ICC Women’s T20 World Cup set to raise the bar further

Cricket’s desert duels in Dubai and two more venues in the United Arab Emirates have centred around the men, for more than four decades. For a change, and a good one at that, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, beginning today, will be a welcome change. It was a good effort from the custodians of world cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), to organise a press conference on Wednesday, where captains from all the ten sides participating spoke excitedly.

From an Indian point of view, one question has been asked, repeatedly, if the ‘Women In Blue’ can lift an ICC Trophy. Will the UAE, especially Dubai, turn out to be a happy hunting ground?  The number of times the Indian ladies have flirted with success is well known, finishing runner-up in the last edition. Clubbed in the same pool as mighty Australia, led by destructive Allysa Healy, India are aware it will not be easy. Yet, if you have heard the voices from the Indian camp, since, these days, so much of content is thrown up on the ICC’s own video platforms, none of the Indians fear tough competition.

At 35, Harmanpreet Kaur is the seasoned captain who carries a wealth of experience and leads a side which has immense talent, explosive in nature. For sheer strength in batting and the way the Indian women have made a mark as professionals in the game in recent years, there are a lot of positives. Yet, the Indian cricket fans, where support for women’s cricket is also rising now, do hope the team can land a big trophy. There is nothing really wrong in that. Juxtapose the Indian men and women who play the shortest format of cricket. Call it slam-bang, or whiz-thud, each team has learnt to adapt and grow. If you had watched Indian women’s cricket a decade back, it was almost like slow-motion, when compared with the men.

The BCCI (Indian cricket board) deserves credit for treating the women much better these days. It has resulted in a better structure and the talent pool has been tapped into. Indeed, the ‘Women In Blue’ play fearless cricket, where the swagger of Harmanpreet Kaur is, sometimes, confused with arrogance. There is a lot to learn from an outfit like Australia, whose winning record is astonishing. And with Meg Lanning now retired, Allysa Healy is a leader with a huge responsibility. Yes, even now, it’s the Aussies India need to take head-on, which will be watched with interest in the coming days of action.

This World Cup shifting to the UAE means conditions are far different. Almost all the captains have spoken about it. So, how India adapt as well will be important, though they are used to heat and humidity. At the same time, the Aussies are through professionals and will not take things lightly. On paper, if one looks at the names adorning the India team list, it is impressive. Apart from Harmanpreet, the other well-known names include Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Smrithi Mandhana and Deepti Sharma. The bowling unit also has famous names.

Where India have learnt more is thanks to the women’s equivalent of the IPL (Indian Premier League), known as the WPL. The Women’s Premier Leage has witnessed two exciting seasons. For those who thought there were no takers for women’s cricket, crowds turning up in Bengaluru and New Delhi was a revelation, earlier this year. Franchise cricket is something which Indian women’s cricket badly needed. Earlier, some of the well-known Indians needed to go to the Big Bash League (BBL) to showcase their skills or play in England. To now have a league at home where the best come from the world over, the WPL is meaningful for the Indians.

One thing is sure, these Indian ladies play fearless cricket. If there has been a stumbling block, it has been Australia. This time, the hope is, India will do better. And if they do not, people will still support them. It is not as if the Indian men also have been winning ICC trophies on a regular basis, though the ICC T20 World Cup win in the West Indies was a delight.  Harmanpreet is also aware of the sport’s rising profile as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will see the inclusion of cricket. All this augurs well for women’s cricket. Indeed, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE will produce good quality cricket, starting today.