India Women vs Pakistan Women, ICCW T20 WC 2023, Today Match Prediction 12 February 2023

indw vs pakw Match Prediction & Analysis

India Women is one of the favorites to make the final four of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023. They have a strong bowling department and a few high-quality batters who can dominate any attack in the world. They were the runners-up in the most recent edition of the tournament, where they lost out to a dominant Australian side in the finals. India will start off their T20 World Cup 2023 journey when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. Pakistan have had a poor time in T20Is recently and will need to be at their best.

 

TEAMS PREVIEW

India Women Preview

India Women have had a mixed run in women's T20Is over the last year. They reached the finals of the tri-series in South Africa recently after winning every league game, but fell short in the last hurdle, losing to the Proteas women. Before that, they were beaten 1-4 at home by Australia. 

Smriti Mandhana has been India’s best batter in T20Is this season, with 348 runs from 15 innings at an average of 29 and a strike rate of 126.54. The stylish left-handed opener will be the key player for India in this tournament. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur (246 runs in the last 9 matches at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 127.46) may be inconsistent at times, but when she gets going, she can destroy any attack.

All-rounder Deepti Sharma is another player who can make a huge impact for India. She averages 38.09 with the bat from her last 30 T20Is and is the leading wicket-taker for her country in the format since 2022. She also led the wickets chart recently in the tri-series in South Africa, taking nine wickets at an economy rate of 5.56. Moreover, her ability to accelerate in the middle and death overs makes her a valuable asset down the order.

Also keep an eye out for leg-spinner Devika Vaidya (6 wickets in the last 10 matches at an economy of 8.77), who can be useful on these surfaces.

 

India Women Predicted Playing XI:

Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Thakur Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey

India Women Actual Playing XI:

Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar

Pakistan Women Preview

Pakistan are heading into the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 with a mixed bag of form. They lost 0-2 to Australia and were beaten 1-2 by Ireland at home. These losses would have certainly dented their confidence a bit, and Bismah Maroof's team would be hoping to start the tournament on a positive note.

For Pakistan, the main aim would be to get past the group stages for the first time in the tournament's history.

Nida Dar is the team’s most valuable player. The 36-year-old all-rounder was Pakistan's best run-scorer and wicket-taker in T20Is last year, accumulating 396 runs and taking 15 wickets in 16 matches. She was also Pakistan’s star player in last year’s Women’s Asia Cup,  where she collected 145 runs at an average of 72.50 while also picking up 8 wickets.

Opener Muneeba Ali, who has 167 runs in her last 10 matches at a strike rate of 92.26, is another batter to keep an eye out for. Then there’s captain Bismah Maroof herself, who has scored 2560 runs in T20Is from 123 innings at an average of 26.66 and a strike rate of 90.87.

Nashra Sandhu has found some form recently, and her slow left-arm spin might trouble the batters. She has taken 12 wickets in her last 7 matches at an economy of 5.92.

 

Pakistan Women Predicted Playing XI:

Muneeba Ali (wk), Javeria Khan, Bismah Maroof (c), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Ayesha Naseem, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Tuba Hassan, Aiman Anwer, Sadia Iqbal

Pakistan Women Actual Playing XI:

Aliya Riaz, Javeria Khan, Bismah Maroof, Muneeba Ali, Aiman Anwar, Ayesha Naseem, Nida Dar, Fatima Sana, Nashra Sandhu, Sidra Ameen, Sadia Iqbal

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town is known to assist seam bowlers. It consistent bounce and early movement while also assisting spinners. Batters, however, will get their chance to score once they see off the first few overs when the ball will move around under lights.

The weather in Cape Town during the game will be cloudy and cool.

Venue Details

The average score batting first at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town in women’s T20Is is 129. The highest total posted here is 166-4 by India Women against South Africa Women in 2018. The team batting first in this match should look to set a target of around 150-160 runs.

Toss: To Bat

Of the 5 women’s T20Is played at Newlands, Cape Town, 3 have been won by the team batting first. The team winning the toss in this game is hence likely to bat first as well.