WNCL 2019-20: Match 1, Queensland Fire vs Western Australia Women – Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 1st match of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) 2019/20 will be played between Queensland Fire and Western Australia Women at the Souths District Cricket Club in Brisbane, Queensland.

The match starts at 9:30 AM local time (5:00 AM IST) (11:30 PM GMT – Prev Day)

Preview:

The 2019/20 edition of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) will kick start on Saturday when the last year runners-up Queensland Fire host the Western Australia Women. The team led by Kirby Short won only one of their first three matches but a hat-trick of wins put them in the final. The Queensland team ended up losing the final as NSW Women won the title for the 20th time in 23 seasons.

This edition, Queensland will have Georgia Redmayne at the top of the order who scored three fifties in six matches last year. On the other hand, Western Australia Women were the 2017/18 edition runners-up. They won five out of seven matches that season with both defeats coming against NSW Women only. During the previous edition, they lost three straight wins to miss out on a spot in the final.

Weather Condition/Report:

The Souths District Cricket Club is expected to be clear for the most part on Saturday. However, the weather forecast suggests the chances of rain in the morning. It could cause a delayed start but no further interruption during the match.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The Souths District Cricket Club hasn’t hosted a WNCL game over the last two editions. Generally, the tracks at the venues in Queensland are good enough for totals of 225 in Women’s matches. The hosts have enough depth to chase down such scores.

Average first innings score: N/A

Record of chasing teams: N/A

Injury and Availability News:

Queensland Fire announced their squad of 12 players while Western Australia Women named 14-player squad for this match.

Probable Playing XIs:

Queensland Fire:

Kirby Short (C), Georgia Redmayne, Josie Dooley, Laura Harris, Sammy Jo Johnson, Grace Harris, Jemma Barsby, Haidee Birkett, Georgia Prestwidge, Charli Knott, Mikayla Hinkley.

Bench: Courtney Sippel.

Western Australia Women:

Nicole Bolton, Sophie Devine, Chloe Piparo (C), Emma Inglis, Amy Edgar, Ashley Day, Megan Banting (WK), Kathleen Hempenstall, Emma King, Taneale Peschel, Piepa Cleary.

Bench: Molly Healy, Meg Thompson, Sheldyn Cooper.

Top Picks:

Georgia Redmayne amassed 488 runs in 12 innings across last two WNCL at an average of 40.67 with four fifties. Nicole Bolton played only two matches during the previous edition but had an average of 56.2 in 2017/18. During the last edition game against SA Scorpions, the all-rounder Grace Harris scored 114-ball 162 and followed it with a 5-wicket haul.

She is capable of such performances but is quite inconsistent. Alongside picking up wickets regularly, Jemma Barsby also averaged 35 with the bat in the previous WNCL. Emma King finished with 12 wickets at an average of 18.16 and a strike rate of 27.5 during the 2018/19 edition.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Georgia Redmayne, Nicole Bolton, Sophie Devine, Grace Harris

Vice-Captain – Sammy Jo Johnson, Chloe Piparo, Emma King, Kirby Short

The tournament is a crucial one for Georgia Redmayne to break into the Australian team while Nicole Bolton eyes for returning to the national side after recovering from injury.

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Georgia Redmayne (VC)

Batters – Kirby Short, Nicole Bolton, Chloe Piparo

All-Rounders – Grace Harris, Sammy Jo Johnson, Sophie Devine (C)

Bowlers – Kathleen Hempenstall, Emma King, Jemma Barsby, Haidee Birkett

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Georgia Redmayne

Batters – Ashley Day, Nicole Bolton (VC), Josie Dooley

All-Rounders – Grace Harris (C), Sammy Jo Johnson, Sophie Devine

Bowlers – Emma King, Jemma Barsby, Piepa Cleary, Georgia Prestwidge

Expert Advice:

The challenge in this fantasy will be picking the players from batters category. There are a lot of players not available for this game in this category and a few more who are quite new to the WNCL. Hence, the trio of Kirby Short, Nicole Bolton and Chloe Piparo will be safe picks in this.

Probable Winners:

Queensland Fire looks stronger than Western Australia Women on the paper.

*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.