As the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is about to start. Here are top 10 women cricketers to watch
This is a portion of the content that the ICC Women’s T20 is making available for free editorial use; in the upcoming week, more of these articles, match reports, photos, videos, transcripts, and translations will be made accessible in the ICC Online Media Zone. With so many A-list athletes competing, the women cricketer’s T20 World Cup 2023 won’t even require floodlights.
Ten teams will compete for the trophy that Australia presently holds, and if any team is to win, huge individual performances are required. Here are the top ten players to look out for in the women’s cricket World Cup.
1. Ashleigh Gardner, Australia
42 wickets fell for an average of 20.83 and 1,031 runs at a strike rate of 26.43. The winning catch she made in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 final cemented Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner’s place in history, and she has continued to advance since earning a spot in a loaded batting order. She first ascended to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I All-rounders Rankings in December 2022 after contributing 115 runs and seven wickets to Australia’s series victory over India.
2. Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh
27 stumpings, 18 catches, and 1,225 runs at 24.50. Nigar Sultana will try to lead her team to the semi-finals of the T20 event for the first time after leading them to their maiden appearance in an ODI World Cup last year. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper led Bangladesh in run scoring in both white-ball forms in 2022, leading the way in the Asia Cup and the T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, scoring 367 T20 runs during the year.
3. Charlie Dean, England
11 dismissals at 5.90, with the best total of four for 19. In just four months, off-spinner Charlie Dean made her England debut in each of the three formats. She then claimed 11 wickets at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022. Dean excelled during her team’s tour of the West Indies to mark the signing of her first England contract, capturing 11 wickets in four T20Is.
4. Smriti Mandhana, India
2,565 runs at a speed of 27.28, with a top score of 86. Smriti Mandhana has stepped up to lead India’s batting lineup since legendary skipper Mithali Raj announced her retirement. Mandhana, who was named player of the match after scoring 79 runs, plus 13 in the super over, was instrumental in India’s one and only victory over Australia in 2022. The left-hander was nominated for ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year as well.
5. Arlene Kelly, Ireland
21 wickets at 15.23, 60 runs at 7.50. Arlene Kelly, an all-rounder from Auckland, debuted on the international stage in 2022 and quickly left batters in a daze with her medium-pace right-arm pitch. Although she has yet to genuinely excel with the bat, the 29-year-old has taken 21 wickets at a meager average of only 15.23, and her 28 not out against Bangladesh in September of last year is the best score by a number nine in Women’s T20Is.
6. Eden Carson, New Zealand
11 wickets at 11.81, besting at two for twelve. Eden Carson’s debut competition at the Commonwealth Games concluded with a bright bronze medal, and she will be looking for a similar result as New Zealand looks for its first T20 championship. The off-spinner has faced three of the White Ferns’ group-stage opponents in only eight games, taking three wickets in two matches against Bangladesh. However, when they play defending champions and rivals Australia in their opening match, she will face the biggest test of her abilities to date.
7. Tuba Hassan, Pakistan
14 wickets, best of three for eight, at 16.42. In May 2022, Tuba Hassan made a memorable debut against Sri Lanka, going three for eight as a preview of things to come for the leg-spinner. Following that, Tuba won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for May after taking five wickets in the Sri Lanka series while only allowing 3.66 runs per over. She was the first Pakistani woman to win the award.
8. Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa
776 runs, clocking in at 28.74, had a maximum score of 55 not out. People stop and pay attention when Laura Wolvaardt pulls out her cover drive. Although the right-signature hander’s shot is a thing of beauty, Wolvaardt also possesses guts, as evidenced by the 41 she scored off only 27 balls as South Africa attempted—and eventually failed to—beat Australia in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 semi-final.
9. Harshitha Samarawickrama, Sri Lanka
508 has a peak of 81 and runs at 18.81. Only Jemimah Rodrigues of India scored more runs for Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup than Harshitha Samarawickrama did overall. Samarawickrama beat Thailand with a 81-run innings, giving her a total of 508 runs from 33 games and the highest score in the competition.
10. Hayley Matthews, West Indies
72 wickets fell at a 17.33 rate, for 1,326 runs. Hayley Matthews, West Indies’ outstanding captain, will serve as the team’s captain for the first time in a World Cup after excelling for her team on numerous occasions, most notably in the 2016 championship game. The all-rounder, who scored the most runs for the Windies in the championship with 66 from 45 balls and one wicket taken, is now guiding the Caribbean team through a period of transition.
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