ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023

The top ten teams in the world will begin their bid for ultimate glory when South Africa takes on Sri Lanka in the opening match of the ICC Women T20 World Cup at Newlands on 10 February. Fans can now buy tickets for all 23 games played across Cape Town, Paarl, and Gqeberha in 15 days.

The world’s best cricketers will take center stage for a uniquely African celebration of cricket culminating in the Finals weekend at Newlands Cricket Ground with the winner being crowned on Sunday 26 February.

Bangladesh and Ireland complete the list of participating teams, joining Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and West Indies in the eighth edition of the ICC Women T20 World Cup 2023 which will be a spectacular celebration for everyone to be a part of.

History & Format of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

The ICC Women T20 World Cup has been played every year since 2009, and 10 teams have taken part in the tournament. In its early years, the Women's T20 WC featured only eight teams: Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies. Bangladesh and Ireland joined in 2014 when the tournament became a 10-team affair, and it was part of the 2016 and 2018 editions alongside the other eight countries.

England is the only host to win the World T20. It won the inaugural women's tournament in 2010 by defeating New Zealand in a final by six wickets. Australia won the next three editions - 2010, 2012, and 2014 - in the West Indies (2010), Sri Lanka (2012), and Bangladesh (2014). It was only in 2016 that Australia met their match in the West Indies and was defeated in the finals. Overall, Australia has made the final five times, missing out only during the inaugural year.

The format of the ICC women's T20 world cup follows the usual style of league matches followed by knockout matches. Ten teams are placed in two pools and they will play league matches against each other following which the top 2 teams from both the pools of the ICC women T20 World Cup 2023 will face off against each other in a knockout match in the semi-finals. The winner of the semi-finals will square off against each other in the final match on 26th February 2023 for bragging rights.

ICC Women T20 World Cup Schedule

The Women T20 World Cup schedule is placed in three major stadiums which include Boland Park, St. Georges Park Stadium, and the Newland Cricket Ground. The tournament begins on 10th February with the host South Africa playing Sri Lanka and concludes on 26th February with the final that will be hosted by the Newlands Cricket Ground 

ICC Women T20 World Cup Teams

The following are the teams that will fight for the crown of the T20 championship.

Group A features Australia who was the winner of the trophy the last time around in 2020 and they would be looking to win it again and complete their hat trick of T20 World Cup victories.

South Africa will be looking to win the ICC Women T20 World cup as a host nation after England.

ICC Women T20 World Cup Squad

Since the ICC Women T20 World Cup is scheduled for February, the squads have not been finalized by the respective governing bodies. These are the predicted squads for the respective teams who will fight for the prized trophy.

Australia

The Meg Lanning-led side will be looking to continue their dominance on the biggest stage by scoring a hat trick of T20 World Cups in the ICC Women T20 World Cup 2023.

• Meg Lanning
• Kim Garth
• Ashleigh Gardner
• Tahlia McGrath
• Ellyse Perry
• Heather Graham
• Annabel Sutherland
• Alyssa Healy
• Beth Mooney
• Darcie Brown
• Grace Harris
• Jess Jonassen
• Alana King
• Megan Schutt
• Georgia Wareham

Bangladesh

Nigar Sultana, with her crafty work behind the stumps and her efficient handling of the pace of the game as a middle order batter will be looking to cause some upsets in the scheme of things.

• Murshida Khatun
• Disha Biswas
• Fargana Hoque
• Rumana Ahmed
• Sobhana Mostary
• Shorna Akter
• Nigar Sultana
• Shamima Sultana
• Marufa Akter
• Fahtima Khatun
• Salma Khatun
• Jahanara Alam
• Lata Mondal
• Nahida Akter
• Ritu Moni

New Zealand

Sophie Devine’s incredible knock of 105 off just 87 balls in Basin Reserve against South Africa will be remembered in New Zealand for a long time and she will be looking to build further from that innings.

• Lauren Down
• Maddy Green
• Sophie Devine
• Suzie Bates
• Brooke Halliday
• Georgia Plimmer
• Hayley Jensen
• Amelia Kerr
• Bernadine Bezuidenhout
• Eden Carson
• Fran Jonas
• Jess Kerr
• Molly Penfold
• Hannah Rowe
• Lea Tahuhu

South Africa

Laura Wolvaardt has been a complete cricketer for the South African T20 side and will be looking to contribute with both the bat and the ball in the ICC Women T20 World Cup.

• Laura Wolvaardt
• Anneke Bosch
• Nadine de Klerk
• Lara Goodall
• Sune Luus
• Chloe Tryon
• Marizanne Kapp
• Tazmin Brits
• Sinalo Jafta
• Delmi tucker
• Shabnim Ismail
• Ayabonga Khaka
• Masabata Klass
• Nonkululeko Mlaba
• Annerie Dercksen

Sri Lanka

Chamari Athapaththu has already distinguished herself by being one of the most prolific run-scorers in ODI cricket. With Australia in the same group, it remains to be seen if her aggressive batting can replicate another T20 century against Australia which she scored in 2019.

• Chamari Athapaththu
• Harshitha Madavi
• Nilakshi de Silva
• Vishmi Gunaratne
• Oshadi Ranasinghe
• Inoka Ranaweera
• Sathya Sandeepani
• Anushka Sanjeewani
• Kaushani Nuthyangana
• Kavisha Dilhari
• Malsha Shehani
• Sugandika Kumari
• Achini Kulasuriya
• Tharika Sewwandi
• Ama Kanchana

England

Heather Knight has had a massive impact on the T20 side of England after leading them to a World Cup triumph in 2017 and in 2020 T20 world cup with her century, she became the first woman cricketer to score a century in all three formats of the game.

• Maia Bouchier
• Alice Capsey
• Danielle Wyatt
• Heather Knight
• Sophia Dunkley
• Katherine Brunt
• Natalie Sciver
• Amy Jones
• Lauren Winfield-Hill
• Kate Cross
• Charlotte Dean
• Freya Davies
• Sophie Ecclestone
• Sarah Glenn
• Lauren Bell

India

Harmanpreet Kaur took on the mantle of captaincy a couple of months back with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy. It remains to be seen if she will be able to create a title charge after coming agonizingly close in 2020.

• Smriti Mandhana
• Jemimah Rodrigues
• Devika Vaidya
• Harmanpreet Kaur
• Shafali Verma
• Harleen Deol
• Deepti Sharma
• Pooja Vastrakar
• Shikha Pandey
• Yastika Bhatia
• Richa Ghosh
• Radha Yadav
• Renuka Thakur Singh
• Anjali Sarvani
• Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Ireland

The outside chances of Laura Delany mounting a title charge is slim. Ireland will be looking to their versatile captain for inspiration and will be looking to make the most of their stay in the tournament.

• Amy Hunter
• Shauna Kavanagh
• Gaby Lewis
• Louise Little
• Leah Paul
• Arlene Kelly
• Jane Maguire
• Orla Prendergast
• Georgina Dempsey
• Mary Waldron
• Laura Delany
• Sophie MacMohan
• Cara Murray
• Eimear Richardson
• Rachel Delaney

Pakistan

Bismah Maroof created history this year by becoming the highest run scorer for Pakistani women’s cricket in both T20 and ODIs. She will be looking to continue her form in the ICC women T20 World cup.

• Aliya Riaz
• Javeria Khan
• Tuba Hassan
• Sadaf Shamas
• Bismah Maroof
• Sidra Ameen
• Nida Dar
• Omaima Sohail
• Muneeba Ali
• Sidra Nawaz
• Aiman Anwer
• Ayesha Naseem
• Fatima Sana
• Nashra Sandhu
• Sadia Iqbal

West Indies

Hayley Mathews has taken over from Stafani Taylor this year as the captain of the women’s cricket team as the West Indies Cricket Board looks to shuffle things around in the hopes of recapturing the success of the 2016 West Indies squad.

• Hayley Mathews
• Chinelle Henry
• Zaida James
• Stafanie Taylor
• Shemaine Campbelle
• Chedean Nation
• Rashada Williams
• Aaliyah Alleyne
• Shamilia Connell
• Afy Fletcher
• Shabika Gajnabi
• Trishan Holder
• Karishma Ramharack
• Shakera Selman
• Djenaba Joseph

ICC Women T20 World Cup venue

Newlands Cricket Ground

The Newlands Cricket Ground is a stadium in Cape Town and is the home ground of the Cape Cobras and has a capacity of 25000. This ground is scheduled to host the semi-finals and the finals of the ICC women T20 World cup 2023.

St. George’s Park Cricket Stadium

Located near Port Elizabeth in the city of Gqebera, the recently built St. George’s Park Cricket stadium has received an award of excellence and has the capacity of accommodating 19000 people. 

Boland Park

This is a stadium in Paarl, South Africa. Even though it is multipurpose, most recently only cricket matches are played in it. This is the venue of some of the matches of the Women T20 World cup 2023 schedule and has the capacity of holding a crowd of 10000.

Conclusion

So this is the opportunity: to give women in the fastest-growing sport a huge boost in one of the game’s most important economies. To lay an easily locatable marker that signals the future viability and vitality of the sport. To draw both men's and women's national teams closer together in how they are regarded and covered.

At the same time, the ICC Women T20 World cup will underline a disparity that only increases. England and India have had their turbocharges and Australia may have its own. But these are the three strongest teams in international cricket at present; they can afford good women's programs where players can genuinely reach their best.