New Zealand has elected to bowl against Scotland.
With tournament hopes hanging by a thread, Melie Kerr instructed Scotland to bat first amid hot conditions in Bristol. Temperatures are expected to rise to 33 °C in the afternoon, potentially making fielding more challenging as the day progresses.
New Zealand retained Suzie Bates in the lineup, even as Sophie Devine returned to full health after missing the previous match due to illness. Bates is positioned at No. 7 in a reshuffled batting order featuring Melie Kerr at the top and Izzy Sharp at No. 3, with Georgia Plimmer omitted. The side also includes Lea Tahuhu—who will retire after this tournament—in place of Rosemary Mair.
Scotland welcomed back Ailsa Lister and Rachel Slater, who had been sidelined by injury in their last match, and retained Pippa Sproul and Hannah Rainey. Chloe Abel and Gabriella Fontenla were not selected.
Both teams have lost two of their three matches and must win their remaining two games, with other results favoring them, to reach the semi‑finals. The loser of this match will be eliminated.
New Zealand: 1 Melie Kerr (capt), 2 Izzy Gaze (wk), 3 Izzy Sharp, 4 Sophie Devine, 5 Brooke Halliday, 6 Maddy Green, 7 Suzie Bates, 8 Jess Kerr, 9 Nensi Patel, 10 Lea Tahuhu, 11 Bree Illing
Scotland: 1 Darcey Carter, 2 Katherine Fraser, 3 Kathryn Bryce (capt), 4 Sarah Bryce (wk), 5 Ailsa Lister, 6 Pippa Sproul, 7 Priyanaz Chatterji, 8 Kirstie Gordon, 9 Megan McColl, 10 Rachel Slater, 11 Hannah Rainey
