Dominant Australia aim for record-extending 6th trophy, India eye maiden title

The muchenvied hegemony of Australia is likely to continue but a host of teams led by India and England will harbour hopes of breaking it when the ICC Womens T20 World Cup begins here FridayPacked with proven performers Australia have lifted the trophy five times in seven editions They have hardly been challenged in the format since winning the last T20 World Cup in 2020In the last 22 months they have lost just one T20 and that defeat came against India away from home via a Super OverThe defending champions will no doubt start as favourites once again and will aim for a second hattrick of titles which will be a recordextending sixth trophyThe return of skipper Meg Lanning after a break is a massive boost for the holders Star wicketkeeper batter Alyssa Healy who is back after a calf injury also seems to have shrugged off the rust which makes the side even more dangerousThe teams biggest strength is its depth in batting with plenty of big hitters like Lanning Healy Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath adorning the lineupExperienced pacer Megan Schutt will spearhead the bowling department which has plenty of spinners to choose fromAllrounder Ashleigh Gardner has also been in stellar form A powerhitter down the order the 25yearold is the goto person for skipper Lanning when Australia are in need of a wicketAlso Read Cant wait for Womens T20 WC to get started come Feb 10 Jemimah RodriguesHowever the hardfought series against India and the loss in the warm up match against Ireland shows that Australia too can be defeated and the likes of India England and New Zealand would fancy their chancesRunners up in the last edition India will be keen to go one step ahead and claim the title that has eluded them thus farHowever a lot will depend on the Indian batting unit especially the top order comprising the likes of elegant Smriti Mandhana bighitting Shafali Verma and skipper Harmanpreet KaurThe Women in Blue had enjoyed a stellar run at the 2020 edition before the final ended in disappointmentShafali had been the breakout star ending the tournament as Indias leading run scorer Pumped up after the U19 World Cup win in South Africa a few days ago the flamboyant opener will be keen to carry on the momentumIndia have found a muchneeded finisher in U19 World Cupwinning young Richa Gosh and that will give the top order the freedom to the top order to go all guns blazing from the startIndia have a good mix of spin and pace options but bowling has been their achilles heel The pace department barring veteran Shikha Pandey is relatively inexperienced They will have to rise to the challengeThe everreliable Deepti Sharma has been a match winner for India on several occasions and with spinners sparkling in the warmup matches she will once again be a key playerIndia have been clubbed alongside England Pakistan West Indies and Ireland in Group B England who have been a consistent force in the format for years will be a strong contenderAlso Read Indias chances in T20 WC will be largely dependent on toporder Mithali RajLed by Heather Knight England will be eager to get their hands on the title for the first time since inaugural edition in 2009 They have reached three finals without any successThe former champions have a potent bowling attack that includes the legendary pacer Katherine SciverBrunt and topranked spinner Sophie EcclestoneThe likes of Alice Capsey Sophia Dunkley and Lauren Bell have established themselves in the T20 format and a lot will be expected from themBesides Australia New Zealand is another top contender to reach the last four from Group A The Sophie Devineled side has enjoyed a good run in the format recentlyThe White Ferns have the talent to go the distance but will need player apart from Devine Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu to step upSouth Africas best finishes came in 2020 and 2014 when they reached the semifinals The Proteas women will be keen to capitalise on the home advantageThe recent TriSeries final victory over India will only add to their confidenceTheir success in the tournament would depend on the bowling department comprising the likes of experienced pacers Marizanne Kapp Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka The hosts batting department though seems a little thinGrouped alongside Australia New Zealand Sri Lanka Bangladesh it will be a tall task for the hosts to advance to the semifinalsThe opening encounter will be between hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka on Friday The tournament will take place in two stages The 10 teams are divided into two groups of five sides eachIn the first round the teams will compete in roundrobin format with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stageThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever