Australia and New Zealand go up against each other in the ICC Women's T20I World Cup on Tuesday, October 8, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Australia didn't break a sweat in their commanding six-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Saturday with their NRR landing at +1.908 through the win. However, the fact that they're still only second on the points table highlights New Zealand's brilliance. Sophie Devine and Co. condemned India to a harrowing defeat, winning by 58 runs and sit on top of Group A with an NRR of +2.900.
This Trans-Tasman derby should be a close battle, with the fate of who tops the group potentially hinging upon this clash.
On that note, let's look at the top three Dream11 differentials for this match.
#3 Jess Kerr (BOWL) (NZ)
The 26-year-old pace-bowling all-rounder Jess Kerr was the only White Ferns' bowler to go wicketless in the last game, and as a result, views a downturn in her ownership heading into this one.
However, she is a solid bowling option and more than handy with the bat, and for those confused about the 10th or 11th pick in their teams, Jess could be the perfect utility pick. She bats at No.8 for NZ, and against a quality bowling attack like Australia's, wickets could fall and she could find herself scoring some useful runs.
She's also very likely to bowl her full quota of overs, and given that she operates in the powerplay and at the death, the chance of her picking up wickets always exists. All in all, Jess Kerr could be a valuable Dream11 differential pick in this match.
#2 Phoebe Litchfield (ALL) (AUS)
Australian batting all-rounder Phoebe Litchfield could be a handy Dream11 differential for this clash.
Litchfield, who loves batting at the top of the order, has been shunted down to No.5 or 6 for this World Cup due to the quality of this Australian side. Still, as she showed in her brief stay at the crease against Sri Lanka, she certainly can take the game to the bowlers, irrespective of her time at the crease.
The Australian top order doesn't have the best of records against New Zealand, as we have seen so far, the Sharjah wicket gets better to bat on as the innings progresses and the ball gets older.
All this plays right into Litchfield's hands as a Dream11 option as she could get to bat in the 2nd half of the innings. With a T20I career strike rate of 150.54, expect nothing short of pyrotechnics from Phoebe Litchfield.
#1 Annabel Sutherland (ALL) (AUS)
Annabel Sutherland is one of the most promising players to come out of Australia in the last few years. The all-rounder is poised to become one of the next stars of this Australian juggernaut, and she's already playing a vital role in this side. She bowled a terrific spell of 0/8 in three overs, including a maiden, against Sri Lanka, and was very unlucky to end up wicketless.
While she may at times share overs with Darcie Brown, the 22-year-old usually bowls a minimum of three overs and is a very efficient wicket-taker. She is also a terrific ball-striker down the order with a T20I career strike rate of 140.69.
The fact she went wicketless may have contributed to her low ownership, but there's no doubt that Annabel Sutherland is a quality Dream11 differential pick.
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