Captains' Day lights up the road to CWC25 opener
The eight ICC Women' Cricket World Cup skippers open up on their ambitions for the upcoming tournament in India and Sri Lanka.
Captains of all eight teams at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 got the ball rolling on the marquee tournament, set to begin from September 30, in a special Captains' Day event, which was simultaneously held in Bengaluru and Colombo.
Expressing their enthusiasm and anticipation around the tournament, the leaders weighed in on the grand occasion nearing.
The host captains, Harmanpreet Kaur (India) and Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), spoke about the exhilarating prospect of playing in a home World Cup.
"Every team in this World Cup has an equal chance to win, which shows how much we have raised the standard of women's cricket," Kaur said.
"We’ve also started seeing packed stadiums, which is something we really enjoy because we’ve never seen that before.
"A home World Cup is always special, and there are a lot of expectations from us. We’re going to see a lot of fans in the stadium cheering for us, and I am sure we’ll give our best.”
Sri Lanka skipper Athapaththu added, “We are playing on our home soil, and I know many Sri Lankans will be there to support us.
"I hope to see the vibrant atmosphere in the stadiums during our World Cup matches."
Leading the defending champions Australia, Alyssa Healy admitted to expecting a tough competition from the other seven teams at this Cricket World Cup.
"I believe this is going to be the toughest World Cup we’ve ever been a part of.
"Australia has a rich history in this format and in World Cups, but I think every single team is going to be tough to beat.”
Her South Africa counterpart, Laura Wolvaardt, echoed the sentiment, furthermore adding on the fierce competition on offer.
"I think in a tournament like this, every team is a big team. There’s no sort of single team or two that are set up to win it."
Meanwhile New Zealand skipper, Sophie Devine shared that winning the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup presents the White Ferns with added confidence to go all the way in India and Sri Lanka.
"It's certainly a nice feeling to have that confidence and the belief that we can win world events.
On the exponential growth of the women's game, Devine added, "I think it's the opportunities that are provided [for women’s cricket]; it's been pretty crazy to think at the start of my career."
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty conceded that the rise in popularity in women's cricket inspires her side to give their best in what will be their second ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.
"We are aware of our responsibility to promote cricket back home, where interest in women’s cricket is growing. We believe it is time to give back to our supporters through our performances,” she said.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, Captains Media Sessions- Bengaluru
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt weighed in on the fervour of cricket fans in India, and how it helps bring out the best in players.
"The number of people who come to games in India, support cricket and truly love watching it brings a different energy, another level to the game that we hadn’t experienced before.
"I think the matches here in India are going to be greatly watched, and that’s really exciting as a player."
Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana also expressed optimism going into the tournament, having sealed their qualification via the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier at home earlier this year.
"This familiarity will work in our favor, I believe the conditions in Sri Lanka are similar to those in Pakistan, so we are familiar with the exact conditions.”
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 is set to begin on September 30 with India and Sri Lanka facing off in the opener in Guwahati.
The participating teams have already featured in warm-up games in the lead up to the tournament which is set be played across five venues in Guwahati, Indore, Navi Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Colombo.