– Subhayan Chakraborty
The eighth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is set to take place in South Africa from February 10th to 26th. Ten teams will compete in the tournament, playing at three venues across the country. Before the commencement of the showpiece tournament, let us take a look at the squads and venue details from the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup.
The tournament Is divided into two groups of five teams each. Group A consists of Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Group B features England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, and West Indies.
The tournament will be played at three venues in South Africa, starting at Newlands in Cape Town and ending with the semi-finals and final also at Newlands. Boland Park in Paarl and St. George’s Park in Gqeberha are the other two venues for the tournament.
Australia, the reigning champions and current top-ranked side in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, will look to win their sixth title in the tournament. Their squad features skipper Meg Lanning, vice-captain Alyssa Healy, all-rounder Ellyse Perry, and pacer Megan Schutt.
Bangladesh qualified for the tournament by winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 and will aim to challenge higher-ranked teams. Their squad includes young and talented players like Shorna Akter who was selected in the team for the tournament at the recently concluded ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
England, ranked second in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, will hope to repeat their success from the inaugural edition in 2009 when they won the final against New Zealand by 6 wickets.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will aim to go one better after being beaten finalists in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020. Their side features a balanced mix of spin and pace options, with standout batters like Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Shafali Verma.
Ireland, captained by Laura Delany, will make their fourth appearance in the tournament, having secured their spot through the T20 World Cup Qualifiers 2022. The team can take encouragement from their recent series win over Pakistan.
New Zealand, who were runners-up in the first two editions of the tournament, will aim to improve their recent record in the tournament, having been eliminated in the first round of the 2018 and 2020 World Cups.
Pakistan, led by Bismah Maroof, will face tough opponents in India and England in Group B. The team will look to veterans Maroof and Nida Dar, the highest run-getter and wicket-taker respectively in T20Is for Pakistan, to lead the way.
South Africa, the hosts, will hope to make the most of home conditions after narrowly missing a spot in the final in the T20 World Cup 2020. Sune Luus will lead the side, which also includes Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, and Shabnim Ismail. However, it remains to be seen whether the omission of veteran Dane Van Niekerk will return to haunt the hosts.
Sri Lanka, ranked 9th in th ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, will aim to make it past the first round after a string of first-round exits in past World Cups. The team has a number of spin options to exploit the slow surfaces in South Africa, including Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Oshadi Ranasinghe, and Kavisha Dilhari.
The West Indies team, led by Hayley Matthews, combines youthful energy with seasoned players, aiming to recapture the success of their 2016 tournament win over Australia. The veteran squad includes Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle, and Afy Fletcher, while young stars from the recent U19 Women’s T20 World Cup such as Trishan Holder, Zaida James, and Djenaba Joseph bring added potential to the team. But can they make it past the group stage?
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 promises to be a thrilling tournament with some of the best players from around the world set to take the field. Get ready for some scintillating cricket action!