Australia Women are set to lock horns with England Women in Match No. 3 of the ICC Women’s World Cup, 2022 at Seddon Park, Hamilton. The Aussies, led by Meg Lanning, have been in ominous touch in recent times. Since 2018, they have only lost a solitary ODI against India and recently also won the home Ashes. Prior to the tournament, they had faced a blow after Ashleigh Gardner tested positive for COVID-19. Gardner won’t be a part of Australia’s first two games in the competition. They started their warm-up fixtures with a thumping 90-run victory over Stafanie Taylor’s West Indies. But Sophie Devine’s whirlwind century blew them away in their second practice game at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. England, led by Heather Knight, are the defending champions and a lot would be expected of them. They didn’t do well in the Ashes in Australia, but won both their warm-up matches. They defeated Nigar Sultana Joy’s Bangladesh by 109 runs in their first practice match. Nat Sciver scored a ton to take the England team over the finish line. They beat South Africa Women, led by Sune Luus, in their second practice game on March 2. This time around, the bowlers came into the party and restricted their opponents to 138 for nine in 35 overs. AUSTRALIA WOMEN VS ENGLAND WOMEN MATCH DETAILS: Match: Australia Women vs England Women, Match 3 ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 Date & Time: March 5, 2022, 6:30 AM IST Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton AUSTRALIA WOMEN VS ENGLAND WOMEN PITCH REPORT The pitch at Seddon Park in Hamilton is an absolute belter for batting. It’s a ground where the batters can find the boundary with relative ease. A high-scoring match seems to be on the cards. Fielding first should be the preferred option for teams. AUSTRALIA WOMEN VS ENGLAND WOMEN WEATHER REPORT The playing conditions will be fairly pleasant throughout the duration of the game. The temperature will be around the 26-degree Celsius mark. There is no chance of rain for the time being. PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS PROBABLE BEST BATTER: ALYSSA HEALY Australian opening batter, Alyssa Healy, has been her team’s star with the bat upfront for several years now. The wicket-keeper batter is known to take the attack to the opposition right from the word go and would be wanting to do the same in Australia’s first outing at this year’s World Cup. With the wicket in Hamilton expected to support stroke-play, Healy’s game could align perfectly with the conditions. The 31-year-old batter will look to take the charge of her side and get them off to a blistering start. The batter who is coming off a fine half-century against the hosts, New Zealand, in their final warm-up game, should be confident when walking out to bat at the Seddon Park. SOPHIE ECCLESTONE England’s left-arm orthodox spinner, Sophie Ecclestone, showed some good form in her team’s final warm-up game leading up to the tournament against South Africa. On a good batting surface, Ecclestone bowled with variations picking three crucial wickets for her side. The young bowler is currently ranked second in ICC Women’s rankings for ODI bowlers and is expected to once again be a vital piece in England’s bowling attack. The 22-year old could well end the game being the highest wicket-taker across the two teams. AUSTRALIA WOMEN VS ENGLAND WOMEN MATCH PREDICTION Australia have been in jaw-dropping form in ODI matches over the last four years. They have immense depth in their batting and bowling line-ups. Despite Gardner’s absence, the team looks like a strong unit. Australia will go into the match as the favorites.