The Indian squad will compete in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, kicking off on October 3, with their first match against New Zealand on October 4 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
According to the ICC, the Women’s T20I cricket tournament will last for 19 days and feature 10 teams competing in 23 matches for the most prestigious title.
India taking on Pakistan on October 6 in Dubai
The first weekend of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be highlighted by the highly anticipated match between traditional rivals India and Pakistan, scheduled for a Sunday showdown.
Although India has a strong history of winning against Pakistan in Women’s T20s, Pakistan managed to give them a tough challenge in the recent tournament by almost successfully chasing a target of 150 runs. Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten half-century helped India secure the victory with one over remaining.
It is notable that India’s most recent loss to Pakistan in a women’s T20I was in Bangladesh in 2022 at the Asia Cup.
This highly anticipated match will see a stronger Pakistan team trying to defeat their major competitors on the global platform.
England will face South Africa on October 7 in Sharjah
The last time these two teams faced off in this format was in an exciting semi-final match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. The tense confrontation resulted in the Proteas narrowly beating England by six runs while defending 165 runs to advance to their inaugural World Cup final.
Many of the same stars who were active back then are expected to still be playing when these teams come together at the 2024 event in Sharjah.
In total, South Africa has only managed to defeat England four times out of 24 Women’s T20Is, and Heather Knight’s team will feel optimistic about their chances of securing a significant victory early in the tournament.
Australia against New Zealand on October 8 in Sharjah
The White Ferns have defeated Australia 21 times in Women’s T20Is, the most wins by any team against the six-time T20 World Cup champions.
When they reunite at the global level, the focus will be on New Zealand’s potent batting roster and their ability to challenge Australia for the win.
Australia has been defeated in two out of their last five finished women’s T20Is against the White Ferns.
At the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, Australia shut out the White Ferns, winning by 97 runs as Ashleigh Gardner claimed a five-wicket haul, dismissing them for 76.
October 13, India vs Australia match in Sharjah
India’s impressive emergence in women’s cricket has led them to face Australia in the final of two significant women’s tournaments since 2020 – the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final in 2020 and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
Australia emerged victorious both times, but India has shown their strength in recent matches against the powerful Australians.
In the final of the Commonwealth Games, they came very close to defeating the Australians. In the end, they were defeated by just nine runs.
In the final matches of the Women’s T20 World Cup, these well-known rivals face each other with both teams aiming to secure their spots in the semi-finals. If not, they would have a challenging task ahead with the match expected to be highly competitive.
England will be facing West Indies on October 15 in Dubai
The West Indies have left a lasting impact in Women’s T20Is following the conclusion of the previous edition of the competition in South Africa.
During this time frame, West Indies has emerged victorious in 10 out of 14 Women’s T20Is, with the standout Hayley Matthews earning the Player of the Match award in over half of these matches.
Their final Group game of the tournament will be against a formidable English team. It won’t be simple to win against them, but if Matthews and her team can score well, they have an opportunity to beat this England team in Women’s T20Is for the first time since 2018.