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Ten teams are in action at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 starting tomorrow in Sydney, with defending champions Australia taking on India.
From the likes of ever-presents Ellyse Perry and Mignon Du Preez to teenager Shafali Verma on debut, a host of players will look to make their mark on the world stage
AUSTRALIA
Beth Mooney
When Aussie big names have lacked batting form, the Queenslander has stepped up to the mark.
The 26-year-old enters the tournament in sublime form, hitting an unbeaten 71 in Australia’s tri-series final win over India.
Annabel Sutherland
A bolter for the world champions, Sutherland has all the makings of becoming a global star on tournament debut.
The
uncapped 18-year-old all-rounder, daughter of former Cricket Australia
CEO James Sutherland, adds extra pace to the Aussie line-up.
BANGLADESH
Salma Khatun
Much will fall on Khatun’s shoulders in Australia, the experienced
skipper having scored more than 500 runs from 45 T20I innings.
It
is not only with the bat she excels either, with her T20 best bowling
figures placing her third in the all-time list for Bangladesh.
Nahida Akter
At the age of just 19, Akter is the fourth-highest T20I wicket-taker from Bangladesh, claiming 49 wickets in 38 innings.
Her
best bowling figures in the format came in August 2019 against
Netherlands where she recorded four for 11 – a feat she’ll be hoping to
repeat to help steer Bangladesh out of the group stages for the first
time.
ENGLAND
Danni Wyatt
Regarded as one of the most dangerous T20 openers in women’s cricket,
the quality of Wyatt’s starts could well determine England’s chances of
success in Australia.
She finished as the highest-run scorer in
the 2019 edition of the Super League in England with 466 at an average
of 42.36 and showed her form in the Women’s Big Bash League too, making
468 for Melbourne Renegades.
Sarah Glenn
Lisa Keightley’s side aren’t short of impressive young spinners and Glenn is chief among them.
The
20-year-old off-spinner has taken nine wickets in the six T20Is she’s
played since making her international debut against Pakistan in Malaysia
and could spring a surprise on opposition in Australia.
INDIA
Shafali Verma
India’s newest bright spark is opener Verma, already one of the world’s most destructive batters at the age of 16.
The
teenager became the youngest Indian player to score an international
fifty last year and has quickly made an impression with her gang-ho
approach, hitting 49 off 28 balls against Australia in the tri series.
Poonam Yadav
When announcing India’s squad, captain Harmanpreet Kaur underlined
they’ll be sticking to spin and Poonam looks set for a leading role.
Yadav,
who has taken 85 wickets in 62 T20I innings, paved the way for India’s
thrilling two-run victory over West Indies in their final warm-up – a
performance which proves just how instrumental she can be.
NEW ZEALAND
Sophie Devine
There’s no looking past the captain for which White Fern to look out for Down Under.
Devine
may be new to the captaincy but judging by her recent form she’s got no
problem with leading by example, the experienced 30-year-old having
become the first cricketer, male or female, to hit five straight 50+
T20I scores at the start of her reign earlier this year.
Amelia Kerr
An international since 2016, it hasn’t taken long for youngster Kerr
to establish herself as one of the world’s best spin-bowling
all-rounders.
The 19-year-old prodigy, who returned figures of
three for eight in her maiden WBBL appearance for Brisbane Heat, also
impressed in the recent T20I series against New Zealand and will be a
tricky customer.
PAKISTAN
Bismah Maroof
Pakistan’s foremost batter, Bismah will be leading from the front Down Under.
The
skipper, who has 2,183 runs to her name from 100 T20I innings for
Pakistan, comes into the tournament after an excellent 2019 which
included good series against South Africa, Bangladesh and England.
Nida Dar
There’s no doubt Nida is capable of game-changing performances.
The
off-spinner broke new ground as the first Pakistan player to appear in
the Women’s Big Bash League this summer, collecting 13 wickets and her
knowledge of Australian conditions will prove a valuable asset to her
country at this World Cup.
SOUTH AFRICA
Chloe Tryon
Tryon was bound to be a star ever since she took a wicket with her first ball on her T20 debut against West Indies in 2010.
Since
then, she’s become a remarkably consistent all-rounder, scoring 672
runs in the 57 T20Is she’s played in and will be a vital cog in the
Proteas middle-order.
Marizanne Kapp
South Africa boast one of the best limited-over bowlers in women’s cricket in their ranks in Kapp.
If
you needed any further proof, her figures of four for 16 against
Australia in this week’s warm-up prove just how dangerous her
medium-pace can be — and there’s no doubt she will go on to produce
similar figures once the tournament is underway.
SRI LANKA
Chamari Atapattu
One of Sri Lanka’s most successful and experienced players, there’s no one better placed than Atapattu to lead Sri Lanka.
In
her 81 T20I appearances, the 30-year-old has scored 1492 runs for her
country and proved she is more than capable of threatening the big guns
by scoring a stunning 78 not out to steer Sri Lanka to a shock
ten-wicket win over England in the warm-ups.
Shashikala Siriwardena
Another key figure at the helm for Sri Lanka is Siriwardena, her country’s most experienced player.
In
the weeks leading up to the tournament, Siriwardena was sixth in the
MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I All-Rounder Rankings and is also Sri Lanka’s
leading T20I wicket-taker with 70 scalps from 74 innings.
THAILAND
Natakkan Chantam
Chantam is an exciting prospect for this year’s history-making Thailand team, having scored 498 runs in 24 innings with two half-centuries to her name in 2019.
Nattaya Boochatham
Boochatham embodies why Thailand can’t be taken lightly.
The
33-year-old took more wickets than any other player in T20Is in 2019 and
will look to spring a surprise on a few opponents in Australia.
WEST INDIES
Stafanie Taylor
Taylor has been a prolific allrounder on the T20I circuit ever since making her debut for the West Indies in 2008.
She
knows what it’s like to lead her country to success, too — she’ll be
looking to replicate her feat of being named Player of the Tournament in
West Indies’ 2016 victory after 246 runs and eight crucial wickets.
Hayley Matthews
The 21-year-old is one of the youngest members of the squad but one of the most effective with the bat and ball.
Matthews wrote her name into T20 World Cup folklore with a match-winning innings in the 2016 final and looked in good order on a recent tour of India.
Listed in the top ten in the ICC Women’s T20I All-Rounder Rankings, she’s set to shine once again in this tournament.
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