Sport’s charm lies in unpredictability. That is a universal truth. Even for the Australian women’s cricket team.
It wasn’t quite so, until a couple of years ago.
For a long time in women’s cricket, ahead of an ICC World Cup the big question would be who Australia would play in the final. If not who Australia would beat in the final.
The Aussie women were that good. It was a gathering of some of the game’s all-time greats.
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The Aussie women are still good. They start as most people’s favourites at the Women’s T20 World Cup, which gets underway in Birmingham on Friday, with England taking on Sri Lanka.
But, the current Australian side, the most rounded among all the 12, doesn’t have that aura of invincibility, which was the case when Meg Lanning led one of the best teams of all time in sport, not just cricket. There are at least four teams in contention for the title.
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This promises to be not just bigger than the previous nine World Cups. It could also be the most watched one as well (more than two million viewed ICC’s streaming of the warm-up match between England and India).
This is also the most open World Cup in history. England, India, South Africa and New Zealand ensure as much. Any one of them could kiss that ICC trophy at Lord’s on July 5.
It is not that Australia is in decline. Just look at Alyssa Healy’s replacement Georgia Voll. Or other youngsters like Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield.
Australia is no longer the undisputed superpower because others have become stronger. New Zealand is the defending champion. India won the ODI World Cup at home last November, finally ending the agonising wait for a global title. South Africa contested the final of the last three ICC World titles, without winning any (so what is new, you might ask).
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Of the five title contenders, one will bow out after the group stage. Australia, India and South Africa are all in Group A. In Group B, England — which should be desperate to regain the trophy it won at home in the first edition in 2009 – and New Zealand may have it easier, though the West Indies cannot be taken lightly; a team that has Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin can spring surprises.
Other stars ready to shine bright this England summer include India’s Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues; Australia’s Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney; South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and Shabnim Ismail; England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lauren Bell; and New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and Amelie Kerr.
Devine is part of the Kiwi triumvirate – alongside Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu – who will end their international careers with this tournament. They represent a generation of female cricketers that had to depend on proper jobs to make a living. Like all but one of the present Netherlands team.
The Dutch will try to make a point, against the big teams. As will Scotland and Ireland, in familiar conditions.
Published on Jun 11, 2026
