come out all guns blazing in the series-opener.

Today’s Match Prediction: South Africa Women to win the match.

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