What we learned from the T20 World Cup warm-up matches

The Warm-Up Scorecards

The other four teams in Group 2 have been warned – Ireland are a real threat.

The Irish produced the standout result of the warm-up games, beating Australia in Stellenbosch. And they really should have beaten Sri Lanka in their first match too, having got to the start of the final over needing just four to win and with two wickets in hand.

The most encouraging part of Ireland’s tournament preparation was the variety of contributors across the two games. Six Irish batters reached at least 20, spending quality time out in the middle, and eight different bowlers were given a chance to get used to the conditions.

Under the leadership of in-form skipper Laura Delany and coach Ed Joyce, Ireland will be eyeing some big upsets in a group that contains England, India, Pakistan and West Indies.

A lack of a power game has held England back in the past, but there are no such issues in this England squad. Established and classy batters remain in the shame of Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight and so on. But the English have some added x-factor to bring to this tournament.

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Sophia Dunkley has developed into a truly destructive T20I batter, and the 24-year-old’s consecutive half-centuries in the warm-up fixtures bodes well for some fast starts.

And in Alice Capsey England have a bit of a gem. The 18-year-old has looked completely at home in her short international career to-date, and can find the boundary with the sort of regularity that adds a new string to England’s bow. Her 89 runs across the two warm-up matches came from just 46 deliveries.

India’s batting strength is clear. In Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, the team have a top order to match most in the tournament.

But, significantly, those big-name batters will now feel more confident attacking the Powerplay thanks to the presence and form of Richa Ghosh.

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The keeper-batter offers a calming, reliable presence in the India middle order, and comes into the World Cup fresh from helping the U19s win their World Cup just weeks ago.

Ghosh’s 91* against Bangladesh was a perfect example of what she brings – that ability to stabilise the innings should India lose early wickets, with the power to accelerate when required. Nine of her 12 boundaries against the Tigresses were maximums.

It may have been a warm-up fixture and Australia were experimenting to an extent, but their loss to Ireland on Wednesday will have offered some encouragement to all teams hoping to challenge for the title.

Australia have been a dominant force in T20Is since winning the last World Cup, losing just twice in the format in that time. Both of those losses came against New Zealand, but it had almost been two years since Australia suffered a loss in a competitive international, with their run dating back to March 2021.

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A dramatic tied match against India back in December showed that the world’s top-ranked side could be really tested, and this warm-up loss to Ireland adds to that feeling.

Meg Lanning’s side will still be favourites, but there are signs of chinks in the armour.

Overcoming the threat of the turning ball will be the key to any batting unit hoping to go all the way in South Africa.

It was the spinners who did much of the damage in the warm-up matches, across the different venues.

All of Amelia Kerr, Charlie Dean, Ash Gardner, Sarah Glenn, Nahida Akter, Deepti Sharma and Nonkululeko Mlaba impressed throughout the two days of warm-up fixtures, and plenty more did besides.

Particularly as the World Cup goes on, the performances of the spinners will be a major factor toward the outcome of the tournament.