Meg and Mignon, two of a kind

Meg and Mignon, two of a kind

Australia’s captain Meg Lanning and her South African counterpart Mignon du Preez are popular because both are prolific scorers in women’s cricket.

The only difference though is that the 23-year-old from Victoria, Lanning has been part of two Australian teams that won the title in the previous two editions of the ICC women’s World Twenty20 in Colombo 2012 and Mirpur in 2014.

Lanning is now a young captain of the Australian team, which is looking to prove its supremacy for the fourth time in a row, while the 26-year-old Pretoria-born du Preez has expressed happiness at her team’s preparation for the big event in India.

Both know the peril of making predictions and refused to name a favourite before their match at the VCA stadium at Jamtha on Friday.

On Thursday, the South African team had a long training session with a number of local girls bowling at them at the Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Civil Lines stadium.

Du Preez, who recently became the first South African women’s cricketer to cross 1000 runs, said: “Our preparation has been among the best that we have had. We have come off a very competitive series against England and West Indies at home.

“We also practised in conditions that would be similar to India; in Durban where it is humid and in East London where the pitches are slower and lower. We also had two days of good training in India. Preparation-wise, we have ticked all the boxes.”

Lanning was very tactful. “We are starting even with every other team in this World Cup. We don’t get any bonuses for winning the last one. Everyone starts on an even keel. There are a number of teams who will be competing to win. We came up against India not too long ago and they played some exciting cricket and beat us 2-1.

There’s also New Zealand and West Indies; so there are a number of sides capable of winning. We have got to be at our best to get past the group stage.”

Match starts at 7.30 p.m.

New Zealand

takes on Ireland

Having notched up a convincing win in its opening match against Sri Lanka, the New Zealand team looks all geared up to take on “underdogs” Ireland in the ICC Women’s World T20 match to be played here on Friday.

In a pre-match press conference here on Thursday, the Kiwi women’s team skipper Suzie Bates said the win against Sri Lanka was good, but it will be a fresh start tomorrow. On the subject of live telecast of women’s matches, she said the fans are valuing what the women’s game brings. “People are interested in watching our games and we are very encouraged...” she said. The skipper also said that it’s great to be playing in a country where cricket is very popular. — PTI

Match starts at 3.30 p.m .