Women's T20 World Cup runs from October 3-20 in UAE with England's first game against Bangladesh on October 5; Scotland in England's group; Australia are defending champions for tournament that is live on Sky Sports; top two teams in each pool make semi-finals
Thursday 26 September 2024 14:45, UK
The 2024 Women's T20 World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates from October 3-20 with Australia aiming for a third straight title and seventh overall and England seeking to triumph for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2009.
Every match will be live on Sky Sports, starting with the tournament opener between Bangladesh and Scotland on Thursday October 3 in Sharjah and concluding with the final in Dubai on Sunday October 20.
The tournament will offer a record amount of prize money totalling £6m, the ICC has confirmed, with the champions to win £1.77m - more than double the previous award for 2023 champions Australia (£756,335). The losing finalists will walk away with £884,911, while each of the 10 participating teams are assured of £85,088.
The competition was due to be held in Bangladesh but has been moved to the UAE due to civil unrest.
Six-time champions and tournament favourites Australia join India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Group A. England - champions at the inaugural edition on home soil in 2009 but trophy-less since - are in Group B alongside fellow home nation, and first-time qualifiers Scotland, Bangladesh, South Africa and West Indies.
Group A: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Group B: Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, West Indies
Sides play the other teams in their group once with the top two progressing to the semi-finals. The winners of Group A face the runners-up in Group B and vice versa before the winners of those games advance to the final.
Heather Knight (captain), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt.
2009 - England, beat New Zealand by six wickets
2010 - Australia, beat New Zealand by three runs
2012 - Australia, beat England by four runs
2014 - Australia, beat England by six wickets
2016 - West Indies, beat Australia by eight wickets
2018 - Australia, beat England by eight wickets
2020 - Australia, beat India by 85 runs
2023 - Australia, beat South Africa by 19 runs
England exited at the semi-final stage for the second-straight tournament, and third time in the last four editions - this time beaten by hosts South Africa, who reached the final for the first time, only to succumb to the almighty Australia.
Champions of the inaugural 2009 T20 World Cup, England have only once failed to make the final four since, when defending their title in 2010, while they have also been tournament runners-up on three occasions - all to Australia.
The team's 2023 semi-final exit will have been a particularly bitter pill to swallow as the team topped the group stage with four wins from four - which included a Women's T20 World Cup record 114-run win over Pakistan, with England's score of 213 also a new record high for the tournament.
In their semi-final loss to South Africa, England were seemingly well set when 131-3 needing 34 from the final four overs. But, two balls later, star batter Nat Sciver-Brunt departed, while three more wickets fell in Ayabonga Khaka's following over as Heather Knight's side ultimately collapsed to defeat.
There is optimism again that England can end their 15-year wait for a second T20 World Cup title, the team having won 18 of their last 24 matches since that final-four exit early last year.
That run includes a 2-1 series win over the all-conquering Australia as part of the 2023 multi-format Ashes, series wins in both India and New Zealand as well as whitewashes of Pakistan and the White Fearns this summer.
That said, there have also been notable hiccups along the way, including a home series loss to Sri Lanka last year and, only last month, a shock first T20 defeat to Ireland.
The captain, however, says she is the "most confident" she has ever felt going into a World Cup.
"We have probably had a bit of a hoodoo around Australia but the Ashes last summer changed that," Knight told Sky Sports prior to the tournament.
"I think that was when as a team we believed we could beat Australia, we were good enough to beat them, and competing against them really hard. I think that change of mindset is a really important one.
"I think going into this World Cup is the most confident I have felt. It doesn't guarantee anything but we are prepared, settled, and the best squad depth we have had."
England boast the world's No 1 ranked T20 bowler in the form of star spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who also tops the ODI charts along with Nat Sciver-Brunt in the batting rankings.
Sciver-Brunt doesn't quite touch such lofty heights in the T20 rankings but is still, without doubt, England's best batter, while the likes of Danni Wyatt and Alice Capsey provide further boundary-hitting firepower.
Also look out for 19-year-old all-rounder Freya Kemp, who missed out on last year's tournament but is back this time out and provides serious firepower down the order and with her left-arm fast bowling.
Australia have the world's best T20 batters in the shape of Beth Mooney (No 1) and Tahlia McGrath (No 2) in their top order, while Ash Gardner is second only to West Indies' Hayley Matthews on the all-rounder front.
The elegant Smriti Mandhana forms a formidable opening duo with Shafali Verma for India, while Sri Lanka are becoming more of a force on the world stage - winning their first Asia Cup this year - behind the relentless run-scoring of Chamari Athapaththu, who averaged over 100 for the T20 tournament.
South Africa have batting and bowling standouts in Laura Wolvaardt and Shabnim Ismail, respectively, while star spinners Alana King of Australia and India's Deepti Sharma could prove a nightmare for opposition batters.
As for newcomers Scotland, their most notable name is all-rounder and captain Kathryn Bryce, a veteran of English domestic cricket, with the 26-year-old also named the ICC's associate women's player of the decade for 2011-20 on the back of her performances for her country.
The title match will take place on Sunday October 20, from 3pm in Cape Town. It would be a surprise if Australia were not in it, having contested all but one of the seven T20 World Cup finals so far.
All times UK and Ireland
Thurs Oct 3: Bangladesh vs Scotland (Sharjah) - 11am
Thurs Oct 3: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Sharjah) - 3pm
Fri Oct 4: South Africa vs West Indies (Dubai) - 11am
Fri Oct 4: India vs New Zealand (Dubai) - 3pm
Sat Oct 5: Bangladesh vs England (Sharjah) - 11am
Sat Oct 5: Australia vs Sri Lanka (Sharjah) - 3pm
Sun Oct 6: India vs Pakistan (Dubai) - 11am
Sun Oct 6: West Indies vs Scotland (Dubai) - 3pm
Mon Oct 7: England vs South Africa (Sharjah) - 3pm
Tues Oct 8: Australia vs New Zealand (Sharjah) - 3pm
Wed Oct 9: South Africa vs Scotland (Dubai) - 11am
Wed Oct 9: India vs Sri Lanka (Dubai) - 3pm
Thurs Oct 10: Bangladesh vs West Indies (Sharjah) - 3pm
Fri Oct 11: Australia vs Pakistan (Dubai) - 3pm
Sat Oct 12: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka (Sharjah) - 11am
Sat Oct 12: Bangladesh vs South Africa (Dubai) - 3pm
Sun Oct 13: England vs Scotland (Sharjah) - 11am
Sun Oct 13: India vs Australia (Sharjah) - 3pm
Mon Oct 14: Pakistan vs New Zealand (Dubai) - 3pm
Tues Oct 15: England vs West Indies (Dubai) - 3pm
Thurs Oct 17: Semi Final 1 (Dubai) - 3pm
Fri Oct 18: Semi Final 2 (Sharjah) - 3pm
Sun Oct 20: TBC (Dubai) - 3pm
