The 7th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup promises to be a spectacular one. Ten amazing teams are on the hunt for the premier title in women’s cricket – eight teams qualify automatically to the World Cup with the remaining two teams determined by qualifiers.
Key contenders
- Australia, with four titles, have been the most successful women’s team in the history of this tournament
- England (2009) and West Indies (2014) are the only other teams to have been crowned champions
- Australia, England, West Indies and India were the semi-finalists in the last edition of the T20 World Cup held in the Caribbean Islands.
A total of 23 matched are set to be played in this tournament with defending champions Australia taking on India in the opening game. The finals will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Who do you think will take this year’s trophy home? Let’s check how the teams have performed so far…
How do the teams stack up?
After the 2018 edition of the Women’s World Cup which Australia won, the teams have had an interesting couple of years in International cricket in T20s. The defending champions have played nine matches since then, winning eight of them and losing just one.
England Women have lost just two of their 13 matches while West Indies women have lost 10 and won just four matches in this time period.
India, strong title contenders this time, have won eight and lost seven of their 15 matches.
South Africa, Bangladesh, Thailand and New Zealand teams have also won more than they have lost. New Zealand women have played just three matches in this time frame and have won all three games.
What to expect?
The Women’s T20 World Cup has been a lot one-sided over the years with the Australian women’s team proving to be too strong for most of the other sides. With the World Cup set to be held in Australia this year, the hosts are once again favourites and will be on the charge for a fifth title at this level. The others in contention this time are England and India with West Indies and South Africa falling behind the pecking order in the last couple of years.
Australia, West Indies, England and India were the semi-finalists in the 2018 edition of the World Cup too. Australia then beat West Indies by 71 runs and England beat India by eight wickets to set up a final clash which Australia went on to win comfortably by eight wickets.
- The team to watch out for is definitely Australia. 10CRIC’s outright odds of them winning the tournament stand at 1.57.
- Despite England’s form and strong squad, India have slightly better odds to win the title. Back India at 5.50, while England’s odds are at 4.50.
Who are the players to watch out for?
Smriti Mandhana from India
The dynamic Indian Eves’ opening batswoman is a much-adored T20 talent and has been in stupendous form in the build up to the World Cup. She has plundered 405 runs in 14 matches at an average of 31.15 since the end of the last T20 World Cup. Mandhana will lead India’s charge at the T20 World Cup this year.
Suzie Bates from New Zealand
A high quality all-rounder, New Zealand player Suzie Bates is the no. 1 ranked T20I batswoman in the ICC T20I women’s rankings. She has over a 3000 runs in the format in 111 matches while also picking up 49 wickets with her medium pace bowling. Alongside Sophie Devine and Leigh Kasperek, Bates will be key in New Zealand’s title pursuit this year.
Megan Schutt from Australia
Australia’s incredible pacer, Megan Schutt is the no.1 ranked ICC bowler in the women’s rankings in T20Is. The 26-year old has 71 wickets in 56 matches at an average of 15.18 in women’s T20Is. The fast bowler will be key to Australia’s success in home conditions in this World Cup.
Harmanpreet Kaur from India
The skipper, Harmanpreet is an obvious choice in the list of players to watch out for at the upcoming ICC event in Australia. Being an explosive batter, she can snatch away the game in any situation, on her day. If her recent Big Bash performances are to be taken into consideration, the opponents may well be prepared to stop her fireworks.
Shikha Pandey from India
With Jhulam Goswami retired from the T20Is, Shikha Pandey is India’s first-choice with the new ball. She will be leading the Indian fast-bowling attack comprising of bowlers such as Pooja Vastrakar and Arundhati Reddy. Her previous performances Down Under are testimony to the fact that Shikha can be lethal in the Australian conditions.
The Tournament
The ten teams are split into two groups of five teams each with the qualifier teams slotting in as the fifth team in either group.
Australia, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh comprise Group A while England, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan and Thailand will fight it out in Group B.
The top two teams from each group will qualify to the knockout stage or the semi-finals which are to be held on the 5th of March at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The winners of the semi-final then play the finals at Melbourne on the 8th of March.
Check out 10CRIC’s latest ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 odds !
