All you need to know about women's T20 World Cup 2023

The T20 world cup begins on February 10th with a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. The final Women’s T20 World Cup match was played in early 2020 when a record 86,174 spectators filled the MCG to watch the hosts Australia beat India by 85 runs in the championship match. That was only a few days before the Covid-19 outbreak caused a significant alteration in the course of history. Despite stumbling through lockdowns, travel bans, and bio-secure bubbles at various points along the way, life is now back to normal, for lack of a better term, and women’s cricket is making the enormous strides that were hoped for off the back of that historic match, which was also watched by 53 million viewers at home.

Where is it being played?

South Africa, which recently hosted the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and saw India claim victory, will host the competition. The majority of games, including both semifinals and the championship game, will take place in Newlands, one of the nation’s most beautiful stadiums in Cape Town with a breathtaking view of Table Mountain. Five matches will be played at St George’s Park in Gqeberha over the course of seven days, while a number of games will be held at the magnificent Boland Park in Paarl, less than an hour’s drive to the north-west.

Read more: SA20: Squads and broadcasting details for the inaugural season

Who are the contenders for the world cup?

Even though a lot may have changed, Australia is still the favourite to retain its title and win both the 50-over and T20 world championships. In their last 17 completed T20Is, they have only lost one, which occurred when the host team won the Super Over in the second game of their five-match series in India in December. They also had an unblemished Commonwealth Games campaign.

India challenged Australia for the Commonwealth gold medal, but Australia won by a score of nine runs. With a team captained by Shafali Verma and including wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, India’s Under-19s recently won the nation’s first women’s cricket World Cup. Both players will now join the senior team in an effort to build on their success. England, who finished second in the ODI World Cup last year, has the talent to compete and has welcomed back skipper Heather Knight from a hip injury. They are hoping that talented young allrounder Alice Capsey has healed sufficiently from a broken collarbone to be a factor.

New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine is suffering from a foot stress fracture, and while South Africa’s management is aiming for a final spot, they will have to do so without Dane van Niekerk, who failed to fulfil their fitness criteria and was controversially left out.

Regardless of progress, this event is likely to keep a focus on the gap between the haves and have-nots, with the best-funded countries still a long way ahead. West Indies’ form has deteriorated considerably since winning the title in 2016, Pakistan has provided little competition for Australia in the recent series, while Sri Lanka hasn’t played a T20I since losing the Asia Cup final to India in October.