Defending champions Australia will have to make changes to their team combination in their ICC Women’s World Cup match against arch-rivals England here on Wednesday following an injury to captain Alyssa Healy. The aim of both the teams, which have already made it to the semi-finals, will be to prove their supremacy over each other in the contest for the top spot and maintain their winning streak.
Both the teams have been unbeaten so far. Both these teams have won four matches so far, while one match each was lost to rain, but Australia is on top of the points table due to a better net run rate of 1.818 compared to England’s 1.490. Whichever team wins this match, its top position will be confirmed. Apart from this, he will also get a psychological edge before the semi-finals.
Australia have been dealt a blow before the match as Healy suffered a minor calf strain during practice on Saturday. His absence has created a selection problem as Healy is captain, opening batsman and wicketkeeper.
Head coach Shelly Nischke said before the match, “We have just learned that Healy will not be able to play, so we are considering the combination.” Georgia Vol can open the innings along with Phoebe Litchfield while Beth Mooney will take the responsibility of wicketkeeping. The Australian team has faced challenges on some occasions so far but its performance has been excellent.
In the first two matches, its batsmen were not able to perform as expected but due to the excellent performance of Ashley Gardner and Beth Mooney, they were successful in winning against New Zealand and Pakistan. After this, their top order has regained its rhythm under the leadership of captain Healy and reliable Phoebe Litchfield, who has scored centuries in two consecutive matches. England’s batsmen have struggled against fast bowlers and bowlers like new-ball specialist Megan Schutt will be keen to take advantage of this.
Australia have a psychological edge over England as they defeated them at home in all formats earlier this year. But England knows the conditions here better because they had defeated India here a few days ago. England’s bowlers maintained their composure even under pressure, in which Linsey Smith did wonders. She took the important wicket of Smriti Mandhana before saving 13 runs in the last over.
Apart from this, it has experienced bowlers like left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone and off-spinner Charlie Dean, who have been continuously bailing England out of difficult situations. However, batting is a matter of concern for England as so far the main responsibility of scoring runs has been borne by the experienced Heather Knight and Nat Sciver Brunt. If England wants to win, its other batsmen will also have to contribute.
The teams are as follows:
Australia: Alyssa Healy (captain & wk), Phoebe Lichfield, Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Woll, Ashley Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Darcy Brown, Megan Shutt, Georgia Wareham.
England: Nat Sciver Brunt (captain), M Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Lynsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge. The match will start at 3 pm Indian time.