The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 will see 10 teams clash between 10-26 February. The eighth edition of the tournament will be played at three venues in South Africa.
Whether it be Ellyse Perry’s last ball boot out in the 2010 final, Harmanpreet Kaur’s blistering maiden century in the 2018 edition, or Alyssa Healy’s carnage against India that helped Australia lift the cup in 2020, the Women’s T20 World Cups have been filled with red-hot action over the past 14 years.
More magic moments are set to to be created in the 2023 edition in South Africa.
From fixtures to squads to venues to the latest news and much more, this is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.
The Groups
Group 1
Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka
Group 2
England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, West Indies
The venues
Three venues across South Africa will be used for the T20 World Cup.
The event kicks off on February 10 at Newlands, Cape Town, which will also host the semi-finals and the final.
Boland Park in Paarl, and St George’s Park in Gqeberha, are the other venues for the event.
The Teams
Australia
The reigning Women’s T20 World Cup champions and current No.1 side in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, will look to win the title for a record sixth time.
Their squad features some of the biggest names in T20 history including skipper Meg Lanning, vice-captain Healy, all-rounder Perry and pacer Megan Schutt.
Coming off a 2-0 home series win over Pakistan, Australia are in great shape for their title defence.
Bangladesh
Having made it to the tournament by winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022, the Tigresses will look to take the challenge to some of their higher-ranked opponents.
Bangladesh’s squad features several youngsters, some of whom impressed in the recently concluded ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup including big-hitting Shona Akter who was selected for the team of the tournament.
England
Sitting at No.2 in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, England have been a consistent force in the format for some years.
Heather Knight’s team will bank on their experience and look to repeat their feats from the inaugural edition in 2009, when England won the final against New Zealand by six wickets.
India
Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will hope to go one better in South Africa after being beaten finalists of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020.
The side has a good mix of spin and pace options including the likes of Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh and Radha Yadav, while the batting is powered by standout batters like Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma.
Ireland
Laura Delany’s team will aim to make their mark in their fourth appearance in the tournament, after securing their spot through the T20 World Cup Qualifiers 2022.
Ireland can take encouragement from their recent results, which include a 2-1 series win over the host nation in Pakistan.
New Zealand
New Zealand will want to turn around their recent record in the tournament, having exited in the first round of both the 2018 and 2020 World Cups.
The White Ferns, who were runners-up in the first two editions of the tournament, will hope their form last year (10 wins from 14 matches in 2022) carries through to the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Pakistan
Bismah Maroof’s team have faced tough times in the last few months, with series losses to Australia and Ireland in recent times.
With stern tests to come against opponents like India and England in Group 2, Pakistan will turn to veterans like Maroof, Pakistan’s highest run-getter in T20Is, and Nida Dar, Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in the format, to lead the way.
South Africa
After the heartbreak of T20 World Cup 2020, where they narrowly missed out on a spot in the final, South Africa will look to make best use of home conditions.
The hosts are without regular skipper Dane van Niekerk, after she failed to clear the fitness requirements put in place by Cricket South Africa, but have an experienced squad to call on in the big moments.
Sune Luus leads the side which also includes Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt and Shabnim Ismail.
Sri Lanka
Placed at No.9 in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, the Chamari Athapaththu-led side will look to break their World Cup jinx of first round exits and make it to the next stage in South Africa.
Sri Lanka has several spin options to exploit the slow surfaces in South Africa. Slow left-arm orthodox spinners Inoka Ranaweera and Sugandika Kumari lead the attack, with Oshadi Ranasinghe and Kavisha Dilhari in support.
West Indies
Hayley Matthews’ team has a blend of youth and experience as the West Indies look to repeat their feats of the 2016 tournament, when they stunned Australia to lift the cup.
The old hands include former skipper Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle and Afy Fletcher, while the squad also includes impressive performers from the recent U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Trishan Holder, Zaida James and Djenaba Joseph.
Tournament Format
This year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup takes place in two stages.
The 10 teams are divided into two groups of five sides each. South Africa qualified on the basis of being hosts, while seven other sides also gained automatic qualification. Bangladesh and Ireland made it through the qualifiers.
The first round sees the sides participating in round-robin contests in their respective groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stage.
The knockout stage consists of two semi-finals and the Final at Newlands, Cape Town on February 26.
Key dates
February 10: the Women’s T20 World Cup starts with a Group 1 encounter between South Africa and Sri Lanka.
February 21: the first round matches then finish with a clash between South Africa and Bangladesh.
February 23 and 24: the two semi-finals will take place at Newlands, Cape Town.
February 26: the Final will be played at Newlands, Cape Town.
The venues
Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town
Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful venues in the world, being overlooked by Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak
It is a regular venue for Test matches, ODIs and T20Is, while also being the home of the Cape Cobras which play in the Sunfoil Series, Momentum 1 Day Cup and RamSlam Pro20 competitions.
The cricket ground opened in 1888 and is close to Newlands Stadium, which is a rugby union and football venue.
It was announced in March 2019 that the owners of Newlands Cricket Ground, the Western Province Cricket Association, went into partnership with Sanlam to form a new office-block development as part of the cricket ground.
Boland Park, Paarl
Boland Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Paarl, South Africa. It is used mostly for cricket matches and hosted three matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
Boland cricket team and the Cape Cobras both play home matches at the ground, which has a capacity of 10,000 people.
The first ever ODI match at the venue was between India and Zimbabwe in 1997 during a tri-series and ended in a tie. But it is perhaps more well-known for an ODI in 2012 when South Africa dismissed for only 43 runs – the lowest men’s ODI total in their history – to secure a 258-run victory.
St George’s Park, Gqeberha
St George’s Park Cricket Ground in St George’s Park hosted South Africa’s first ever Test match in March 1889, which England won by 8 wickets.
The ground is also known for its brass band that plays during major matches, adding a unique flavour to its atmosphere.
The first ODI played at the ground was in December 1992 when South Africa beat India by 6 wickets.
It is also the home of the Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs in South Africa, and the Eastern Province Club.
