The ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup will commence on October 3 with Bangladesh taking on Scotland in Sharjah. The tournament was initially scheduled to take place in Bangladesh but due to political turmoil, the International Cricket Council (ICC) shifted it to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Meanwhile, two groups of five countries each have been created for the mega tournament. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. A total of 20 matches will be played in the league stage, followed by the first semi-final on October 17 in Dubai and the second one on October 20 in Sharjah. The final will be played on October 20 in Dubai.
India will begin their campaign on October 4 against New Zealand while the defending champions Australia will play Sri Lanka in their first match on October 5. Both these four teams are the favourites to win the tournament along with England and South Africa. Sri Lanka recently won the Asia Cup and after which, they will be confident of their success while given Australia’s track record, they always start as favourites.
Here are ten players to watch out for from each team in the upcoming mega tournament:
Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s captain Nigar Sultana will be key for them in the tournament. She has represented the national team in 99 T20I matches and scored 1944 runs at a strike rate of 90.16. When it comes to T20 World Cups, she has featured in seven games and scored 143 runs.
Sultana scored 48 runs in two warm-up games and needs to take more responsibility.
Ahead of the Asia Cup earlier in the year, Bangladesh were confident of their chances but they were disappointing on the field and couldn’t qualify for the finals. Seniors need to take more responsibility, particularly Sultana, who has the tough job of leading the side
Ashleigh Gardner, Australia
Australia have a star-studded squad and anyone out of them can be a match-winner for them in the T20 World Cup. However, Ashleigh Gardner stands out as she has the potential to bag the Player of the Series trophy. Be it with the bat or with the ball, Gardner is a serial match-winner and will be a key player for Australia in the tournament.
The 27-year-old has represented Australia in 90 T20I matches and has scored 1380 runs at a strike rate of 128.85. She also has 72 wickets to her name in the shortest format at an average of 20.56. Just like Ecclestone, her bowling in UAE will be vital given the nature of the conditions and with the bat, she can strike hard in the middle overs.
Smriti Mandhana, India
India have played remarkably well in the recent ICC tournaments but had no success in winning the trophy. There’s immense pressure on them and the seniors need to take more responsibility in the T20 World Cup. One of them is opening batter Smriti Mandhana. She has been on the national team for over a decade now and it's high time for her to step up and win the tournament.
She is an excellent player of spin, which will be valuable. She has represented India in 141 T20I matches and scored 3493 runs at a strike rate of 122.51.
Sophie Ecclestone, England
England star spinner Sophie Ecclestone can prove to be their biggest match-winner in the turning tracks of UAE. She has represented the national team in 86 T20I matches and picked up 126 wickets at an average of 14.65.
Apart from bowling, Ecclestone can be very handy with the bat in the lower order. She isn’t shy of playing big shots and will be crucial for the team.
Notably, she has played 14 T20 World Cup matches for England and picked up 24 wickets at an average of 9.87.
Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa
South Africa’s success in the tournament rests upon the shoulders of Marizzane Kapp and
Laura Wolvaardt, particularly the latter.
The 25-year-old is the captain of the team and she needs to take responsibility and lead from the front. Laura is an aggressive batter, which is a positive thing but consistency is one area that she needs to excel in.
She has represented South Africa in 72 T20I matches and scored 1765 runs at a strike rate of 115.43.
