The Women’s Asia Cup 2024 will kick off tomorrow with the Nepal Women vs United Arab Emirates Women fixture. However, the real opener of this tournament will take place on the evening of the same day, when the two best women’s cricket teams from Asia—India Women and Pakistan Women—will lock horns at Rangiri Dambulla Stadium.
Match Information: IND W vs PAK W
India Women vs Pakistan Women
Venue: Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Date & Time: July 19, 7.00 pm local time
India Women vs Pakistan Women Glimpses of Last Year
India has participated in 17 Twenty20 Internationals throughout last year, with a 10-5 win-loss record (two matches ending in a tie). They defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the championship match to win the gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Following that, they lost back-to-back series against Australia and England at home, defeated Bangladesh 5-0 in Sylhet, and, most recently, their three-match series against South Africa in Chennai ended in a 1-1 draw when the second game was abandoned after just one inning.
On the other hand, Pakistan has played 19 T20I matches in the same period. However, they have only won seven of them and lost twelve. They hosted South Africa at home before the Asian Games and had an amazing outcome, winning 3-0. It wasn’t an exceptional Asian game. As anticipated, they advanced to the semifinals but were defeated by Sri Lanka there before falling to Bangladesh in the bronze medal playoff. Since then, they have lost a T20I series in Bangladesh, against the West Indies at home, and most recently, to a 3-0 sweep in England. The lone series victory came in a 2-1 victory in New Zealand towards the end of last year.
India Women vs Pakistan Women head-to-head
There have been 14 matches between the two teams over the years; out of those 11 encounters, India won 11, while Pakistan has beaten India in just 3 matches. These two teams have played with each other numerous times, but there has been no bilateral series between these two arch-rivals. The only time a match was played in one of the two nations was in Delhi during the T20 World Cup 2016, where Pakistan defeated India by two runs in a rain-shortened match. India also has a significant advantage at the Asia Cup, having won five of the six games they have played against Pakistan. The one victory for Pakistan came in Sylhet in 2022.
Read More: India Women Full squad for women Asia cup 2024
Players to watch
From India’s side, the opening duo of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana is lethal. With 3320 T20I runs at an average of 28.13 and a strike rate of 121.83, Mandhana—typically the longer-batting of the two—possesses the most. Avg 24.27, SR 129.48, and runs 1748 are the comparable figures for Shafali. It is frequently insufficient for opponents to eliminate just one of them immediately; both must be eliminated rapidly.
For Pakistan, Nida Dar, the captain is an all-around bowler who can be relied upon to score significant runs while taking wickets almost every time she bowls. Sidra Amin, on the other hand, has been hitting well lately; in eight innings this year, she has scored 205 runs.
Pitch Report & Playing Conditions
IND W vs PAK W Pitch Report
Batsmen are primarily favored by the surface at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla. Because of the pitch’s good turn and bounce, there are high chances of spinners being more successful here. Here, teams usually want to bowl first after winning the toss, and the first-inning average is 169.
Dambulla Weather Report
According to AccuWeather, the weather in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, is expected to clear. There are no chances of rain in the IND W vs PAK W match; however, the clouds will remain in the sky throughout the match. The temperature will be between 24 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Where to watch IND W vs PAK W
The Women’s Asia Cup 2024 will air on the Star Sports Network in India and Sri Lanka. In India, the live broadcast will be accessible on the Disney+ Hotstar website and app.