India face England; NZ take on Sri Lanka

Derby - ICC Women's World Cup gets under way in England today

India are expected to face a tough task when they take on hosts England on the opening day of the ICC Women's World Cup cricket tournament on Saturday.

India will bank on the experience of Mithali Raj, the world's second highest-capped batter behind Charlotte Edwards of England with 177 women's ODIs to her name.

The first stage of the tournament will see the eight contenders battle it out in a round-robin format where every team plays each other once.

Mithali has an impressive record at the World Cup with an average of 60.83 and a highest score of 103 not out which she registered against Pakistan at the previous edition in 2013.

The 34-year-old middle-order batter will aim to continue her fine record in the game's showpiece tournament as seven-time semi-finalists India aim to reach the final for the first time.

Appearing in her fifth World Cup, Mithali has a total of 22 outings so far and her experience will prove to be valuable for the Indians.

In the bowling department, India will depend mainly on veteran speedster Jhulan Goswami, who is playing her fourth World Cup. Jhulan, the highest wicket-taker in the world in limited overs formats, will be ably supported by left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht who is currently ranked at the sixth position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings.

New Zealand and Sri Lanka will face off in Bristol in the other match on Saturday.

The Kiwis will be keen to lift their first 50-over trophy away from home, as Suzie Bates and Amy Satterthwaite look to reach 100 caps each.