Girls’s T20 World Cup 2024: England look ‘very sturdy’ however holders Australia nonetheless ‘the facet to beat’ | Cricket Information

Sky Sports activities’ Nasser Hussain seems forward to the 2024 Girls’s T20 World Cup, assessing England’s possibilities of ending their 15-year await a second title, in addition to holders Australia’s hopes of securing a seventh success.

How are England trying heading into World Cup?

They have a really sturdy crew, a great mix of youth and expertise.

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Saturday fifth October 2:30pm

And clearly they may wish to go a minimum of one stage higher than after they received knocked out within the semi-finals final yr to hosts South Africa.

I lined that World Cup and England positively had been far more attacking – they’ve been ever since Jon Lewis has been head coach… and it seems prefer it’s changing into far more pure to them.

They have good spin choices, which I believe you want in girls’s cricket, and for the situations within the UAE, with Sharjah and Dubai the 2 venues.

The video games are double-headers, and I discovered that within the males’s T20 World Cup held within the UAE [in 2022], it was very toss-dependent due to the dew, which implies you are likely to bowl first after which chase below lights.

With the bat, Alice Capsey is again to her finest. It seems virtually like she suffered final yr from virtually second-season syndrome – folks work you out a bit of bit and it’s a must to address being that form of celebrity that everybody is speaking about in English cricket.

In addition to Capsey, you’ve got then received the expertise of Danni Wyatt and Nat Sciver-Brunt, and the skipper Heather Knight is in nice kind too. She had a superb Hundred, lifting the trophy for London Spirit at Lord’s.

The captain taking part in properly I all the time suppose is essential. Should you consider somebody like Meg Lanning traditionally, when she’s captained Australia, you lead from the entrance.

Talking of Australia, England received a number of confidence off the again of beating Australia – who’re nonetheless the facet to beat – within the white-ball a part of the multi-format Ashes sequence final yr.

What do you make of the squad they’ve chosen?

They have these three high quality spin choices.

Sophie Ecclestone continues to be the primary bowler on the planet on this format, and you then’ve additionally received Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean… the three of them are completely excellent.

They’ve additionally received one other spin choice within the squad as properly in Linsey Smith. She is a wonderful choice, giving England one other spin choice to bowl within the powerplay – she was completely magnificent in The Hundred, bowled economically and had wicket-taking potential.

The one factor I might say is, how usually are they going to select 4 spinners and have her within the crew?

They left Lauren Filer – tall, quick bowler – out of the squad, and I’ll have gone with that choice just because I all the time prefer to take folks within the squad who will play within the crew.

You have already received three spinners and if it actually turns, you’ve got all the time received Capsey as properly, who bowls a little bit of off-spin.

Will Australia’s dominance proceed?

With Australia, the expectation is to simply win. That is the identical with any Australian facet in a World Cup, males’s or girls’s.

It isn’t a case of, ‘we received via to a last and the opposite facet performed properly’. That doesn’t occur.

I keep in mind being on the protection in South Africa final yr after they received the ultimate and saying, ‘that is the very best cricketing facet we have seen – males or girls’.

I believe Tammy Beaumont mentioned it might be the very best ever sporting facet, given the quantity they’ve received and their dominance over the previous decade or so – Commonwealth Video games, 50-over World Cups, T20 cricket and The Ashes.

Regardless of the format, they’re serial winners.

That mentioned, I believe they do miss Meg Lanning. I believe there was a slight drop off since her retirement due to her significance to that facet, the best way she led and the best way she batted.

This can be a first main event with Alyssa Healy in cost. She has to concentrate on protecting, opening the batting and captaining, so the important thing for her is to have the ability to compartmentalise all of that and do it properly.

She’s a incredible participant, so I believe if Healy has a great event, that can go a great distance in direction of Australia profitable – as a result of as she good points confidence, that can then filter via to the crew.

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Thursday third October 10:30am

What do you make of the opposite groups’ prospects?

I’d nonetheless take a look at the 4 semi-finalists from final time, England, South Africa, India and Australia. They’re the 4 powerhouses.

There aren’t any simple video games although. Different sides have some particular person brilliance inside their groups, just like the West Indies with Hayley Matthews.

I’d additionally regulate Sri Lanka, with Chamari Athapaththu and among the youthful ladies who’re bettering exponentially in that squad.

I’ve additionally seen that with Pakistan, they’re beginning to attempt to play extra aggressively, significantly with the bat.

I’ve all the time felt with the Pakistan girls’s facet, with the ball and within the area, they’re glorious, however should you rating over 140 or 150 in opposition to them, they battle to match that with the bat.

Lately in opposition to South Africa, I famous they received a giant rating, and that tells me they’ve had an actual change of mindset. Will probably be fascinating to see how they do.

Do England have the better draw?

Group A seems barely tougher, however what you’ll be able to’t afford is to have that mindset going into the event of ‘we’re within the simple group’ and begin trying ahead to the semi-finals.

I am positive Heather and the crew, and head coach John Lewis, won’t suppose that method in any respect, as a result of should you do you’ll be able to come unstuck in a event.

You’ll be able to simply lose one recreation, particularly in T20, the shorter the format – it simply takes one participant to have an absolute blinder with bat or ball and also you’re properly up in opposition to it.

Then, should you’ve misplaced one, all of the sudden your group would not look as simple, as a result of each recreation thereafter turns into must-win.

Watch each match of the 2024 Girls’s T20 World Cup dwell on Sky Sports activities, beginning with the event opener between Bangladesh and Scotland on Thursday October 3 in Sharjah and concluding with the ultimate in Dubai on Sunday October 20.