Tammy Beaumont wary of Sri Lanka challenge in Women's WC
What's the story
England Women's Tammy Beaumont has acknowledged that the spin-friendly conditions in Colombo will be a challenge. She said these factors could level the playing field for all teams. The ICC Women's World Cup has already witnessed two major upsets due to these tricky pitches - India and Australia both struggled against Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively.
Tactical insight
Bangladesh's disciplined bowling makes it hard to score freely
Beaumont emphasized how Bangladesh's disciplined bowling made it difficult for teams to play their natural game. "I think that you see a team like Bangladesh playing us in the last game, [they were] so well-disciplined with the ball that it makes life a lot harder when you can't necessarily trust the spin off the wicket and go to those big release shots; you have to really earn your runs," she said in a press conference.
Game strategy
Patience and precision key in tricky conditions
Beaumont stressed on the importance of patience and precision in batting, especially in tricky conditions. She said these qualities were key to Heather Knight's successful innings against Bangladesh. "What we spoke about mainly from Heather's innings was about how patient she was and how precise she was in the balls she went to score off," Beaumont said.
Match preview
Left-hand heavy top order poses unique challenge for England
The English side faces a unique challenge against Sri Lanka, who have a left-hand heavy top order with three of their top five batters being left-handed. Beaumont said, "I think they're a really well-structured team and certainly a team on the rise. They're really well-organized." She also admitted that this could make things a little bit trickier for her side as Linsey Smith is the only left-handed batter in their squad.
Player spotlight
Linsey Smith expected to play a crucial role
Beaumont highlighted Linsey Smith, the only left-handed batter in the English squad, as expected to play a crucial role due to her bowling performance and experience. She said several players have batted left-handed for her to help with practice. Beaumont praised Smith's performance in the tournament so far and said she would play a crucial role once again in deciding how the game goes on Saturday.