The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup has now begun in New Zealand and excitement is truly building. It’s been a strange journey getting to this point, after the tournament was delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, organisers are determined to ensure the World Cup goes ahead. The New Zealand government has granted an exemption for the tournament, allowing venues to be at 10% capacity rather than having to adhere to lower gathering limits. The ICC also announced that matches could go ahead with as few as nine players per team if there is an outbreak amongst any of the squads. Prize money has also been doubled compared to the 2017 edition of the tournament, though there is still a long way to go before that matches the men’s prize money.
With predictions suggesting the early matches could be crucial in deciding who makes the knockouts, let’s take a look at the teams participating. We’ll begin with the defending champions, Australia, and go through the rest of the teams in alphabetical order.
Australia
Australia are the current world number one and the most decorated team in World Cup history. They will be looking to make up for their early, semi-final exit in 2017, but they have been busy since then. Australia won the T20 World Cup on home turf, just before the pandemic shut the world down in 2020. More recently, they completed a comprehensive series win over England in the Ashes – including winning all three ODIs.
World Ranking: 1st
Best Finish at a World Cup: Champions in 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, and 2013
Squad
Meg Lanning (captain), Rachael Haynes (vice-captain), Darcie Brown, Nic Carey, Ash Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy (wicket-keeper), Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney (wk), Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington
Travelling reserves: Georgia Redmayne, Heather Graham
Players to watch: Boasting the top batter, bowler, and all-rounder in the world, this is an Australian squad with talent across the board. Meg Lanning will be looking to lead from the front as captain, and batting at number three she is well positioned to greatly influence her team. While pitches in New Zealand traditionally don’t spin much, taking pace off the ball can be effective. This leaves Jess Jonassen well poised to be a key player for the Australians. Across nine matches in New Zealand, Jonassen has taken 17 wickets at an average of 19.11 runs. She has an economy rate of 4.27rpo and takes a wicket every 26.8 balls.
Prediction: It would be a bold call to go against Australia winning the World Cup. Therefore, I’m going to go with the crowd and call them favourites before the tournament. It will take something special from one of the other teams to stop Australia lifting the trophy at Hagley Oval on April 4.
Bangladesh
To say this Bangladesh team are an unknown quantity would be an understatement. Bangladesh are making their World Cup debut at this tournament. They may be fifth in the world rankings, but they have only played five in the past three years. In these five matches they have only played one other team featuring at this tournament, Pakistan three times. This lack of matches not only makes it hard to judge Bangladesh’s chances, but also means they will be coming in to the tournament under-prepared. Their two warm-up matches against England and Pakistan will be crucial to them getting an understanding of the New Zealand conditions.
World Ranking: 6th
Best Finish at a World Cup: Debut
Squad
Nigar Sultana (c, wk), Salma Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Fargana Hoque, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana (wk), Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Murshida Khatun, Nahida Akter, Sharmin Akhter, Lata Mondal, Sobhana Mostary, Fariha Trisna, Suraiya Azmin, Sanjida Akter Meghla
Players to watch: Young wicketkeeper and captain, Nigar Sultana could play a key role in any success Bangladesh have. Alongside her two fifties in ODIs, she has a high score of 113 in a T20I. Sultana top-scored in Bangladesh’s 2018 Women’s Asia Cup victory, which suggests she can handle pressure. As a senior member of the squad, all-rounder Rumana Ahmed could also be influential. Having played 42 ODIs, she has scored five fifties and taken 45 wickets. Ahmed is Bangladesh’s leading wicket taker, and her legbreak bowling could cause some batters trouble in New Zealand conditions.
Prediction: Bangladesh could cause an upset in this tournament. They will have taken confidence from scoring 200 against England in the warm-ups and will look to build on this throughout. Bangladesh beat Pakistan in the qualification tournament as well, a result they will be looking to repeat.
England
England go in to this World Cup as defending champions after triumphing on home soil in 2017. In the years since that win, England’s squad has gone through a significant refresh. Eight of the fifteen squad members will be playing in their first ODI World Cup, and both of the travelling reserves are yet to make their ODI debut. This mixture of experience could be beneficial to England, or it could be their downfall. They will be disappointed with the results in the Women’s Ashes, so will be looking to make a statement early in the tournament. Lookout for their first match of the tournament, which is against Australia, for them to make amends and lay down a marker.
World Ranking: 3rd
Best Finish at a World Cup: Champions in 1973, 1993, 2009, and 2017
Squad
Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont (wk), Katherine Brunt, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Amy Jones (wk), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver (vc), Anya Shrubsole, Lauren Winfield-Hill (wk), Danni Wyatt.
Travelling Reserves: Lauren Bell, Mady Villiers
Players to watch: Tammy Beaumont will be crucial for England in this tournament. With a batting average of 43.36, 14 fifties, and 8 hundreds to her name, Beaumont is England’s best batter. Opening the batting, she will be looking to build a platform for her team to score big throughout the World Cup. On top of this, her average almost doubles to an incredible 81.66 in matches played in New Zealand. At just 22 years old, Sophie Ecclestone is already one of the worlds best bowlers. The left-arm orthodox bowler is currently ranked 2nd in ODIs and 1st in T20Is. Despite her youth, Ecclestone has already played 38 ODIs for England. Since making her debut in 2016, she has taken 55 wickets at an average 23.14 with an economy rate of 3.68 runs per over.
Prediction: England should make it to the semi-finals, but at that stage their lack of tournament experience could hurt them. Playing Australia first could also mean they struggle to build early momentum in the tournament, especially if they lose.
India
India will be hoping to go one better than the 2017 World Cup, when they finished as runners-up. They can be happy with their most recent form, winning their two warm-up matches against South Africa and West Indies, and the final ODI of the series against New Zealand. However, the overall trend of their recent results may give cause for concern. As discussed in the World Cup Preview, India lost a series 4-1 to South Africa at home last year. Additionally, they lost 4-1 to New Zealand last month. More concerning than the number of defeats in New Zealand will be the manner of those defeats. India failed to capitalise on good starts when batting first and then didn’t manage to defend very defendable totals. However, it would be wrong to write them off, given their achievements finishing as runners-up in two previous World Cups.
World Ranking: 4th
Best Finish at a World Cup: Runner-up in 2005 and 2017
Squad
Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur (vc), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav.
Travelling Reserves: Sabbhineni Meghana, Ekta Bisht, Simran Dil Bahadur
Players to watch: The most important player for India at this tournament will be Smriti Mandhana. Mandhana was absent from the first three ODIs against New Zealand, and when she came into the team, standards were immediately raised. Her efforts in the field were matched by the rest of the team, and her score of 71 was crucial to India winning the final ODI. Despite being only 25 years old, she has played 64 ODIs for India, and that experience will help make her a star at this tournament. Richa Ghosh was another standout player for India during the New Zealand series. The 18 year old wicket-keeper scored 146 runs at an average of 48.66 in 4 matches against New Zealand. She played with freedom, unburdened by expectation. If she can carry this freedom through to the World Cup, her powerful and exciting batting could cause trouble for the opposition.
Prediction: Despite their recent struggles for form, India will be reasonably confident in their chances of making the semi-finals. Their performances in the warm-ups highlighted their ability to win close games, which will be a useful skill if they want to make it far in the tournament. The final game of the round robin is India versus South Africa, and it could decide the fate of both teams.
New Zealand
Last time New Zealand hosted the World Cup in 2000 they won it. The current crop of players will be looking to replicate their heroes’ achievement, and this New Zealand team could do it. Coming off a strong series against India and an impressive warm-up win against Australia, New Zealand will be feeling good about their chances. A key strength of this squad is depth of leadership. On top of the captain and vice-captain, Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite, this New Zealand squad features four other players who captained their domestic sides this summer. Suzie Bates (63), Sophie Devine (161*), and Amelia Kerr (92*) displayed their batting prowess, leading New Zealand to a 9-wicket win over Australia, chasing down 322 with 6 overs to spare.
World Ranking: 5th
Best Finish at a World Cup: Champions in 2000
Squad
Sophie Devine (c), Amy Satterthwaite (vc), Suzie Bates, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Frankie Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin (wk), Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
Travelling Reserve: Molly Penfold
Players to watch: Amelia Kerr has been in fantastic form this year. She was named player of the series against India, scoring 353 runs with an average of 117.66 and a high score of 119*. Kerr also took 7 wickets, which was equal second highest for either team. At just 21 years old, Kerr has played 46 ODIs and holds the record for highest score in a women’s ODI – 232* against Ireland in a match in which she also took 5 wickets. Suzie Bates is one of the best fielders in the New Zealand team. A former Olympic basketball player, Bates regularly takes spectacular catches. In New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition she took 20 catches in just 11 matches. On top of this, Bates is a world-class batter. She has played 135 ODIs and scored 4790 runs – the 6th most by any player in the world.
Predictions: New Zealand has what it takes to make it all the way to the final. Then once they’re in the final, being played in front of a home crowd, anything could happen.
Pakistan
Pakistan will certainly enter this tournament as big underdogs, but this tag won’t bother them at all. With two wins against West Indies last year, and wins against both New Zealand and Bangladesh in the warm-ups, Pakistan will be positive about their chances against anyone in this tournament. Spin bowling will be a key feature of Pakistan’s attack at this tournament, and this could benefit them greatly as a point of difference on the typically fast-bowler friendly pitches of New Zealand. Pakistan play their traditional rivals, India, in their first game of the tournament and will be looking to make a big statement early on.
World Ranking: 8th
Best Finish at a World Cup: Super 6 in 2009
Squad
Bismah Maroof (c), Nida Dar (vc), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk)
Travelling Reserves: Iram Javed, Najiha Alvi, Tuba Hassan
Players to watch: Playing in her second World Cup, Nashra Sandhu will be a big part of Pakistan’s chances at this tournament. The left-arm orthodox bowler starred at the 2017 World Cup, taking 4 wickets against India. Sandhu has taken 54 wickets 42 ODIs in her career, and boasts a decent economy rate of 4.19 runs per over. Another key player for Pakistan will be veteran all-rounder, Nida Dar. Primarily a bowler, she has taken 74 wickets with her right-arm offbreak. As well as this, Dar can chip with the bat, having scored eight fifties in her career.
Predictions: Much like Bangladesh, Pakistan could cause trouble for the rest of the teams in this tournament. They have already proved they are no easy-beats. A good showing against India in that first game will give them confidence throughout the rest of the World Cup.
South Africa
Currently ranked second in the world, South Africa will be hoping to at least match their semi-final finish from 2017. However, they have the skills, squad, and experience to possibly go one better and make the final this time. With a number of the squad playing in their third or fourth World Cup, South Africa are no strangers to the big stage. South Africa come into the tournament in good form with series wins home (2-0) and away (4-1) against West Indies, and a 4-1 win against India in India.
World Ranking: 2nd
Best Finish at a World Cup: Semi-finals in 2000 and 2017
Squad
Suné Luus (c), Chloé Tryon (vc), Ayabonga Khaka, Lara Goodall, Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Maria Klaas, Mignon du Preez (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Tazmin Brits (wk), Trisha Chetty (wk), Tumi Sekhukhune
Travelling reserves: Andrie Steyn, Nadine de Klerk, Raisibe Ntozakhe
Players to watch: Marizanne Kapp is South Africa’s highest ranked player as the third best all-rounder in the world. Kapp has experience making big scores at the World Cup, scoring 102* against Pakistan in 2013. Her bowling economy rate of 3.67 runs per over is very good and she has taken 134 wickets in 118 ODIs. Another all-rounder, and the captain, Sune Luus has played for South Africa since she was just 16 years old. Luus shares the record for the most women’s ODI wickets in a single year, taking 37 in just 22 matches in 2016. At risk of sounding like a broken record, her legbreak bowling taking the pace off the ball could cause trouble on the traditionally quick New Zealand pitches.
Predictions: South Africa will almost certainly match their performance from the 2017 World Cup and get to the semi-finals. In saying this, their match against India on the final day of the round robin could prove to be a knockout fixture with the winner qualifying for the final rounds.
West Indies
Having made the final in 2013, West Indies would have been disappointed with their group-stage exit last time around. They will have the chance to make amends in this tournament, as two thirds of the squad have featured at a World Cup before. West Indies have put in some good performances recently, for example bowling Pakistan out for just 120 runs last year. Explosive and entertaining batting will be a feature of this West Indies squad, with players like Deandra Dottin who once scored a hundred off just 38 balls in a T20I in 2010 – a record that still stands as the fastest century in a women’s T20I.
World Ranking: 7th
Best Finish at a World Cup: Runner-up in 2013
Squad
Stafanie Taylor (c), Anisa Mohammed (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight (wk), Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation (wk), Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Rashada Williams (wk)
Travelling Reserves: Kaysia Schultz, Mandy Mangru, Jannillea Glasgow
Players to watch: Deandra Dottin is bound to be one of the most exciting players at this tournament. As well as her record-breaking T20I century, she recently achieved her highest ODI score of 150* off 158 balls in an abandoned match against South Africa. Dottin is also a handy bowler with 69 wickets, including a five-for, and an economy rate of 4.76 runs per over. The other player to look out for is the captain, Stafanie Taylor. Across 137 matches, Taylor has an incredible 5147 runs at an average of 45.54, including 7 centuries. She has also taken 148 wickets at an average of 21.56 and an economy of 3.47 runs per over.
Predictions: As always, West Indies will be in the mix for the semi-finals. They may not have done as well as they would have wanted in the warm-ups, but they have recently shown they can beat teams like South Africa.
