As anticipation builds to the blockbuster India women tour of England 2025, with the white-ball series starting June 28, India gears up with a 50-over practice game against England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Select XI on June 24.
This fixture marks the beginning of their tour, offering a valuable opportunity to adapt to local conditions and fine-tune their combinations. With a five-match T20I series and three ODIs on the horizon, this warm-up clash sets the tone for what’s expected to be a thrilling contest between two top-tier sides.
Squads:
ECB Select XI
Hollie Armitage (C), Maia Bouchier, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sarah Glenn, Mahika Gaur, Kirstie Gordon, Bess Heath, Emma Lamb, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Paige Scholfield, Ellie Threlkeld, Mady Villiers, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
India Women’s Cricket Team
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare
Players to watch out:
Smriti Mandhana
The current world’s number 1 ODI batter continues to be the backbone of India’s top order. With the elegance only a left-hander can bring, Smriti has lit up venues across the globe, amassing 4473 runs in 102 innings with the highest score of 136. Her form and consistency will be key for India heading into the series.
Pratika Rawal
India’s emerging star, Pratika Rawal has taken the cricketing world by storm, becoming the fastest woman to 500 ODI runs. With 638 runs in just 11 innings, the young prodigy combines fearlessness with finesse and this practice game is another stage for her to shine.
Maia Bouchier
The highly promising top-order-batter in 15 ODI outings for England has accumulated 482 runs, at an average of 37.07 and a strike rate of 106.87. In the first leg fixtures of the Women’s One Day Cup 2025, earlier this English summer, Bouchier amassed 282 runs from 8 innings. A versatile batter, she’ll be a key asset for the ECB Select XI.
Sarah Glenn
Known for her control and clever variations, Glenn has been a standout in T20Is, scalping 89 wickets in only 70 outings. She has featured in only 18 ODIs so far, scalping 23 wickets, and only recently in her only ODI in the home series against West Indies, produced a three-fer. Earlier in the summer, in the domestic games, scalped 11 in just 6 outings.
Pitch:
The Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham typically offers a flat, hard surface known to be a batter-friendly wicket, especially in white-ball formats. With short boundaries and a true bounce, it’s a high-scoring venue where stroke-makers enjoy value for their shots.
Weather:
Beckenham experiences pleasant weather with partly cloudy conditions. With temperature hovering around 22°C, a complete game of cricket is predicted with no rain interruptions.
Fantasy Playing XI:
Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Maia Bouchier, Deepti Sharma, Sarah Glenn, Emma Lamb, Richa Ghosh, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mahika Gaur, Sneh Rana, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Match Details:
Date – June 24, 2025
Time – 3:30 PM IST
Venue – The Kent County Cricket Ground, New Beckenham
Broadcast – TBC
