Sharjah Cricket Stadium Pitch Report For WI Vs NZ Women's T20 World Cup Semifinal
Sharjah Cricket Stadium [Source: @ghosh_annesha/X]
On Friday, West Indies will cross swords against New Zealand in the second semifinal of the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup. The much-awaited encounter will be played at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Led by Hayley Matthews, West Indies Women have been clinical across departments, claiming the top position in the Group B points table. Although they kickstarted their World Cup campaign on a poor note, the Women in Maroon took little time to bounce back, handing crushing defeats to Scotland, Bangladesh and England. Considering their exceptional turn around, West Indies Women are expected to put up a spirited performance in the semifinal.
On the other hand, New Zealand had a dream start to the competition, swatting aside India Women by 58 runs in their tournament opener. Despite falling prey to their Trans-Tasman rivals Australia, the White Ferns made a grand entry to the semifinal following their thumping wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Given that both teams are high on confidence, we expect a nail-biting battle in the second semifinal. So, before the game begins, let's see how the surface at Sharjah Cricket Stadium will behave throughout the contest.
Sharjah Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
The pitch at Sharjah Cricket Stadium will offer minimal seam movement to the fast bowlers. However, considering ten matches have already been played at this venue, expect an oddball to hold up a bit after pitching, particularly around the hard length.
So, mixing the pace will work wonders for the fast bowlers, while the spinners will get significant assistance from the surface. Sharjah has been a tougher ground than Dubai for the batters, with run-scoring becoming more difficult with the game's progression. Furthermore, as it's a high-pressure game, whichever team wins the toss will likely bat first.