ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 - Discussion Thread

[BouncerGuy]

Ten umpires and three match referees will officiate the ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 hosted by Bangladesh in the United Arab Emirates from 3 to 20 October.

The experienced group of umpires comprises seasoned officials including Claire Polosak, who will be umpiring in her fifth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, while Kim Cotton and Jacqueline Williams will each be umpiring in their fourth after taking charge of the final in Cape Town between hosts South Africa and eventual champions, Australia, last February.

Sue Redfern, who was the TV umpire for that final, is also back for her fourth appearance in the tournament. At the other end of the spectrum, Sarah Dambanevana of Zimbabwe, will make her debut appearance.

The match referees’ team features GS Lakshmi, who refereed her first T20I back in 2012 and oversaw the final in 2023. She is joined by Shandre Fritz and Michell Pereira, who are each officiating in their second ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees, Sean Easey said: “The ICC is proud to be contributing to the advancement of women in our sport. To be announcing this all-female lineup of match officials for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is wonderful.

“This group, selected as the most deserving umpires for this event following their recent form in bilateral and other cricket, are some of the very best from around the world.

“We are confident that they will do a great job at this event. I wish them the best of luck as they oversee the world’s top women’s cricketers in what will be an exciting tournament for all involved.”

Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Officials for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

The Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees: Shandré Fritz, GS Lakshmi, Michell Pereira.

The Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires: Lauren Agenbag, Kim Cotton, Sarah Dambanevana, Anna Harris, Nimali Perera, Claire Polosak, Vrinda Rathi, Sue Redfern, Eloise Sheridan, Jacquiline Williams.

Ten teams will play 23 matches over 18 days in Dubai and Sharjah for the right to call themselves 2024 champions.

Group A: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Group B: South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Scotland

Tournament fixtures

3 October, Thursday, Bangladesh v Scotland, Sharjah, 2 PM

3 October, Thursday, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 6 PM

4 October, Friday, South Africa v West Indies, Dubai, 2 PM

4 October, Friday, India v New Zealand, Dubai, 6 PM

5 October, Saturday, Australia v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 2 PM

5 October, Saturday, Bangladesh v England, Sharjah, 6 PM

6 October, Sunday, India v Pakistan, Dubai, 2 PM

6 October, Sunday, West Indies v Scotland, Dubai, 6 PM

7 October, Monday, England v South Africa, Sharjah, 6 PM

8 October, Tuesday, Australia v New Zealand, Sharjah, 6 PM

9 October, Wednesday, South Africa v Scotland, Dubai, 2 PM

9 October, Wednesday, India v Sri Lanka, Dubai, 6 PM

10 October, Thursday, Bangladesh v West Indies, Sharjah, 6 PM

11 October, Friday, Australia v Pakistan, Dubai, 6 PM

12 October, Saturday, New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 2 PM

12 October, Saturday, Bangladesh v South Africa, Dubai, 6 PM

13 October, Sunday, England v Scotland, Sharjah, 2 PM

13 October, Sunday, India v Australia, Sharjah, 6 PM

14 October, Monday, Pakistan v New Zealand, Dubai, 6 PM

15 October, Tuesday, England v West Indies, Dubai, 6 PM

17 October, Thursday, Semi-final 1, Dubai, 6 PM

18 October, Friday, Semi-final 2, Sharjah, 6 PM

20 October, Sunday, Final, Dubai, 6 PM

 

[Energy]

Pakistan will finish 5th on the group table. At best, they'll finish 4th.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Harmanpreet Kaur: We have what it takes to lift the trophy

Our expectation is to win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. It is something we as a team have been striving for, for a while, and lifting the trophy will remain our goal.

There is no shortage of ambition and drive in this team, and we will leave no stone unturned as we look to make a mark and go the distance, playing a fearless brand of cricket.

The expectation is straightforward: to bring glory to the country and our supporters who back us to the hilt, no matter which part of the world we play in.

Every member of the team looks at the Women’s T20 World Cup, in addition to every match we play, as an opportunity to put our best foot forward collectively and inspire the young and aspiring cricketers across the globe to follow and take up the sport which all of us love and respect.

It is our team’s dream to win this coveted trophy, and I feel, as a team, we have what it takes to lift the trophy. We made it to the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final in Australia and came tantalisingly close to reaching the final in the previous edition in South Africa in 2023. It makes it clear that the team has the pedigree and what it takes to shine on the biggest stage.

This will be our first time playing in the UAE and there is excitement in the camp and a lot to look forward to. I am pretty sure the crowd will turn out in huge numbers as we play across Dubai and Sharjah.

There is a solid amount of experience in this group, which has been playing a lot of competitive cricket across the globe. While some of our team members are still in their early 20s, they have played a lot of cricket, have been through challenging situations and have come out triumphant.

Additionally, the new faces in the squad come with eagerness to learn and perform and bring that exuberance into the mix.

There is camaraderie in the group and a tremendous amount of respect towards each other. We back each other and make sure no one is ever left behind. It also helps that we have a support staff that plays a massive role in maintaining a healthy atmosphere in and around the team.

If anything, our preparations for this tournament commenced as soon as the last edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup came to an end.

The team has a clear vision and each individual has been given full freedom to prepare in the way which will help the team succeed.

While cricketing skills obviously matter, there is equal focus on the fitness of the players as we understand how much that aspect of the game matters and how much it can make a difference. It also helps that all the players have bought into this idea and system.

While the team’s strategies will vary as per the opposition, our focus largely remains to staying true to our strengths and doing full justice to our potential.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 set to mark next step in evolution of the game

Women’s cricket has enjoyed substantial growth in the last 15 years and it is no coincidence that this rise has come alongside the emergence of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

While Australia may currently be the women’s game’s pre-eminent force, there is a feeling of the sport becoming more open, with nations outside of the traditional powers starting to emerge.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup itself has grown; a fact made clear in that just eight teams contested the first competition in England in 2009. The tournament was held simultaneously with the men’s competition and the form of the hosts captivated a nation.

This culminated in over 12,000 attending the final at Lord’s where Charlotte Edwards’ side defeated New Zealand by six wickets to become the inaugural champions. The triumph pushed England women into the spotlight, with the same being said of Australia when they claimed the title in 2010, and how they have run with it since.

Their margin of victory over New Zealand at the Kensington Oval might have been slim (three runs), but it kicked off an era of dominance that continues to this day. Australian players such as Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning became prized commodities off the back of the exploits at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with teams all over the world bidding for their services.

Lanning was the top run scorer in the 2014 tournament in Bangladesh, the first in which 10 teams took part, as her country claimed their third consecutive title.

There was a new name on the trophy however, when the competition moved to India in 2016 as the West Indies crowned their emergence as a leading nation by dethroning the Australians at Eden Gardens.

It was the first women’s final to take place on the same day as the men’s and it set the tone, with the Windies’ men going on to memorably defeat England, making the men and women from the Caribbean double world champions.

The holders then hosted in 2018 as Australia reclaimed the trophy that year and they have not relinquished it since. Indeed, it was when they hosted in 2020 that the competition truly was taken to new heights. This was capped by the extraordinary attendance of 86,174 at the MCG – a record for a women’s cricket match – that witnessed Australia’s victory over first-time finalists, India.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 turned out to be the largest global sporting event to take place for some time and it sticks in the memory for all the right reasons.

Its increased profile that year also brought rewards of the prize money for the winners of $1 million USD, five times more than what was awarded in 2018.

That is a figure that has continued to skyrocket, with the winners of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the United Arab Emirates set to take home $2.34 million.

Nine other countries will be taking on one of the toughest tasks in the sport, dethroning Australia, when the action gets under way on 3 October.

With household names among the challengers such as Nat Sciver-Brunt (England), Smriti Mandhana (India) and Marizanne Kapp (South Africa) set to lead the challenge for their respective nations, we are set for the most explosive competition yet.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Pakistan Women's team captain, Fatima Sana:
We are aiming to bring a different and more fearless approach to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup this year.

In the past, we’ve often struggled in the powerplay, with early wickets falling, middle-order collapses, and a slow pace of runs leading to low totals. We've also found it difficult to chase targets above 120.

We now understand how crucial it is to have positive intent, especially in the powerplay, to set the tone and post competitive scores. If we look at the top teams, they all make the most of the first six overs, which helps them score big and chase high totals.

Recently, we've started playing with more attacking intent, and some young players have shown exciting potential. The game has evolved a lot since I made my debut in 2019. Scores are much higher now, batters play with more freedom, and as a team, we’re adapting to stay competitive.

This year, Gull Feroza has been in good form, with some strong innings in the Asia Cup. Muneeba Ali, at the top of the order, also performed well in the recent series against South Africa. Both are in good form and bring valuable experience.

We’ve encouraged them to aim for a strike rate of over 100, a key metric that helps us post higher totals and compete with the best. In the middle order, we have experienced players like Nida Dar, Sidra Amin, and Aliya Riaz. I too, have been working hard to bring positive energy to the team through my batting.

When it comes to bowling, Sadia Iqbal has been phenomenal in the last year. She's currently ranked #3 in the ICC T20 rankings, and Nashra Sandhu is also in the top 10. Nida Dar is the leading wicket-taker in T20s, and we have two talented leg spinners, Syeda Arooba Shah, who captained Pakistan U19 at the T20 World Cup, and Tuba Hassan, who has been a key player since her debut. Both of them bring a lot of energy in the field, and our strong spin department will be crucial in the Dubai conditions.

In the fast-bowling department, Diana Baig’s experience will be a great asset. I’ll do my best, as always, to contribute with both bat and ball, and we also have Tasmia Rubab, a left-arm seamer, which gives us good variety.

This exciting mix of youth and experience has me really looking forward to seeing how it all comes together for Pakistan.

Before our series against South Africa, we had a good fitness camp, and our performances in that series gave us a lot of positives and confidence to take into the World Cup. We put up our highest-ever T20I total of 181 runs in the second match, which showed that our new approach is starting to pay off.

While we were disappointed with our Asia Cup loss to Sri Lanka, we are motivated to put that right when we face them in the first group game of the World Cup.

Pakistan has won one match at each of the last six T20 World Cups. This time, we aim to win as many as possible and see where that takes us. We know we have a tough group, including reigning champions Australia, but we've beaten teams like India and New Zealand recently, and playing against top sides boosts our confidence.

Playing top teams requires giving your absolute best, and doing so brings out the best in you. We know we'll have strong support from back home during this World Cup. We had great crowds and public interest during the South Africa series in Multan, and we know the nation is behind us.

We’re looking forward to a great T20 World Cup, insha'Allah.

 

[MenInG]

Not sure on what basis @RehanG voted for Pakistan as winners!

 

[BouncerGuy]

Claire Polosak and Lauren Agenbag will be the on-field umpires as Bangladesh and Scotland kick off the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 in Sharjah.

The match referee and umpires have been announced for all group stage matches for the ninth edition of the tournament, which begins on 3 October.

The opening match forms part of a double-header, with Pakistan and Sri Lanka also in action when the tournament begins in United Arab Emirates.

Sue Redfern will be the TV umpire for the opening match, while GS Lakshmi will be the match referee.

Meanwhile, Kim Cotton and Eloise Sheridan will preside over Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s meeting later in the day.

Sheridan and Agenbag will then join forces to umpire the highly anticipated meeting between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium on 6 October, that will come a day after Australia begin the defence of their title against Sri Lanka on 5 October, with Redfern and Anna Harris umpiring.

Australia are the competition’s most successful side, taking home six titles from eight tournaments since its inception in 2009.

Vrinda Rathi and Redfern will oversee another rivalry, as New Zealand play Australia on 9 October.

On a bumper day of action on 13 October, Agenbag and Polosak will watch over Scotland’s fixture against England before India and Australia meet in what will likely be one of the matches of the tournament later that day. They will be overseen by Cotton and Redfern at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with Jacqueline Williams the TV umpire.

To see out the group stage, Sheridan and Sarah Dambanevana will be the on-field umpires for the potentially pivotal clash between England and the West Indies.

Match official appointments for the two semi-finals and final are yet to be confirmed.

 

[sweep_shot]

Australia should win it (as usual).

In women's cricket, Australia are even more dominating.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Kemp Conquers injury hell to reach ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024

A stress fracture is a bowler’s worst nightmare and Freya Kemp has had two of them before the age of 19.

The England all-rounder will make her major event debut at this month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup but only after two years of hard graft to come back from serious injury.

“It’s a huge honour to be picked in any squad, but especially for a World Cup,” said Kemp.

“It’s even more special given I missed the last one. It’s been a tough two years, but it makes it even better having had a slightly harder journey to get here.”

Kemp played her club cricket for Fletching in East Sussex and has an older and a younger brother.

“We used to play all sports in the garden, and they didn’t hold back, I can tell you that,” she remembers. “It was the same at the club, playing with my brother and all of his friends, it toughened me up.”

A prodigy, Kemp made her senior debut for Sussex in 2019 while still playing for U17 and U15 teams and was included in the England Women’s Academy programme as a 14-year-old.

She benefited from the counsel of two true greats - Sarah Taylor, a coach while Kemp was a pupil at Bedes School, and Charlotte Edwards, who took her under her wing at Southern Vipers.

“I watched Lottie while I was growing up, she was one of my idols,” said Kemp. “She has been a massive support to me throughout my career. She picked me up quite young and she has really helped me and mentored me through the last few years.”

Kemp broke through with breathtaking performances against the white ball in 2022, particularly with bat in hand, rewarded with a maiden T20I call-up and a place at the Commonwealth Games.

A seamless rise to the top looked set to follow, in a similar fashion to her team-mate Alice Capsey and others before her. But a couple of weeks after being awarded her first ECB central contract, disaster struck in the shape of a first, dreaded stress fracture in December 2022, ruling her out of the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

“It was tough and I didn’t really know what it meant,” said Kemp. “I was in the dark, but I knew it was going to take six to nine months - and the rest - to get back.

“I was gutted to miss out on the World Cup and it was something I had to deal with.”

Kemp dug in and fought her way back to excel in the 2023 season as a specialist batter and bowled her first international ball for more than a year on the tour of India in December.

Cruelly, on her return to England, she went for a scan and was diagnosed with another stress fracture.

“It’s very hard, there’s no beating around the bush,” said Kemp. “It’s very hard to trust your body and I’m just trying to break that cycle. I have to trust it and the people around me.”

Kemp has reworked her run-up and her workload is being very closely managed, limiting the number of deliveries she bowls each week, a delicate dance choreographed by England’s sports science and medicine team.

“I’m just thankful for all of the people around me, my family, my friends, my team-mates and all of our support staff,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without them and they’re in this process with me.”

Kemp has all of the tools to be a key contributor for England as they bid to capture the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2009.

She is still relatively inexperienced at touring, with trips to West Indies and India under her belt, sharing a flat with seasoned seamer Lauren Bell in the UK.

Flatmates Kemp and Bell are the only two frontline seamers named in the squad because Jon Lewis and team have tooled up for spin-friendly conditions, adding left-armer Linsey Smith to the formidable trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean.

Stoked by the struggles of the last two years, Kemp is ready for whatever is thrown at her.

“Obviously Dubai and Sharjah can be quite different as venues,” she said. “They’re relatively similar but there are differences, so it’s just getting used to those, adapting quickly and assessing and communicating well as a team.

“We want to play to our strengths and put our own spin on it. I just want to be there when the team needs me and to try to make an impact.

 

[hassan918]

Pakistan Women will take on Scotland Women in their first warm-up match today.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Warm-up match - ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

Pakistan Women vs Scotland Women

Toss: Pakistan Women win the toss and elect to bat first.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Warm-up match - ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

Pakistan Women vs Scotland Women

Toss: Pakistan Women win the toss and elect to bat first.

Innings break

Pakistan Women 134/9 (20 ov)

 

[RyanRyan10]

Scotland Women's team beat Pakistan by 8 wickets

@Rana

 

[Rana]

Scotland Women's team beat Pakistan by 8 wickets

@Rana

Na Kar yaar

Their Men’s team should beat us too

 

[RyanRyan10]

Na Kar yaar

Their Men’s team should beat us too

Their Women's team played with a better intent. That's why I'd tagged you.

 

[Rana]

Their Women's team played with a better intent. That's why I'd tagged you.

Bro I haven’t been following. I wouldn’t be surprised, the country doesn’t want to play proper cricket. It is what it is.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Na Kar yaar

Their Men’s team should beat us too

Thank God you didn't mention the women team here for our men side.

 

[guard]

Not sure on what basis @RehanG voted for Pakistan as winners!

Troll basis

 

[guard]

Will this match be boycotted as well

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Scotland Women's team beat Pakistan by 8 wickets

@Rana

ICC Women T20 World Cup

Warm up match, Scotland defeated Pakistan by 8 wickets

In the first warm-up match at the Sevens ground, the Pakistani cricket team scored 132 runs for 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Scotland achieved the target in the 18th over for the loss of 2 wickets

On behalf of Pakistan, Humaima Sohail scored 30 runs. Muniba Ali scored 27 runs and captain Fatima Sana remained not out for 20 runs

Sarah Brace of Scotland remained not out on 60 runs. Sekiya Hawarli was dismissed after scoring 48 runs

Pakistani bowler Nashera Sindhu dismissed Scotland's only player