The eighth iteration of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is currently underway in South Africa. It started on February 10 and will end with the final game on February 26, 2023. It was moved to February 2023 by the ICC (International Cricket Council) in November 2022 because of a clash with the FIFA World Cup.
The ICC finalised the tournament’s schedule on October 3, 2022. Before the competition, each side chose a lineup of 15 players as their official tournament squad and had the opportunity to replace any injured players. On December 14th, 2022, Pakistan was the first to announce its team.
The ICC said that three locations in three cities will hold matches for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Cricket Championship. The locations were Boland Park, St. George’s Park, and Newlands Cricket Ground. The Newlands Cricket Ground will play home to the semifinals and championship matches.
The ICC declared in July 2022 that England would host the 2026 tournament, and Bangladesh would host the 2024 event. The tournament in 2026 will feature twelve teams, an increase from the current eight.
Along with the other seven teams, South Africa qualified automatically, as the host of the event. The final two to make it to the top 10 were Ireland and Bangladesh, who took first place in the qualifying rounds.
Groups
The teams have been divided into two groups. Each team will compete against the other teams in their group once. To proceed to the knockout stage, teams must finish in the top two spots in their respective groups.
Per game, the teams get two points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points if they lose. The groups are as follows:
Group 1
- South Africa
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Bangladesh
- Sri Lanka
Group 2
- India
- England
- Ireland
- West Indies
- Pakistan
Previous Winners
In 2014, Sri Lanka took the trophy. 2016 was the West Indies’ year. Australia won in 2018, and the tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the global pandemic.
Upcoming Games
There are only two games left before the semi-finals start. Here’s how the teams playing have fared, thus far.
21 February: South Africa vs Bangladesh in Cape Town
After one victory and two losses from their three group-stage matches, South Africa is currently ranked fourth in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Cricket 2023 points table. The team’s score is two.
Sune Luus leads South Africa in run production with 70 runs at a 102-strike rate. She has hit a six and five fours to date. Also, scoring 51 runs with a 108 strike rate is Chloe Tryon. The top bowler for South Africa has been Marizanne Kapp, who has taken 5 wickets at an economy rate of 4.81 and an average of nine.
After defeats in all three of their group-stage games, Bangladesh is ranked fifth in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 points table. The leading run-scorer for Bangladesh is Nigar Sultana, who has 93 runs at a 94-strike rate.
She made one six and eight fours. Sobhana Mostary has scored 48 runs at an 87-strike rate. Bangladesh’s finest bowler, Marufa Akter, has taken four wickets while bowling at an average of 20 and a 6.83 rate.
21 February: England vs Pakistan in Cape Town
After victories in all three of their group-stage matches, England leads the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 Group B points standings. The team’s score is six. Nat Sciver-Brunt leads England in run scoring with 95 runs at a 120-strike rate.
She has hit 11 fours and one six. Heather Knight has also scored 74 runs with a 108 strike rate. England’s top bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, has taken seven wickets while bowling at an average of seven and a 4.16 rate.
After one victory and two losses from their three group-stage matches, Pakistan is ranked fourth in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 points table. The team’s score is two. Pakistan’s highest run scorer is Muneeba Ali with 119 runs at a 127-strike rate.
She’s hit 15 fours thus far. Bismah Maroof has scored 98 runs at a 104-strike rate. The top bowler for Pakistan thus far has been Nashra Sundhu, who has taken 7 wickets at a rate of 4.91 and an average of 8.
Predictions On The Winning Team
Before the final on February 26, 2023, the two semifinal matches will take place on February 23 and 24. So far it looks like Australia, India and England will be playing in the semi-final games.
There are still results that need to come in from three games to decide on the fourth team that looks like it will be joining these three.
Australia
Australia, the reigning champions came into the tournaments as the favourites and seem to be holding that title by the looks of the points log. Australia Women are expected to win the T20 World Cup for the sixth time this year, according to fans and betting experts.
Since the previous Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, Australia’s competition has improved, and they haven’t lost any domestic series or international competitions. In reality, Australia’s series record since 2017 has remained unblemished.
India
India was the underdog team at the start of the championship. The team has been doing well so far to stay in the running. The Indian squad has improved since the most recent Women’s T20 World Cup.
Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been a very capable captain for this team, will take the helm once more. As India reached the final of the 2020 T20 World Cup, the all-around batter guided India to their most successful tournament ever.
England
At the Women’s T20 World Cup, England is a formidable team and the second-most successful group. England has improved their ranking to 283 in 30 games. England is the second-most successful team in the event after winning the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009 and finishing second in three subsequent editions.
