A nation that struggled to field 11 players for a women’s cricket team just 19 years ago is now set to host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup starting Thursday. It will be an emotional moment for everyone connected to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium when Pakistan takes on Sri Lanka on the tournament’s opening day.
Nearly a decade ago, Sharjah hosted Pakistan’s one-day match against Sri Lanka, marking the grand old stadium’s first women’s international match. “The first international women’s match at our stadium was played in 2015 between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It’s heartwarming to see both these teams playing tomorrow in Sharjah on the opening day of the tournament,” said Mazhar Khan, General Manager of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, in an interview with the Khaleej Times.
“It was a bilateral series, and Pakistan was the host. Due to security concerns, Pakistan couldn’t host the matches in their country, so the series was held in Sharjah.” While Pakistan faces Sri Lanka in the evening match (6 pm) on Thursday, Bangladesh will take on Scotland in the opening game (2 pm) at the same stadium.
Bangladesh was initially scheduled to host the World Cup, but political unrest and violent student protests across the South Asian country prompted the ICC to relocate the 10-team tournament. “It’s a blessing to host women’s World Cup matches. We are grateful to the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the ICC, and the Emirates Cricket Board for giving us this opportunity,” Khan added.
Remarkably, the UAE nearly qualified for this tournament, reaching the semifinals of the Global Qualifiers earlier this year. However, a narrow loss to the experienced Sri Lankans dashed their World Cup debut hopes. Nonetheless, Khan believes the star-studded World Cup will inspire many young girls to take up cricket in the UAE.
“As far as UAE women’s cricket is concerned, this tournament will be a significant boost for the sport in our country,” he said. “It was challenging to assemble a team of 11 girls for a match. Now, things have changed, and the girls are performing exceptionally well.”
The strongest team in the 2024 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup is Australia, which has won the title six times. Despite their dominance, skipper Alyssa Healy is not underestimating her opponents. “There are 10 teams here today that deserve to be here and have a real shot at winning this World Cup,” Healy said during the Captains’ Day at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.
Australia has been drawn in Group A alongside India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. “Our pool is quite challenging. We need to get past several strong teams to lift the trophy, and we’re excited for this challenge,” the Aussie captain noted. Australia is expected to face their toughest competition from India in the group stages.
The women’s game has seen remarkable improvement in cricket-crazy India, but their team is yet to win an ICC trophy. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur hopes to draw inspiration from the men’s team’s T20 World Cup victory this year. “Their victory was a big inspiration for us. I’m pleased with our team’s progress and the hard work they’re putting in,” she said.
Meanwhile, South Africa, drawn in Group B alongside Bangladesh, Scotland, England, and the West Indies, aims to win the elusive trophy after finishing as runners-up last year. “Last year was great, but we’re focusing on taking it one game at a time,” said captain Laura Wolvaardt. “Our pool is very competitive, but we hope to make the semifinals and see what happens from there.”
Fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the action, as Dubai and Sharjah will host 23 matches over 18 days to determine the next winner of the global showpiece.
