The Hundred Women's Competition 2021 Match 23: Birmingham Phoenix vs. Welsh Fire - Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, weather forecast and pitch report
Birmingham Phoenix will be up against Welsh Fire in the 23rd match of The Hundred Women 2021 at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Monday.
Birmingham Phoenix is placed at the bottom of the table with just one win from five games. They lost their previous outing to the Oval Invincibles, and it was their third consecutive defeat. The Invincibles comfortably chased down 130 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Phoenix's campaign in The Hundred Women is as good as over with just two games remaining.
Meanwhile, Welsh Fire has two wins and is fifth in the table. They faced defeat at the hands of Trent Rockets last time around. The Rockets bundled them out for a paltry 102 before scaling the target down with ease.
However, Welsh Fire is still in with a chance of making the top four. They have everything to play for in the upcoming contest.
While Phoenix will look to gain some pride, Welsh Fire finds themselves in a must-win position to keep their hopes alive. Hence, this promises to be an absolute cracker.
Match Details
Match: Birmingham Phoenix Women vs. Welsh Fire Women, The Hundred Women 2021
Date: August 9, 2021 (Monday)
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
Weather Report
The weather forecast predicts cloud cover and the possibility of light showers throughout the course of the game. The temperature will hover around 16 to 20 degrees Celsius.
Pitch Report
Phoenix scored 129 runs in the last game played at this venue against the Invincibles, who chased the target down comfortably. Edgbaston is known to favor both batters and bowlers equally.
However, the team winning the toss should look to bowl first and make use of the overcast conditions. A score in the 130-140 range would be ideal on this surface.
Predicted Playing XIs
Birmingham Phoenix Women
Top-order form has been a huge concern for Phoenix. The batters haven’t been consistent and have failed to deliver. Shafali Verma, Evelyn Jones, Katie Mack, and skipper Amy Jones will have to step up with the bat.
Bowling hasn’t been their strength either. If Phoenix is to win this game, they need to come good together as a unit.
Predicted XI: Shafali Verma, Evelyn Jones, Amy Jones (C &WK), Katie Mack, Erin Burns, Georgia Elwiss, Gwenan Davies, Phoebe Franklin, Isabelle Wong, Kirstie Gordan, Abtaha Maqsood.
Welsh Fire Women
Welsh Fire had a terrible outing with the bat last time out. Bryony Smith, Hayley Matthews, and Georgia Redmayne have done well at the top. The rest of the batting will be under pressure and have to perform.
Bowling looks good with the likes of Bryony Smith, Piepa Cleary, Hayley Matthews, and Hannah Baker leading the charge.
Predicted XI: Hayley Matthews, Bryony Smith, Georgia Redmayne, Sarah Taylor (WK), Sophie Luff (C), Georgia Hennessy, Piepa Cleary, Katie George, Alex Griffiths, Nicole Harvey, Hannah Baker.
Match Prediction
Welsh Fire desperately needs a win to stay alive in the competition. Neither team has had a lot of success, but Welsh Fire looks to be the better of the two sides.
They are likely to come out on top, with this being a do-or-die game for them. However, Phoenix could very well string in a surprise, and this could be a closely fought contest.
TV and live streaming details
TV: N/A
Live Streaming: Fancode