Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 10: The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup kicks off on Friday, a number of nations, including by India and England, will have hopes of overturning Australia’s much-desired hegemony.
Australia has won the trophy five times in seven editions, and their team is loaded with accomplished athletes. Since winning the most recent T20 World Cup in 2020, they haven’t faced many challenges in the format. They have only lost one T20 game in the previous 22 months, and it was an away Super Over loss to India. It goes without saying that the defending champions will start as favourites once more and seek for a second hat-trick of victories, which would be a record-extending sixth trophy.
The holders receive a tremendous boost with the return of captain Meg Lanning following a hiatus. Alyssa Healy, a star wicketkeeper batter who recently returned from a calf injury, also appears to have shaken off the rust, making the team even more dangerous.
The team’s depth at the plate, which is highlighted by the presence of several powerful hitters including Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Lanning, and Healy, is its greatest asset.
The bowling department will be led by seasoned pacer Megan Schutt, who will have a lot of options for spinners.
Ashleigh Gardner, an all-arounder, has also been in excellent shape. The 25-year-old, a down the order power batter, is skipper Lanning’s go-to player when Australia needs to take a wicket.
The difficult series against India and the failure in the exhibition match against Ireland, however, demonstrate that Australia is also vulnerable, and nations like India, England, and New Zealand would bet on their chances.
India, who finished second in the previous edition, will be eager to advance and finally win the championship.
But a lot will depend on the Indian batting lineup, particularly the top order, which includes batsmen like the graceful Smriti Mandhana, the powerful Shafali Verma, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
In the first round, the teams will compete in round-robin format with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stage.
