World T20 2018: The complete line-up
Windies (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 5)
They are the defending champions and the hosts of the next edition, and that’s more than enough to mark the Windies out as one of the favourites.
Since winning the ICC Women’s World T20 2016 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on 3 April 2016, when Hayley Matthews (66) and Stafanie Taylor (59) put the Australians to the sword and gave their team an eight-wicket victory, the Windies haven’t played too much Twenty20 International cricket. And when they have, it’s been a mixed bag.
In the immediate aftermath of the title win, they beat India 3-0 in India, and then beat Sri Lanka 3-0 at home in 2017. More recently, though, it hasn’t gone too well for Taylor’s side, as they lost a five-match series 4-0 in New Zealand in March 2018.
WWT20 - West Indies 2016
But with a host of exciting players in their set-up, few more than Taylor herself and the explosive Deandra Dottin who brought up her second T20I century in this period, the Windies will back themselves to come good on home turf.
Not to forget, Dottin is the No.5 batter and No.2 all-rounder in the world, Taylor is No.1 among batters and No.3 among all-rounders, and Matthews No.3 among bowlers and No.1 among all-rounders. That’s some firepower!
Australia (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 1)
Australia Women - World T20 Final v WI Women
Australia Women - World T20 Final v WI Women, ICC World Twenty20 2016
The Australians are the best all-round team in the game, and they have been so for a while now.
In T20Is, after the loss to the Windies in Kolkata, they had a period of up-and-down form in the format, losing a fair few games. They won a one-off game in Sri Lanka in 2016, but then lost four and won just two through 2017. In 2018, they reigned supreme in Mumbai in the triangular series, beating India both times, and winning and losing one each against England before trumping the 50-over world champions in the final.
Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani and Beth Mooney were in great run-scoring form then, and though star all-rounder Ellyse Perry had a lean trot, Megan Schutt was outstanding, picking up nine wickets, which made her the top-ranked T20I bowler in the world.
England (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 2)
Women's Final - Australia v England- Match highlights
Australia women defeated England women by four runs
England have been the team to beat in ODI cricket, and are fast getting there in T20Is too. They got to the final in that tri-series in India, but not without their share of hiccups on the way. But since then, they have lost just once, against South Africa at home in another triangular series, where they won everything else, including the final against New Zealand by seven wickets.
Importantly for England, they have been busy, and in match mode. Tammy Beaumont, their young opening bat, has been in spectacular form, while the likes of Natalie Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Heather Knight and Danielle Wyatt have been scoring well too. Wyatt has two centuries to her name, Beaumont one.
To complement their attacking batting, the bowlers, led by Sophie Ecclestone, Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt were outstanding in the recent tri-series at home too, making them a dangerous outfit.
New Zealand (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 3)
New Zealand Innings highlights, Eng v NZ, ICC World T20
New Zealand Innings highlights, Eng v NZ, ICC World Twenty20
When they fire on all cylinders, New Zealand are an outstanding team. When they get starts from Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine, impetus later on from Amy Satterthwaite, and a good show from a strong bowling attack that adds to the work of the batters, they can be unbeatable.
They had a great 2017 in T20Is, losing once to Australia, but then running up a 6-0 scoreline over Australia and Pakistan. It didn’t change in 2018 either, with a 4-0 win over the Windies at home and then a 10-wicket win over Ireland in Dublin. But while they topped South Africa comfortably in the tri-series, England have proved too tough a nut to crack, and their batting frailties have been exposed.
That’s a concern New Zealand will carry with them for the immediate future, but with a super mix of players, including the up-and-coming Amelia Kerr, in their midst, confidence should be high.
India (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 4)
It’s been a strange time for the Indians since their fantastic run to the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017. Firstly, they didn’t play much cricket for a long while. After that, they had a good time in South Africa in early 2018, winning a five-match series 3-1, but the results have been far from ideal since for the side led by Harmanpreet Kaur.
India were high on confidence in the home tri-series against Australia and England, but won just one game, against England, even though Smriti Mandhana was in outstanding form. If that was a setback, it went more pear-shaped at the Women’s T20 Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in June, when they beat everyone else but lost twice to Bangladesh, ranked much lower than them, including in the final.
It’s not ideal, but India have the players and the pedigree to bounce back, and make a dent on the big stage.
South Africa (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 6)
Another team that didn’t play any T20I cricket in 2017, Dane van Niekerk’s side have lost six and won five of their 12 T20Is since the start of 2018, many of them key games.
Like their male counterparts in 2015, the South African women lost heart-breakingly in the semi-final of the 50-over World Cup in 2017. In Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt, they have two superb openers, and with Chloe Tryon and van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp and others around, it’s a strong team. The results haven’t always come, though.
This year, they have lost the series at home to India, and though they then beat Bangladesh 3-0 at home, the triangular series in England was a disappointment.
Pakistan (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 7)
It’s a team with a lot of experience, but the victories have been sporadic over the years. Most recently, they hosted New Zealand in Sharjah and lost the series 4-0, then beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in Colombo, but suffered losses to Bangladesh and India in the Asia Cup while beating Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
Pakistan are a better bowling side than a batting one, and that has caused them problems. At the Asia Cup, while captain Bismah Maroof stood out with the bat, there was little by way of support, Nahida Khan and Javeria Khan, two of the other experienced hands, providing stray glimpses of their ability.
Nida Dar, meanwhile, was excellent with the ball, while Anam Amin, Nashra Sandhu and Sana Mir chipped in with good spells.
Pakistan will back themselves to beat the teams ranked lower than them, but will have to lift their games big time to challenge the higher-ranked sides.
Sri Lanka (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 8)
Chamari Athapaththu’s spectacular 178* at the last World Cup brought the Sri Lankan team a lot of attention, but they haven’t been able to put together a string of performances that will make them a team to fear.
In 2017, they lost a three-match series 3-0 away to the Windies, then in 2018, they fell 2-1 to Pakistan at home, and while the six-wicket win over eventual champions Bangladesh in their first game at the Asia Cup was a good result, they only beat Malaysia after that, losing to Pakistan, India, and in a huge upset, to Thailand in their last game.
That last reversal, especially, will have dented their confidence, which the team must work on to put up a good show in the Caribbean.
Bangladesh (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 9)
WT20Q: Scotland v Bangladesh semi-final extended highlights
The Asia Cup title win was a fantastic achievement for a team usually spoken of after India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka when it comes to the Asian stakes.
Not many would have foreseen that result. Even after Bangladesh beat India in an earlier game at the tournament. It’s Bangladesh’s bowlers who make them the team they are, the likes of Rumana Ahmed, Nahida Akter, Khadija Tul Kubra and Salma Khatun outstanding if they get even a little help from the conditions. All of them were special in the Asia Cup, and the batters only had to complete the job once they were done.
Following the Asia Cup success, Bangladesh won a three-match series in Ireland ahead of the World T20 qualifiers, and have been unstoppable since. Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Scotland have all been beaten, and 84/6 by PNG remains the highest total against them in the Netherlands. Twice they have kept teams to below 50: 42 (the Netherlands) and 39 (UAE).
They are a team on a roll, on a high. Can they come good against the biggies in the fray? They will fight to the finish for sure.
Ireland (MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Ranking: 10)
WT20Q: Laura Delany delighted after Ireland win!
Clare Shillington, the Joyces Cecelia and Isobel, Gaby Lewis, Laura Delany, Kim Garth, Ciara Metcalfe … there are enough players in the Ireland set-up to make them a formidable unit. They can be too, on their day, but haven’t always managed to play the perfect game.
The reversal against Bangladesh at home was disappointing, but they did show what they are capable of with a six-wicket win in the last T20I, victory achieved off the last ball after Lewis (50) and Delany (46) played outstanding knocks.
Qualification for the World T20 has come on cue, Delany’s side never really stretched as they got past Thailand, Scotland, Uganda and PNG without much fuss. Now they have to go bigger as the biggest stage beckons.