India begin their ICC T20 Women's World Cup journey today against their biggest rivals, Pakistan, and as always when these two sides meet, the contest promises to be packed with tension. Both the head-to-head history and the current rankings tilt the scales firmly in India's favour against their neighbours. But before a ball is bowled, the two questions on everyone's mind are how the Edgbaston surface will behave and whether the Birmingham weather will get in the way.
The Edgbaston Pitch: An Even Battle Between Bat and Ball
The surface in Birmingham is being rated as balanced, though bowlers will have their chances too. In these conditions the pacers can expect a little movement off the new ball, and if the track slows down, the spinners will have an important role to play. In short, there is something on offer for both types of bowlers.
The numbers tell their own story. A total of 19 women's T20 Internationals have been played at this venue so far. The team batting first has won 10 of them, while the side chasing has come out on top on 9 occasions. The average first-innings score here stands at 145 runs, which means anything around the 150 mark would be considered a strong total. Given the conditions, the captain winning the toss may well opt to bat first.
Birmingham Weather: Little Threat From Rain
The good news is that the weather is unlikely to play villain in this high-voltage India-Pakistan encounter. Edgbaston is expected to offer favourable conditions throughout the match. The temperature will hover between 10°C and 19°C, the sky will be partly clear, and the chance of rain is low.
That said, light cloud cover and a steady breeze could work in the fast bowlers' favour, especially early on when the new ball swings through the air. Batters will therefore need to be watchful at the start, but as the innings progresses, batting conditions should keep improving. In a nutshell, there is no major risk of rain disrupting the game.
India's Probable XI
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Goud and Nandini Sharma.
Pakistan's Probable XI
Muniba Ali (wicketkeeper), Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana (captain), Iram Javed, Natalia Pervaiz, Tuba Hassan, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal.
