Women’s World Cup Qualifier – Looking ahead to Day 2

Matches on Wednesday, February 8
Group A:
Match 5: Sri Lanka v Ireland, Nondescripts Cricket Club
Match 6: India v Thailand, Colombo Cricket Club

Group B:
Match 7: Scotland v South Africa, Mercantile Cricket Association
Match 8: Pakistan v Bangladesh, P Sara Stadium

Match in focus: Pakistan v Bangladesh
Bangladesh is on top of Group B after an all-round performance set up a big 118-run win over Papua New Guinea in its opening game on Tuesday. Pakistan, meanwhile, had a tough first match against South Africa, slipping to a 63-run loss. Sana Mir’s side will want to get back to winning ways against a team it has defeated four times in six One-Day International encounters. However, it will be wary of the fact that it is one of only two top-eight teams that Bangladesh has managed to beat twice.

The Bangladesh side has gone from strength to strength and is keen not only to retain its ODI status by making it to the Super Six stage, but also cause a few upsets among ICC Championship sides and seal a berth in the World Cup.

Mir, the Pakistan captain, was aware of the threat. “Bangladesh is a good side in these conditions. [Our] batters have to take responsibility, the bowlers have to take responsibility, it's going to be an exciting game … Definitely we need to improve in the death overs. Once the other team is under pressure, we need to bowl more good deliveries to keep the pressure on and get more wickets.”

Mir will be boosted by the performance of new faces in her team. “Our team went through a major transformation. The debutants did well (against South Africa),” she said. “Nashra (Sundhu, the 19-year-old left-arm spinner) got three wickets and Ghulam Fatima (the 21-year-old legspinner) also gave us a breakthrough. I am overall happy with the way the team is shaping up.”

Player in focus: Ciara Metcalfe
Early signs are that Ciara Metcalfe, Ireland’s leg-spinner, is right at home in Sri Lanka. In two matches in Colombo since the side landed here for its ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier campaign, she has taken five wickets: 2 for 31 in the warm-up game against Bangladesh and 3 for 38 in a winning cause against Zimbabwe in its opening Group A game on Tuesday.

Metcalfe, 37, who made her ODI debut in July 1999, retired in 2011, only to return to the side in 2015. The former Ireland skipper also describes herself as a “digital geek”, and has used digital media to promote Ireland cricket and women’s sport.

What's at stake:
Ireland and Bangladesh top Group A and B respectively after big wins, with net-run rate on their side. A win on Wednesday against higher-ranked sides will give both of them a big boost going into the next round, especially since they get to carry forward the points. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be keen to improve their run-rate. Scotland and Thailand will be playing their first games.

Quote of the day:
Dane van Niekerk, South Africa captain: “We know we bat really deep. That’s the good thing about our side. Up until (Shabnim) Ismail comes in, we’ve got a lot of batters. In the past we would have been worried (at losing wickets), but now we know there’s people who can put up their hand and do their job.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played Scotland. It’ll be cool to see where they’re at. Obviously we aren’t going to take any team lightly. We said that at the start. We’re going to play every game as if it’s the toughest team to play. The gap’s closing, so you don’t want to take anything for granted.”

Number to note:
Sana Mir, the Pakistan captain, needs two more wickets to make it 100 in ODIs. When she gets to the milestone, she’ll be only the sixth player to complete the 100 wickets and 1000 runs double in women’s cricket.