Are all-rounders the key to a Fantasy win?

We have had a fantastic response to our Fantasy Women's WT20 competition, with nearly 100 teams entered already, and the variety of players chosen has been huge. In all, so far, 104 of the 150 players in the tournament have been selected for at least one of the fantasy teams.

We have had a bit of stick for limiting people to just two players from any one country, but that was a deliberate move to make people think a bit harder about who might perform well for some of the smaller teams. It also means that you will watch for the results of the smaller teams with a bit more interest.

There has also been some discussion about who is or is not an all-rounder. For example we have India's Gouher Sultana as an all-rounder, but Jhulan Goswami as a bowler only. It is arguable that it should be the other way round, but we looked at recent selection, batting orders and performance to place them where they are now. It also means that team owners are free to choose Goswami as one of their bowlers, which many of them have done.

All-rounders, by the very fact that their batting and their bowling count towards points, may well be the key to success in this competition. We have tried to limit this slightly by restricting the points they earn for wickets taken to just 10 (half the bowler's score) and adjusting the bonus points scheme, and by reducing the batting bonus points they can earn. But if either of your all-rounders has a stellar day - say 50 runs and 4 wickets - they are going to score you a lot of points. It remains to be seen if any of the all-rounders can produce such a performance. So who can you choose from?

Erin Osborne (Aus), Ellyse Perry (Aus), Jahanara Alam (Ban), Salma Khatun (Ban), Jenny Gunn (Eng), Natalie Sciver (Eng), Gouher Sultana (Ind), Shikha Pandey (Ind), Isobel Joyce (Ire), Eimar Richardson (Ire), Elena Tice (Ire), Suzie Bates (NZ, Nicola Browne (NZ), Sophie Devine (NZ), Qanita Jalil (Pak), Sana Mir (Pak), Marizanne Kapp (SA), Dane van Niekerk (SA), Shashikala Siriwardene (SL), Eshani Lokusuriyage (SL), Shanel Daley (WI), Stafanie Taylor (WI).

These are all influential players and you can make a case for all of them to be in your team, but you are only allowed to include two of them. Who you choose could be crucial. Top picks so far are Suzie Bates, Ellyse Perry and Stafanie Taylor, but plenty of others have Nat Sciver, Shashikala Siriwardene and Marizanne Kapp in their 11. That's not to mention the up-and-coming Shikha Pandey and the reliable Nicola Browne (equal top wicket taker in the 2010 tournament!). It's tough isn't it!

To enter your team into the WCB Fantasy Women's T20 competition simply click here - http://www.fairgroundtown.co.uk/cricket/index.php, read the rules and submit your team. You MUST get your team in before midnight on Saturday 22nd March.


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