What a great time it is for cricket fans especially across India and Pakistan. The two nations are colliding on the cricket pitch in the third of five Sundays over June and July. After the double battle in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, it's time the women's cricket teams get to the field.
The India women's cricket team, led by Mithali Raj, are going up against the Pakistan women's cricket team, led by Sana Mir, in the group stages of the ICC Women's World Cup 2017 on Sunday, July 2.
Tournament schedule | India squad
Their latest fixture took place in the Women's Cricket World Cup qualifiers back in February. India Women won against the Pakistan Women by 7 wickets in Colombo.
Read: How India beat Pakistan in December 2016 to lift Asia Cup T20 title.
Current form
Both sides have played twice in the Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 so far.
India Women:
June 24: Won by 35 runs against England Women
June 29: Won by 7 wickets against West Indies Women
Pakistan Women:
June 25: Lost by 3 wickets against South Africa Women
June 27: Lost by 107 runs (D/L method) against England Women
We, thus, very well know who are the favourites going into Sunday's match.
Squads list and injury concerns
India Women: Mithali Raj (C), Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mona Meshram, Poonam Raut, Deepti Sharma, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Ekta Bisht, Sushma Verma (wk), Mansi Joshi, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Nuzhat Parween (wk).
Injury concerns - None
Pakistan Women: Sana Mir (C), Ayesha Zafar, Nahida Khan, Marina Iqbal, Javeria Khan, Nain Abidi, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Kainat Imtiaz, Asmavia Iqbal, Diana Baig, Waheeda Akhtar, Nashra Sandhu, Ghulam Fatima, Sadia Yousuf, Iram Javed.
Injury concerns - Star batsman and experienced customer Bismah Maroof said goodbye to the tournament after suffering an injury during the match against England Women. She has been replaced in the squad by Iram Javed.
Key battles
Like always, the battle to watch out for will be between the India batswomen and the Pakistan bowlers.
Key players
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj.
Pakistan Women: Asmavia Iqbal, Sana Mir, Javeria Khan.
Match schedule
- Date: July 2
- Time: 9:30 am GMT (3 pm IST)
- Venue: Derby
- TV guide: Star Sports Network (India), PTV, Ten Sports (Pakistan), Sky Sports (UK)
