• Nineteen players to figure in sixth straight edition of the tournament; many milestones likely to be attained during 9-24 November tournament

• West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor: “The announcement of the squad makes you realise that the tournament is now almost upon us. The other squads too are very impressive and this promises to be a highly competitive tournament”

• The tournament schedule is available here

The ICC today confirmed all the squads for the ICC Women’s World T20 2018, with four players each from South Africa and the West Indies, three from Sri Lanka, two each from India, New Zealand and Pakistan and one each from Australia and England in the list of players not to miss a single edition of the tournament.

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor is among those turning out for the sixth time and is most enthusiastic at the prospect of playing in front of home crowds in what is the first stand-alone edition after it was held along with the men’s event the previous five times.

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor: “Leading the West Indies in the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 is both an honour and challenge for me. It will obviously be a great feeling to be in the prestigious role at home but one has to also live up to expectations since we won the tournament in India last time.

“We have a fine squad and several potential match winners but we have to be at our best in each and every match. The announcement of the squad makes you realise that the tournament is now almost upon us. The other squads too are very impressive and this promises to be a highly competitive tournament.”

“We have a fine squad and several potential match winners but we have to be at our best in each and every match. “I want to encourage all our fans to come out and support us in a major way. We’re delighted to be at home and we want to see the stands full and cheering for the Windies.”

Players in their sixth ICC Women’s World T20: Ellyse Perry (Australia); Jenny Gunn (England); Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj (India); Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine (New Zealand); Sana Mir, Javeria Khan (Pakistan); Dane van Niekerk, Trisha Chetty, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail (South Africa); Eshani Lokusooriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka); Merissa Aguillera, Deandra Dottin, Anisa Mohammed, Stafanie Taylor (West Indies). 

The West Indies, who won the title at the Eden Gardens two years ago with an eight-wicket win over Australia, are one of the top contenders with captain Taylor now only 47 runs behind retired England player Charlotte Edwards’s record of 768 runs in ICC Women’s World T20s. Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Hayley Mathews have all figured regularly among the top of the T20I rankings for batters, bowlers and all-rounders.

Meg Lanning’s Australia side will be looking for a fourth title and making up for not entering the final of last year’s World Cup. Leading all-rounder Ellyse Perry is approaching a double, needing 10 wickets to become the first Australian to take 100 wickets in T20I cricket and 125 runs to reach 1,000. Australia play three T20Is against Pakistan in the interim, which will take her closer to the milestone if she does not reach it by then.

Salma Khatun-led Bangladesh, taking confidence from their Asia Cup and ICC World T20 Qualifier victories, will be looking for magic from their spin attack. Leg-spinner Fahima Khatun, who performed a hat-trick against the UAE during the Qualifier in the Netherlands, and off-spinner Khadija Tul Kubra, who took a Bangladesh record of six for 20 in a recent ODI victory over Pakistan, are among their prominent slow bowlers.

World Cup winners and former champions England have named three uncapped players, but the Heather Knight-led side also boast World Cup stars Tammy Beaumont, Nat Sciver (134 runs to 1,000 in T20Is) and Anya Shrubsole, as also Danny Wyatt, who needs just six runs to reach 1000 in this format.

For India, whose first win will be their 50th in all editions of the tournament, captain Harmanpreet Kaur is the biggest hitter. Her 171 not out in last year’s ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final against Australia make her one of the players to watch out for. Formerly top-ranked Mithali Raj and left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana are other big names in the squad.

Laura Delany-led Ireland find themselves in a tough group that includes Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan with hopes on all-rounder Kim Garth and with eyes also on Clare Shillington, who is just 62 short of becoming the first Ireland woman to score 1,000 T20I runs.

For Amy Satterthwaite-led New Zealand, former captain Suzie Bates is on her way to many milestones in the tournament. She needs 154 runs to become the first player – male or female – to score 3,000 T20I runs and needs one catch to become the third player to take 50 catches in the field in T20I cricket. Bates is also just 49 runs short of becoming the leading run-scorer in ICC WWT20 cricket and in a potential race with Stafanie Taylor.

Pakistan start their campaign with a testing match against Australia on the opening day of the competition. Javeria Khan, who led the team in recent matches in the absence of regular captain Bismah Maroof, would be looking to use her experience, with former captain Sana Mir and Nida Dar, currently both on 76 wickets, likely to continue their race to be the country’s top wicket-taker in the format after facing Australia in three matches in the interim.

World Cup semifinalists South Africa have had all-rounder Dane van Niekerk leading from the front in recent matches and with the confidence of having made the semifinals in last year’s World Cup. Opener Laura Wolvaardt and the presence of some useful all-rounders complete the squad with Marizanne Kapp and van Niekerk both just one short of 50 wickets in the format.

South Africa spinner Raisibe Ntozakhe’s bowling action has been found to be illegal and she will not be allowed to bowl until her action is cleared. However, South Africa are free to either retain he in the squad or name a replacement without permission from the Event Technical Committee until 1 November.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, who had slammed a memorable 178 not out against Australia in last year’s World Cup, leads a side that would be hoping to do better after recently failing to win a single match in their five-match series at home versus India. They also have in the ranks Shashikala Siriwardena, who needs 202 runs to become the second Sri Lanka batter to complete 1,000 runs in the format.

The squads:

Australia: Meg Lanning (captain), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Alyssa Starc, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham.

Bangladesh: Salma Khatun (captain), Ayasha Rahman, Fahima Khatun, Fargana Hoque Pinky, Jahanara Alam, Khadiza Tul Kubra, Lata Mondol, Nahida Akter, Nigar Sultana Joty, Panna Ghosh, Ritu Moni, Rumana Ahmed, , Sanjida Islam, Shamima Sultana, Sharmin Akhter Supta.

England: Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Kirstie Gordon, Jenny Gunn, Danni Hazell, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Linsey Smith, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt.

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Tanya Bhatia, Ekta Bisht, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Anuja Patil, Mithali Raj, Arundathi Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav.

Ireland: Laura Delany (captain), Kim Garth, Cecelia Joyce, Isobel Joyce, Shauna Kavanagh, Amy Kenealy, Gaby Lewis, Lara Maritz, Ciara Metcalfe, Lucy O’Reilly, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Clare Shillington, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.

New Zealand: Amy Satterthwaite (captain) Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Kate Ebrahim, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu, Jessica Watkin.

Pakistan (captain to be announced later): Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sana Mir, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz.

South Africa: Dane Van Niekerk (captain), Trisha Chetty, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee, Sune Luus, Zintle Mali, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Robyn Searle, Tumi Sekhukhune, Saarah Smith, Chloe Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt.

Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Sugandika Kumari, Eshani Lokusooriya, Dilani Manodara, Yashoda Mendis, Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodani, Inoshi Priyadarshani, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Shashikala Siriwardena, Rebeka Vandort, Sripali Weearakkody.

West Indies: Stafanie Taylor (captain), Merissa Aguilleira, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Natasha Mclean, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman.