2023 promises to be a big year for Women’s Cricket. Not only will it see the launch of their own versions of the Indian T20 league, and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but, before all that there is the T20 World Cup to be played.
That will be played in South Africa in February, and feature ten competing nations. However, even before a ball has been bowled, the big question is can anybody stop Australia, the defending champions and the dominant force in women’s cricket currently?
History
This will be the eighth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup, which was first held in England in 2009. That was won by the home team, who beat New Zealand in the final. However, it is Australia who have been the most successful team in the history of the competition it on five occasions and being beaten finalists on another occasion when they suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of the West Indies.
The last tournament took place on Australian soil, where they beat India on home soil in front of a new record crowd for an all-sporting event of more than 86,000 people.
The Format
The tournament will feature ten teams who have initially been drawn into two groups of five teams each.
The teams will play all the other teams in their group on a round robin basis, with the two top teams advancing to the semi-finals. In the event of teams being tied in terms of points, then Net Run Rate will be used to determine the order of precedence.
There will then be two semi-finals, with the final itself taking place in Newlands, Cape Town, on February 26th.
The Venues
Matches will be played at three venues – Cape Town, Paarl, and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
Newlands will host the first match on February 10th, when the home nation takes on Sri Lanka.
The Teams
There will be ten competing teams. South Africa as hosts are guaranteed a place in the tournament, whilst Australia, the defending champions, India, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, all earned automatic qualification.
Bangladesh and Ireland claimed the two remaining slots via a qualifying tournament.
The Groups
Group A comprises the champions Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.
India have been drawn in Group B, alongside England, Pakistan, Ireland, and the West Indies.
Already fans from both nations will be looking forward to the India – Pakistan clash which takes place on February 12th at Newlands.
Australia will be favourites
Even before a ball has been bowled, Australia will begin the tournament as favourites, because they are the dominant force in women’s right now. They are the number one ranked test side, and won the 50 over a version of the World earlier this year, thrashing England in the final.
There are good reasons for this, mainly because of the strong domestic league structure they have built, which is very competitive and acclimatises Australians to play in high-pressure, intense situations.
Below competitions like the Women’s Big Bash League, there is also a robust club cricket scene, whilst the number of women taking up the game is increasing by 10% per annum, even during the Covid era.
One of the primary reasons to set up female versions of the Indian T20 league and the PSL is to try and replicate this breeding ground for top cricketers, and to close the gap. This, though, will take time and Australia are unlikely to stand still whilst this is happening.
They are not unbeatable, though, as India proved when they beat them in the group stages of the last World Cup.
India have hopes
Having reached the final last time, India will consider themselves one of Australia’s biggest challengers. They also took Commonwealth Games silver behind the Australians in Birmingham.
However, off the back of their recent five-match series in India, expectations may need to be dampened.
Although India won the second match in the series in Mumbai after a Super Over, after the scores were tied, Australia won the other four matches, two of them by big margins.
The other challengers
England will begin the tournament among the other contenders, whilst the New Zealand team (The White Ferns) should not be discounted.
And then there is the West Indies, the only team in recent years to break the Australian hold on the trophy.
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