ICC World T20 2016: No.1 ranked Australia favourite to win fourth consecutive Women’s World Twenty20 title
Meg Lanning’s Australia has won three out of four ICC Women’s World Twenty20 tournaments to date, and it is no surprise that the number-one ranked T20I side in the world will start this competition as clear favourite.
England is the only other side to have won the tournament when it clinched the inaugural edition of the competition in 2009 in its backyard. Charlotte Edward’s side is closely behind Australia in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Rankings having finished as runner-up in the 2012 and 2014.
Host India is coming into this tournament following a home series win against Sri Lanka. Mithali Raj’s girls will be keen to fully utilise familiar conditions and pull off a few surprise results against higher ranked Australia, England and third-ranked New Zealand.
The 10 women’s sides are divided into two groups, with Group A featuring Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka and Group B including India, England, Pakistan, Bangladesh and West Indies. The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals.
Based on the teams’ rankings Australia and New Zealand are expected to progress to the semi-finals from Group A, while England is likely to top Group B. This means fight for the second place in this group is between India and the West Indies.
The women’s matches will begin on 15 March when host India will take on Bangladesh in an afternoon match starting at 15h00 Bengaluru, whilst New Zealand will play Sri Lanka in an evening match starting at 19h30 in Delhi.
The fifth edition of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 will feature 10 sides, with eight teams from the ICC Women’s Championship joined by Bangladesh and Ireland, which claimed the top two positions in the ICC Women’s Twenty20 Qualifier 2015.
A total of 23 matches will be played in the women’s competition, including the semi-finals and the final which will be played before the men’s knock-out matches on the same day and at the same venues. Out of 23 women’s matches, the ICC will produce broadcast coverage of a record 13 matches, which, in turn will be carried around the world by ICC’s Global Broadcast Partner Star Sports and other broadcast partners.
On the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Rankings, 59 points separate top-ranked Australia (129 points) from eighth-ranked Sri Lanka (70 points). England is second on 122 points, followed by New Zealand (114), India (111), West Indies (101), South Africa (94), Pakistan (80), Sri Lanka (70), Bangladesh (47) and Ireland (31).
Australia has an impressive record in the tournament, having won 15 out of a total of 20 matches to date. Nevertheless, it is coming into this tournament having lost T20I series’ to India and New Zealand this year.
Meg Lanning is the number-one ranked batter on the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Rankings, but she is the only Australia batter to feature inside the top 10. Alex Blackwell, Ellyse Perry and Elyse Villani are in 14th, 15th and 16th positions respectively, while Alyssa Healy in in 18th.
Amongst the bowlers, third-ranked Perry is Australia’s highest-ranked bowler, with Jess Jonassen (ninth), Rene Farrell (11th), and Megan Schutt (18th) the other bowlers to figure in the top 20
England enters the tournament at the back of a 2-1 series win against South Africa. Second-ranked Sarah Taylor is her side’s highest-ranked batter, while captain Charlotte Edwards is sitting in fourth position. Amongst the bowlers, England has possession of the top two spots, thanks to Anya Shrubsole and Danielle Hazell.
New Zealand has played a total of 19 matches in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 competition and has lost just five. Suzie Bates’ side will start the competition believing that it has a great shot at winning the competition this year.
And giving a boost to its ambitions is the fact that a large number of its players feature prominently in the charts, led by Bates (second) and Sophie Devine (10th) in the batting table and Morna Nielsen (fourth) is the bowling category.
Host India, which got the better of Australia in Australia at the end of January this year, will be confident of a good performance. Its middle-order batter and captain Mithali Raj is sitting in fifth spot, while fast bowler Jhulan Goswami is 12th.
Amongst the all-rounders, Australia’s Perry is in top position, followed by Dane van Niekerk of South Africa and Salma Khatun of Bangladesh. Bismah Maroof of Pakistan is in seventh while Sri Lanka captain Shashikala Siriwardene features in ninth place.
The leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 are Edwards with 566 runs and Perry with 24 wickets.
Australia will go in as the top-ranked side in the tournament, but seven of the eight ICC women’s championship teams have been in action earlier this year, and have shown great fight and potential proving that this tournament will have a number of serious contenders.
While the team rankings will be updated after each match, the player rankings will not be updated until after the conclusion of second-round matches on 28 March.
MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Rankings (as on 13 March)
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1. | Australia | 129 |
| 2. | England | 122 |
| 3. | New Zealand | 114 |
| 4. | India | 111 |
| 5. | West Indies | 101 |
| 6. | South Africa | 94 |
| 7. | Pakistan | 80 |
| 8. | Sri Lanka | 70 |
| 9. | Bangladesh | 47 |
| 10. | Ireland | 31 |