The 2024 women's T20 World Cup kicks off in the UAE, with Scotland taking on Bangladesh in the opening match. Here's one player to watch out for from each team.
Ahead of the tournament, here are some stars to watch out for. These aren't necessarily young players set to breakthrough, but players who could be in for a stellar competition. The players range from 19, to 37-years-old.
Australia
Annabel Sutherland
This is now Sutherland's third T20 World Cup but her first as a regular member of the side. She played one game in the 2023 competition, sending down three overs in Australia's final group game against South Africa. Since then, she's played in all 12 of Australia's T20Is this year, and established herself as their go to option at the death. Having enhanced her variations, in a particularly a lethal slower-ball bouncer, her next task is to break into Australia's impenetrable top six.
India
Shreyanka Patil/Richa Ghosh
Patil is one of the major stars to come out of the WPL so far. She was the leading wicket-taker in the 2024 competition, taking 4-22 in the final and inspiring RCB to a win over Delhi Capitals. That came after she made her T20I debut against England on home soil in 2023, taking three wickets at the Wankhede, including two in two balls. A right-arm spinner, she compliments a characteristically strong India spin attack. She will lineup alongside Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav.
A word as well for Richa Ghosh. As well as starring in the U19 World Cup last year, she also featured in the senior tournament. However, this year has been her most impressive year yet in the T20I format, averaging 48 and striking at 157.89. She forms part of a strong and settled top six with Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma.
England
Maia Bouchier
This will be Bouchier's first World Cup as a frontline player for England. She muscled out both Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont to claim the second opener spot alongside Danni Wyatt-Hodge. She scored 71 and 91 against New Zealand earlier in the year, but could stake a claim as part of England's next generation of batters through this tournament. She and Alice Capsey are the only members of England's likely top six who weren't playing international cricket in the T20 World Cup 10 years ago. It's her chance to mark herself out as their next stalwart.
South Africa
Annerie Dercksen
Dercksen made her international debut in 2023, but broke into all three South Africa squads this year. A tall pace bowler, who comes into whack it down the order, she hit a 23-ball 44 against Pakistan last month. She could add some extra oomph to a South Africa batting lineup slightly light on power.
Sri Lanka
Harsitha Samarawickrama
Sri Lanka could be the dark horses of this World Cup. Over the last 12 months, they've been on a rapid rise, fuelled by growth outside their start captain Chamari Athapaththu. One of those partly responsible is Samarawickrama. Since the 2023 competition, she's averaged 49 with the bat in T20Is, and scored her maiden ODI century against Ireland last month. More impressive is her upturn in strike rate, which never hit above 93.96 in a calendar year prior to 2024, but sits at 120.81 so far this year. It's not only her, but the entire Sri Lanka outfit to watch out for in the UAE.
West Indies
Afy Fletcher
Fletcher is one of the oldest players in the competition at 37, and is featuring in her fifth T20 World Cup. She's part of an experienced West Indies XI with the return of Deandra Dottin alongside Staffanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews. Similarly to Sri Lanka, she's part of the group who, if they provide backup to Matthew, could make the West Indies genuine contenders for the knockouts in Group B. They almost pulled off a win over Australia in the warm-ups, on course to win until a dramatic collapse saw them lose nine wickets for 17 runs. Fletcher took 2-36 in that game, and has been at her best this year with the ball, averaging 10.62 across eight T20Is in 2024. On turning pitches in the UAE, she'll be a crucial part if the West Indies are to succeed.
New Zealand
Fran Jonas
New Zealand have had a difficult couple of years, and go into this tournament potentially as the fourth-best side in their group. Their hopes of countering that narrative lie to some extent in their young spin attack. Jonas took her career-best figures of 4-22 in the T20I against England at Lord's this year, the only match in which the hosts looked seriously threatened. Alongside Eden Carson, who was effective in both of New Zealand's warm-up matches, and Amelia Kerr, they could provide the boost New Zealand need to out-do expectations of them.
Bangladesh
Rabeya Khan
While no longer hosting the tournament in their own country, Bangladesh will still play a significant part in this World Cup, playing the opening match against Scotland and acting as official hosts. One to watch from their side is 19-year-old leg-spinner Khan, who starred in Bangladesh's warm-up win over Pakistan, bowling an unusual brand of leg-spin mostly out of the front of her hand. Having represented Bangladesh since 2019 when she was 16, she broke into the frontliners last year, and has taken 26 wickets in as many T20Is since then, with a particularly impressive career economy rate of 5.15.
Pakistan
Syeda Aroob Shah
Pakistan are potentially facing a difficult T20 World Cup, and are arguably the tenth-best side having been beaten by Scotland in the warm-ups. A heart-warming story among the squad though is Shah, who made her debut for Pakistan in 2019 aged 16 but was dropped a year later. She then went on to captain the Pakistan side in the U19 World Cup and properly broke through into the T20I set-up this year. With a large number of changes to the squad named for this tournament, Ayesha Zafar and Sadaf Shamas notably absent, she represents what could be part of a core to the side going forward.
Scotland
Katherine Fraser
Playing in their first T20 World Cup, Scotland's inexperience in the competition hides an experienced and talented group of players, with the Bryce sisters, Abtaha Maqsood, Hannah Rainey and Rachel Slater all members of the squad with significant domestic and franchise experience. Katherine Fraser is another young up and coming player who could stand out for them. She captained the side in the U19 World Cup last year and was the joint highest wicket-taker for Scotland. Having played international cricket since she was 14, she's been an off-spin prodigy for Scotland for several years.
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