The pandemic may have struck shortly before the English cricket season was due to start but it threatens to have major implications for the game worldwide. 

English officials still believe they can fit a full international programme of three-Test series against both the West Indies and Pakistan, as well as one-day internationals with Australia and Ireland, into a season that won't start until July 1 at the earliest.

But there is now an expectation that matches will have to be played behind closed doors, in the short-term at least, as a way of stopping the spread of the pandemic.

That would, however, still allow the England and Wales Cricket Board to honour lucrative broadcast contracts and avoid the nightmare scenario of a completely wiped out season that could cost the organisation £380 million ($463 million).

Here's a look at the key issues confronting cricket amid the pandemic.

Will teams go on tour?

West Indies and Pakistan, two of crickets less well-off major teams, have both made encouraging noises about touring England, subject to health concerns and appear to ready to factor a 14-day quarantine on arrival in Britain, because of UK government regulations, into their planning.

Matches are set to be played at 'bio-secure' venues such as Hampshire's Ageas Bowl or Old Trafford that have onsite hotels.

"We are trying to get to England early July so that we can get the quarantine done," said Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan. 

Australia were meant to play three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals in July but may delay their visit to later in the season after seeing how the West Indies and Pakistan series pan out.

"Obviously we won't jeopardise the safety of the players," Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

"But the best test of that is the West Indian and Pakistan tours of England before we're due to tour. We hope they go off without a hitch."

What will cricket look like?

Even if a rescheduled series between England and the West Indies starts in July, the game itself will look very different.

Not only will there be no spectators but wicket celebrations such as 'high fives' are set to be banned according to International Cricket Council guidelines issued last week. 

Umpires have also been instructed to wear gloves to minimise the risk of infection, with bowlers no longer handing their cap and sweater to officials for the same reason.

Another 'interim' measure, which still requires approval at a June vote, would see bowlers banned from using saliva to shine the ball to aid swing, although they will still be allowed to apply their own sweat.

Travel restrictions could see two umpires from a home nation stand in a Test for the first time since 1994 when the ICC started moving towards neutral officials to counter accusations of bias.

The ICC's cricket committee also said last week each team should be awarded an additional DRS review per innings.

Meanwhile, Chris Broad, the only Englishman on the ICC's elite panel of referees, may have to officiate in matches involving his son Stuart, the England fast bowler. 

What will happen to the Twenty20 World Cup and Indian T20 League?

An ICC board meeting on Thursday, May 28, could see the men's Twenty20 World Cup, due to held in Australia from October 18, postponed.

Problems over flying in 16 teams to Australia may be reason enough to delay the event by a year.

That would allow the already postponed franchise Indian T20 League, the world's wealthiest T20 competition, to go ahead in its place.

Manoj Badale, a part-owner of the Rajasthan, told the London Daily Telegraph last month: "No Indian T20 League (in 2020) would be a big $600 million loss for the global cricket economy."

South African director of cricket Graeme Smith has called for India's Sourav Ganguly, a fellow former Test captain, to become the next ICC chairman.

The Proteas, hard hit by the low value of South Africa's rand, hope to host a three-match T20 series against India in August.

What does this mean for women's cricket?

The women's game was riding the crest of a wave after a crowd of over 86,000 in Melbourne saw hosts Australia beat India in the final of the T20 World Cup in March, shortly before global sport went into lockdown.

But Clare Connor, the ECB's managing director of women's cricket, has accepted her side of the game may have to be sacrificed completely in order for more lucrative men's matches to go ahead this season.

But there are hopes a series with South Africa could still take place in September.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Marty Melville

India have qualified for the 2021 women's World Cup after the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared that the points from a cancelled series against Pakistan would be shared.

The series, part of the ICC Women's Championship, was unable to be played after India's governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said it could not get government clearance to host Pakistan with tensions rising between the neighbours over the disputed Kashmir region.

The ICC declared the circumstances a 'force majeure' event and awarded the teams three points each.

Two other final-round series cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic -- South Africa v Australia and Sri Lanka v New Zealand -- also saw the six points on offer shared.

The decision means India sealed the final automatic qualifying spot on 23 points behind Australia (37), holders England (29) and South Africa (25) for the 50-over competition next year alongside hosts New Zealand.

"The technical committee concluded that the (India v Pakistan) series could not be played because of a Force Majeure event," an ICC statement said late Wednesday.

"The BCCI demonstrated that it was unable to obtain the necessary government clearances to allow India to participate in the bilateral series against Pakistan."

The fierce rivals have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 when the Pakistan men crossed the border for a series of one-day internationals.

With their decades-old dispute over Kashmir at a new peak, India has stopped all sports teams going to Pakistan and they have only clashed at major international events, such as last year's 50-over men's World Cup in England.

Pakistan, who finished four points below India, will now seek one of the three remaining places in the World Cup at a 10-team qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka originally scheduled for July 3-19, but which could be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / William West

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc decided to skip his side’s third and final ODI against South Africa to cheer for his wife, Alyssa Healy, who smashed a match-winning knock of 75 in just 39 deliveries in Australia Women’s 85-run win over India Women at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final.

The Australian men’s team, touring South Africa, had already lost the three-match ODI series, and Starc decided to skip the final game to be in Melbourne to cheer for his wife. For Healy, she made sure her husband’s decision was worth every penny as she went to thwart India by smashing the fastest fifty in a T20 World Cup final en route her 39-ball 75.

Alyssa Healy said recently all she ever wanted to do was bat like Ricky Ponting. She’s doing a fair impression of his WC2003 final innings here #T20WorldCupFinal

�?Adam Burnett (@AdamBurnett09) March 8, 2020

Coincidently, Healy’s knock came at the exact venue where Mitchell Starc put on a scintillating performance against New Zealand in the 2015 Men’s World Cup final. The towering pacer dismissed Brendon McCullum in the first over with a brilliant yorker before showing Luke Ronchi his way back to the pavilion. The 30-year-old conceded just 20 runs in his eight overs and picked up two important wickets as Australia went on to win the final.

As for Sunday’s final, Healy and her opening partner, Beth Mooney gave Australia a brilliant start, stitching an opening partnership of 115 runs, which paved way for the rest of the batswomen to post 184/4 in 20 overs.

Australia continued their domination with the ball and bowled out the Indian team for a mere 99 runs before lifting their record fifth T20 World Cup title.

Starc's gesture, meanwhile, was applauded by everyone on Twitter:

A destructive innings from Alyssa Healy! She is making a statement here. She is also saying, push the boundaries back. Next stage in women's cricket. Mitchell Starc: 8-0-20-2 in 2015 WC final at MCG.
Alyssa Healy: 75(39) in 2020 WC final at MCG.

Husband - Wife goals. #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/ivEp0mXa0b

�?Parth shah (@pns251092) March 8, 2020

Sure thing !! God forbid it would be a guy from the subcontinent, the guy would be called a ‘joru ka ghulaam�?in one second good on you Mitchell couple goals for sure!! #beentheredonethat //t.co/yl3ZlGFPkY

�?Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) March 7, 2020

Mitchell Starc skipped the third ODI & travelled from South Africa T0 Australia TO watch his Wife alyssa healy play ❤️

AND ALYSSA HEALY

DIDN'T DISAPPOINT HER HUSBAND pic.twitter.com/cclMSwcClK

�?SaNaaaaaa (@SaNaaaaaa_____) March 8, 2020

Mitchel Starc & Alyssa Healy’s kid will be the greatest all-rounder ever. #INDvAUS #T20WorldCupFinal

�?Shridhar V (@iimcomic) March 8, 2020

Imagining Alyssa Healy and Mitchell Starc chatting over their cornflakes.

"Oh hey, remember when you dominated a World Cup Final at the MCG, winning it for Australia before the opposition caught breath?"

"Yeah. Remember when you did too?"

"Yeah. More toast?"#T20WorldCup

�?Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) March 8, 2020

Couple goals:

Bowl like Mitchel Starc
&
Bat like Alyssa Healy

#T20WorldCupFinal #INDvAUS

�?MUFCR7 (@FffNeutral) March 8, 2020

Alyssa Healy & Mitchell Starc - Set the tone in a home WC final by dominating the first over #Couplegoals #WWT20

�?Gaurav Sundararaman (@gaurav_sundar) March 8, 2020

After an unbeaten tenure at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, India Women fell 85 runs short of creating history as defending champions Australia put up a scintillating performance to win a record fifth world title.

The likes of Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney gave Australia a glaring start, with the former hitting a boundary off the very first ball of the innings. Healy, in particular, showed no mercy as she went on to smash seven fours and five sixes en route to 75 off just 39 balls.

Mooney on the other hand picked up the momentum right after Healy left and scored a 54-ball 78, which included 10 boundaries, put Australia in a firm position. For India, only Deepti Sharma picked two wickets, but that too came at an economy of 9.50 in her four overs.

The story, however, could have been very different if only the likes of Shafali Verma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad had been more instinctive with their fielding. India, as much as they were hurt by a poor bowling effort, were equally punished by a substandard fielding.

With Australia putting 184/4 in 20 overs, India needed a jumpstart. Contrary to what was needed though, they lost as many as four wickets inside 30 runs. The damage further deepened, and the team eventually departed for 99, with Deepti Sharma topping the scoring chart with a 35-ball 33 for India.

Several talking points to discuss, but the fact remains that lack of experience got the better of team India.

Impressive final performance from @AusWomenCricket saved their best for last. Congratulations to all involved you’ve made Australia proud...again! #AUSvIND #WorldCupFinal

�?Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) March 8, 2020

And India, well played to get to the final. It was an excellent campaign till today. Look forward to more

�?Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 8, 2020

Crushing defeat for India after holding out promise of a tight contest. Lots of lessons to be learnt for the team foremost being not making excuses e.g. lack of big match experience, crowd pressure etc. This was a poor performance. Accept that and build from there

�?Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 8, 2020

India outclassed by high quality all round performance by Australia. Congratulations to them and to women's cricket. Terrific competition aside from the semi final controversy

�?mike selvey (@selvecricket) March 8, 2020

Instead of being overawed by the expectation of a home World Cup final at a packed MCG, Australia have thrived on it. Healy calmed the nerves early. India looked intimidated unfortunately. They will learn from it one hopes.

�?Ian bishop (@irbishi) March 8, 2020

The amazing @ahealy77 just showed why “bring your husband to work�?day should be a thing everywhere #T20WorldCup #INDvAUS @cricbuzz

�?Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) March 8, 2020

Shafali - 16 years.
Mandhana - 23 years.
Jemimah - 19 years.
Deepti - 22 years.
Richa - 16 years.
Radha - 19 years.

India Women is the youngest team in the #T20WorldCup and still made into the final. The future is bright.

�?Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 8, 2020

I feel so bad for the kid. Had such a splendid tournament, just 16, and she might be remembered more for not making a score in the final than what she has done throughout the tournament. Keep your head high Shafali, special tournament!

�?Aakash Bhatt (@aakashbhatt97) March 8, 2020

 

Feature image courtesy: AFP / William West

India women were handed a reality check in the finals of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup as Australia blasted them by 85 runs in front of a packed audience at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. The bullish Aussies went on to register their fifth title win as India were left ruing the chance to grab a maiden title in the shortest format of the game. 

Harmanpreet Kaur, post the game, stated - “The way we played in the league games was outstanding. I still have a lot of faith in my team. It’s part of the game, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You have to keep learning. But I trust this team."

While the team itself might be fine, there are a few areas India might want to work upon and some harsh lessons to take back home.

Over-reliance on spin

For most of the tournament, India played four spinners in their starting XI. They were lucky enough to get slower wickets in some of these matches, including the first game against the Aussies, and strangulated teams with their slower bowlers. From Poonam Yadav to Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav, there were standout performances from the spinners but the onus on them was too much.

In the finals, on a flatter deck at the MCG, the quicker bowlers were more likely to shine. This was evident when Megan Schutt had Shafali Verma caught behind with extra bounce in the first over of the run-chase. India's spinners went at over seven runs per over while their only pacer - Shikha Pandey - was belted for a hat-trick of sixes. This over-reliance on spin bowling might be something India would want to avoid soon with the next ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year.

Read | Mitchell Starc travelled 10,000 km to see wife Alyssa Healy in World Cup final

Lack of team strength

There's too much pressure on too few players in this Indian line-up. Their whole bowling plan is aligned so that Poonam Yadav has a field day, but on her off days, India find it tough to keep the scoring rate in check or pick wickets. With the bat, the same goes for Shafali Verma, who at 16 years of age, carried the hopes of the nation in the finals. 

The likes of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur are out of touch and India struggled to find inspirational performances from their other players. The lack of impact players in the side makes India depend on very few for winning matches. Not the kind of habit you want to encourage if winning consistently is the moto.

Big-match pressure

After failing to go through in the 2017 World Cup final at Lord's against England, India Women, like their men counterparts, have struggled to cope with big-match pressure. Even as Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney showed how to bat carefree irrespective of the importance of the game, India seemed nervous and unsure from the onset. 

Read | Are India the new chokers in ICC tournaments?

Their bowling plans went awry and it seemed like India had no back-up plan as they grappled to stay alive in the contest. With the bat, they derailed completely, losing track of the target soon after Shafali's dismissal in the opening over. 

Fielding

While Australia pulled off some incredible outfield catches, India were woeful in the field. Within the powerplay, Shafali Verma dropped Alyssa Healy in what could be termed as a game-changing moment in the finals. Healy went on to make an outstanding half-century that all but sealed the finals. Her partnership with Beth Mooney was critical in Australia's win. If it had been broken earlier, India could have wrestled some advantage and used their spinners more effectively. 

The Indians will need to take back the vital lesson that their fielding needs to improve if they are to win big games.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Willaim West

India Women made it to their first-ever T20 World Cup final after their semi-final tie against England Women at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) was abandoned due to rain on Thursday.

Rain has been a spoil-sport a couple of times already in this year’s World Cup, with Thailand’s group stage game against Pakistan and West Indies�?tie against South Africa being abandoned. As for the semi-final, rain was indeed predicted, but the management had decided not to keep a reserve day in turn. Thus, according to the rules, winners of both the groups automatically qualify for the final showdown.

India, having won all of their group stage games, finished at the top of Group A, two points ahead of the defending champions, Australia. England, slotted in Group B, however, finished second, only a point behind South Africa.

“Frustrating, didn’t want the World Cup to end this way but not much you can do about this. Would have been good to have a reserve day perhaps. That loss to South Africa cost us. Not really, we expected to reach the semi-finals and that we did. Undone by the weather. Did feel like we had started to gain momentum in recent games, and we were really ready for this semifinal. Yes, Sarah Glenn and Sophie (Ecclestone) have been great and so has been Mady. Not starting a tournament great has been a concern, so perhaps we can work on that (smiles),” said England captain Heather Knight.

As for the fans, they were quick to remind England how they got the taste of their own medicine. Back during the 2019 Men’s World Cup, the England team were crowned champions on the back a superior boundary count (26-17) against Kane Williamson's New Zealand, something that wasn’t taken well by the fans. And now that the England Women’s team is eliminated, this is what they have to say.

Rain played spoilsport when we all wanted to witness a great match and see our girls in blue qualify to the finals ! But nonetheless , we will take this with both hands as well cannot wait for the 8th of March

�?Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) March 5, 2020

England win by ICC rules and lose by ICC rules. #INDvENG

Peeling sad pic.twitter.com/uLOZX4EzY8

�? (@imcharanro45) March 5, 2020

Snapshot into the ICC meeting regarding the #T20WorldCup#SydneyRain #SAvAUS #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/TbhOglQawE

�?CricBlog (@cric_blog) March 5, 2020

As an indian I am absolutely thrilled india has made it to the finals . But as a cricketer I feel for the English girls . I’d never want to find myself or my team in that situation. But the rules are such and it is what it is. Congratulations girls.This is big. #INDvENG #T20WC

�?Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) March 5, 2020

England players Right now #INDvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Mqu9XeGvL9

�?Not Bad (@CvaKadaikutty) March 5, 2020

Karma bit #England cricket team with bad rain rules in #CricketWorldCup, but it was the women's team that had to pay for the sins of the men. #INDvENG #EngvInd
Hurray for #TeamIndia for reaching the finals of #T20WorldCup

�?Sanskari Bhedia (@pkg_lonewolf) March 5, 2020

As India Women take the field on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup semi-final game against England, they will not only be looking to erase the memories of the 2017 ODI World Cup final at Lord's, but also overturn a new-found big-match fever among India's different sides ranging from the men's to under-19 and women's. 

Since 2014, India have missed out in the knockout stages a whopping eight times. This includes the loss in the finals at the under-19 World Cup two months back in South Africa. Such has been the jinx that riding past the semis is in itself an arduous task.

List of games India lost in the ICC events since 2014:

• 2014 - World T20 - Lost in finals
• 2015 - World Cup - Lost in semi-finals
• 2016 - World T20 - Lost in semi-finals
• 2016 - U-19 World Cup - Lost in finals
• 2017 - Champions Trophy - Lost in finals
• 2017 - Women's ODI World Cup - Lost in finals
• 2019 - World Cup - Lost in semi-finals
• 2020 - U-19 World Cup - Lost in finals

The highlight here is that they have one of the toughest opponents in the women's game for the semi-finals. India Women have won only four of their 19 T20Is against the England Women's side in their history. They have lost five of their last six matches against them, but what will motivate them is the fact that they edged this very England side to the finals of the recent tri-series in Australia before the World Cup. 

Both sides enter the semi-finals in good form. While India Women won all of their league games, England Women won all but one and are primed to beat India and reach the finals. India have relied on their potent spin attack and blistering starts from Shafali Verma to hide their soft batting belly and less-than-convincing pace attack. 

Read | The Shafali factor that could win India Women the T20 World Cup

Toppling England Women will mean sticking to a template that worked for them in the tri-series. Then, despite racking up a good score, England found themselves under pressure as India Women's middle-order, led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, clicked in sync. 

It is this that will haunt India ahead of the big semi-finals. The middle-order has been a huge area of concern for them with Harmanpreet having a wretched tournament with the bat. Veda Krishnamurthy stepped up in the game against Bangladesh, and Deepti Sharma did her bit against Australia but the big absence of runs from Kaur will worry India, particularly since England have the attack to dismiss the lesser middle-order batters.

To fight England, India Women will need to step up with their fast bowling, middle-order batting and then hope that their existing strengths - the top-order and the spinners - have a good field day. It's hoping too many things fall into place, but to break the knockout jinx, that's exactly what this team would need.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / William West

India are set to play England in the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals after South Africa’s game against West Indies was abandoned due to rain on Tuesday.

A point apiece for both South Africa and West Indies means the former, having topped the Group B, will square off against the hosts, Australia in the other semi-final. Both the semi-finals will be played on March 5 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with India’s game against England slated first at 9:30 am, IST.

The bad news, however, remains the fact that there a rain forecast on Thursday as well and there’re no reserve days in place. In such a scenario, if rain washes out the semi-finals, the winners of both the groups, i.e, India and South Africa, would automatically qualify for the final, to be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, March 8.

Read | Women’s T20 World Cup: What makes India Women potential title winners

India and South Africa are, in fact, the only teams who are yet to lose a game in the tournament. And while India topped their group with a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.979, South Africa impressed one and all with an NRR of +2.226.

Speaking about the rule, the 2017 World Cup winner with England, Alex Hartley, voiced her concern by saying, "India and South Africa have played the most consistent cricket so they do deserve to be top of the group but it is mind-blowing there's no reserve day."

India vs England streaming details:

The toss will take place at 9:00 am on March 5, and the match will be televised on Star Sport 2 and Star Sports 2 HD with English commentary. Those enjoying the Hindi commentary can switch to Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 1 Hindi HD. The game can also be streamed on Hotstar.

Read | The Shafali factor that could win India Women the T20 World Cup

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Peter Parks

Aaron Finch and David Warner put on an exhibition of opening the batting in T20s in the recently concluded series against South Africa. Quinton de Kock did the same in the second match of the series. Yet, eclipsing the three of them, in terms of strike rate, at another end of the planet, was 16-year old India Women's team opener, Shafali Verma.

The opener hasn't scored a half-century yet in India's T20 World Cup campaign so far, but has two Man of the Match awards. Even as her senior partner, Smriti Mandhana has failed, Shafali has made scores of 29 (15), 39 (17) and 46 (34). She has the highest strike rate in the tournament so far with her runs coming at a frenetic strike rate of 172.73.

Shafali's natural game is to attack and her carefree batting has been a delight to watch. Several commentators raised pertinent points about her game during the tournament. One primary suggestion was that while Shafali was a pure entertainer, she ought to try and convert her starts. 

Playing her first @T20WorldCup match, 16-year-old Shefali Verma smashed 29 off 15 balls, including 16 off one over bowled by Megan Schutt, the @MRFWorldwide No.1 ranked T20I bowler @oppo | #ClearinEveryShot | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/rFWBV8qxe9

�?ICC (@ICC) February 21, 2020

While their point carries weight, Shafali is in a league of her own and her importance to this Indian side goes beyond numbers. India women have a brittle middle-order, a fact so many teams are well aware of. To silence India, they need to force the middle-order to make the bulk of the runs. 

This hasn't been happening thanks to Shafali's timely intervention at the top. The 16-year old has made blazing starts at the top, helping India to get off the blocks quite quickly. 

When she was dismissed against Australia in the very first game of the World Cup, India had made 43 in 5.3 overs. Against Bangladesh, at the point she was dismissed, the women's team had 53 in 5.3 overs. Against New Zealand, she carried on further after helping put up 49 runs in the powerplay (contributing 25 off 15 balls then). When she was dismissed, India had 95 in 13.5 overs. They went on to add just 38 runs in 6.1 overs. 

This Shefali Verma is of another level

�?Kuptaan (@Kuptaan) February 21, 2020

What Shafali's early onslaught does is allow India's middle-order to not overly attack but play their natural game. With Harmanpreet Kaur failing, this approach is extremely good as the momentum and platform has been laid early on. 

Even if India do not get a final flourish, there's enough on the board for their bowlers to work the magic. This has worked in all three group games so far, and the young champ has been India's batter of the tournament. Her carefree approach could well determine if this side can go the distance and win the title.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / William West

After beating the likes of Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand, India Women are set to take on Sri Lanka Women in their final game of Group A of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 on February 29 (Saturday). The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and live streaming will be available on Hotstar. The two teams will lock horns at Junction Oval, Melbourne and will begin at 09:30 HRS IST. Catch all the action on our live blog.

India triumphed over the White Ferns (but only by a whisker) in their third game on Thursday and in the process sealed their semi-final berth in the tournament. It was expected to be a tough game, given that the odds were stacked against India, but they overcame it to register the third successive victory on the trot.

Read | Women’s T20 World Cup: What makes India Women potential title winners

Their last group stage encounter would be with familiar foes Sri Lanka, against whom they enjoy a comfortable record in T20Is (out of the 17 games played, India have won 13 and one game has yielded no result).  

Sri Lanka’s chances in their earlier games against Australia and New Zealand were spoiled more by their lacklustre fielding and the inability to capitalize on opportunities presented by their opponents. 

Skipper Chamari Atapattu is no stranger to Australia, having registered two centuries during Sri Lanka’s tour late last year. She has been in good form this tournament as well, with 91 runs from her first two games. Another blessing during these troubled times for the Lankans has been the prolific swing bowling from Udeshika Prabodhani, whose economy rate in the first two games was nothing short of bamboozling. 

Looking to finish their group stage on a high, team India would do well to be wary of the twin troubles that Atapattu and Prabodhani can pose to their ambitions.

Squads:

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Taniya Bhatia (WK), Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav

Sri Lanka: Chamari Atapattu (C), Dilani Manodara (WK), Harshitha Madavi, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Hansima Karunaratne, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sathya Sandeepani, Anushka Sanjeewani, Shashikala Siriwardene, Umesha Thimashini