‘Bigger, better’ will be the mantra for women’s cricket as the T20 World Cup begins on Thursday.
The International Cricket Council is looking forward to another spectacular performance from the world’s top female cricketers, following the success of the 2023 tournament in South Africa and the momentum generated by India’s victory in the men’s tournament this summer. are.
Women’s T20 World Cup
Group A:
Australia India New Zealand Pakistan Sri Lanka
Group B:
Bangladesh England Scotland South Africa West Indies
A major hurdle was overcome after host Bangladesh was hit by political turmoil and domestic instability in the months before the tournament opened.
The venue was changed to the United Arab Emirates, with 23 matches to be played in Sharjah and Dubai. The final will be held on October 21st Australian time.
Bangladesh, which holds the hosting rights, will open the 10-team tournament on Thursday against debutant Scotland in Sharjah. Pakistan will play Sri Lanka in an evening match at the same venue.
Defending champions and solid favorites Australia are in Group A along with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Group B consists of South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Scotland.
Australia is aiming for their fourth consecutive victory. They fell short when West Indies defeated them in the final in Kolkata in 2016.
“T20 World Cups are really tough to win. It’s a match of the best against the best, and if you can play the most consistent game or win the little moments along the way, you can get the job done,” Australia’s Alyssa Healy said at the World Cup. He spoke in the captain’s column prior to the cup. .
“The conditions are a bit of an unknown for us. Only a few of our players have played in the UAE before, but most of our players were previously with The Hundred.”
Off-break bowler Shreyanka Patil is one of India’s three young stars set to make their debut in the Women’s T20 World Cup. (Getty Images: ECB/Pankaj Nangia)
Australia, which has won three consecutive championships twice, will be wary of the threat posed by India. The Women in Blue, who reached the semi-finals in 2023 before losing to Australia in Cape Town, have grown largely thanks to the Indian Women’s Premier League. It was established to provide a platform for Indian women cricketers to express themselves and develop.
Twelve of the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian teams have participated in the tournament before. And three rising stars – Shreyanka Patil, Ayesha Sobhana and S Sajjana – are eager to get their first experience on the big stage.
“I can say this is the best team going into the T20 World Cup,” Kaul said at a press conference.
“We have players who have been together for a long time. They know what pressure is like and they know how to deal with it.”
Women’s T20 World Cup
Group A
Saturday, October 5, 8pm โ Australia vs Sri Lanka Wednesday, October 9, 12:00am โ Australia vs New Zealand Saturday, October 12, 12:00am โ Australia vs Pakistan Monday, October 14, 12:00am โ Australia vs india
All times AEST
India has never won the Women’s T20 World Cup. In 2020, they were close runners-up to Australia, but lost in the semi-finals in 2018 and 2023.
This will be Kaul’s 10th consecutive tournament since 2009 and she will be keen to repeat Rohit Sharma’s victory for the Indian men’s team earlier in the summer.
India will play New Zealand on Friday and Pakistan on Sunday, both matches to be played in Dubai. The Indians will play against Australia on October 14th.
Group A will open with a rematch of the Asia Cup semi-final where Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan.
England, on the other hand, will be the sure favorites to advance from Group B. This is a close call for the inaugural champions, and the 2009 champions, once again coached by Heather Knight, will be hoping to at least make it through to the semi-finals.
“It can be an unpredictable tournament,” Knight said. โIt is important for us to not change the way we play and to take a one game at a time mentality.โ
Canโt get enough cricket in the grandstand?
England will be cautious of the situation ahead of the match against Bangladesh. Organizers have lined up five spinners for their teams, giving an indication of what to expect over the three-week tournament.
Last year’s runners-up, South Africa, will open the tournament against West Indies, who are coached by Laura Wolvaardt.
“Reaching the 2023 World Cup final for the first time in our history was a huge breakthrough moment for us. Now we want to go one step further and lift the trophy,” Wolvaardt said.
The big question remains whether anyone can stop Australia. There’s an added incentive to do it. The ICC confirmed the prize money of $2.34 million. This is the same amount as the men’s tournament and 134 per cent more than Australia would receive if they won in 2023.
AP