Somerset Women play their first ever T20 Women's County Cup match as they face Durham in Exmouth on Friday. Both teams will be looking to progress into the next round with the competition gaining traction among the cricket faithful in the UK.
Somerset have a few injury concerns to deal with as Danielle Gibson and former U-19 star Niamh Holland aren't available. But they still have Heather Knight and Charlie Dean's international experience to fall back on in the time of need. On the other hand, Durham come into this game on the back of two wins in the ODD Cup. Captain Hollie Armitage is in pristine form but will need star players Mady Villiers and Bess Heath to step up as well.
This game is a LiveTrade enabled game, meaning the trading action doesn't stop at the start of the match. With extra entertainment and bigger stakes involved, here's a Sixer fantasy report to help you plan your trades.
As mentioned earlier, Somerset have some injured personnel to deal with. However, they still have a squad filled with experience and talent with their middle-order of Fran Wilson, Sophie Luff and Charlotte Dean being highly-rated. Amanda Jade-Wellington is not eligible for this tournament owing to the international player rule.
Probable Playing XI: H Knight, E Corney, S Luff (c), F Wilson, C Dean, K Jones (wk), A Griffiths, E Anderson, L Jackson and M Robbins
Durham will be without Suzie Bates for this tournament and are likely to have Hollie Armitage open the batting in her absense. Katie Levick will lead the spin attack alongside Mady Villiers while Katherine Fraser tries to fill the void left by Bates' ineligibility for this game.
Probable Playing XI: H Armitage (c), E Marlow, M Rogers, M Villiers, B Heath (wk), P Turner, K Fraser, S Turner, A Glen, G Thompson and K Levick
Charlie Dean (Somerset): Charlie Dean is one of England's premier allrounders with valuable international and WPL experience. Although her form in the ODD Cup has been wayward, Dean is an absolute gem in the shortest format. Her loopy off-breaks should be a handful in Exmouth and with her slated to bat at number five, her current price of 4.76 could well be a bargain.
Mady Villiers (Durham): Another marquee allrounder, Mady Villiers has been in decent form of late. She has two scores of 9 and more in her last five outings. Akin to Dean, Villiers is also slated to bowl her quota of overs and bat in the middle order, making her a valuable pick up at 4.81 per stock.
Bess Heath (Durham): Power-hitting is a highly valued skill in Women's cricket and its exactly why Heath is highly-regarded within the English circuit as well. While her fantasy stock's upside is immense, Heath hasnt been in the best of forms. Given how Somerset bowlers often find success in the middle overs, Heath could also be a viable option on the DOWN side too. Some food for thought ahead of this game, eh?
