A shock group-stage exit? T20 World Cup team guide

A shock group-stage exit? T20 World Cup team guideImage source, PA MediaImage caption, New Zealand beat South Africa in the final to win the last T20 World Cup in 2024Published1 hour agoThe Women’s T20 World Cup starts on Friday, with hosts England taking on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener at Edgbaston.Six-time winners Australia start as favourites but 50-over world champions India and back-to-back finalists South Africa might have something to say about that.As for England, they sealed a big series win against India in the build-up and have never lost a World Cup when they have been the hosts. The 12-team tournament consists of two groups of six, with the top two teams from each group going through to the semi-finals before the final at Lord’s on 5 July. Former England spinner and 2017 World Cup winner Alex Hartley, who is part of the BBC Test Match Special commentary team, gives a guide to each team and shares her predictions and a player to watch from each participating side.Group One – AustraliaAustralia always start global tournaments as favourites but they have a point to prove in this one – not to anyone else, just themselves because they have fallen short recently. They lost in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2024 and in the 50-over tournament last year. They know they’ll have the favourites tag on them, so it’ll be interesting to see how they approach that under the new leadership of Sophie Molineux after Alyssa Healy’s retirement. Player to watch: Annabel Sutherland (all-rounder)Prediction: ChampionsIndiaThey absolutely have the potential to be double world champions. They’ve got the Women’s Premier League, so they are more used to playing under pressure and in front of crowds than arguably anyone else. There is always the question of whether they can they cope with the expectation from their fans. The 50-over World Cup win has shifted their reputation of crumbling under pressure by finally getting over the line but in T20 cricket they are still a bit too inconsistent with the ball. Their strength is in their batting – they have power hitting all the way down the order which many teams are lacking. But they are in the hardest group and I can see an upset. Player to watch: Bharti Fulmali (batter)Prediction: Group-stage exitSouth AfricaThey have made three world finals in a row now but having lost all of them, they have gained a reputation of buckling under pressure. This is the group of death so it’ll be very tough to get out of, but I think the return of Shabnim Ismail to share the new ball with Marizanne Kapp makes them formidable and they have an exceptional captain in Laura Wolvaardt.Ismail’s return could be seen as a step backwards, if you look at what it means about South Africa’s strength in depth, but without doubt she makes the team stronger. Player to watch: Shabnim Ismail (fast bowler)Prediction: Losing semi-finalists Pakistan I can see Pakistan winning a couple of games but with India, Australia and South Africa in their group, it looks almost impossible for them to reach the semi-finals. They showed at the 50-over World Cup that they have got lots of potential in their bowling attack, as they almost caused upsets against Australia and England, but they lack power in the batting line-up.All eyes will be on captain Fatima Sana. There has been a lot of talk about whether she should get an opportunity in franchise cricket so this is a big chance for her to put her hand up and perform against those stronger teams.Player to watch: Fatima Sana (all-rounder)Prediction: Group-stage exitBangladesh Similarly to Pakistan, Bangladesh’s strength is in their bowling. They had England in all sorts of trouble in last year’s World Cup but they don’t have the batting experience or power to get over the line. I can see their bowling causing a few problems but not enough to trouble the big three in this group.It’s going to be tough for them because they just don’t play enough and without a domestic system, there is no strength in depth. Player to watch: Marufa Akter (fast bowler)Prediction: Group-stage exitNetherlands Again, almost impossible for them to get out of this group but it’s one of the best stories of the World Cup that they have made it this far.One of their players (Caroline de Lange) has quit their day job as a doctor to play in this tournament which just shows where they’re at in terms of development, and they are not a professional side. But it will be an amazing experience for them and this is what the 12-team tournament is about: growing the game. They will be quite reliant on their captain Babette de Leede and Sterre Kalis, who is their most experienced player and has played domestic cricket in the UK for a while.Player to watch: Sterre Kalis (batter)Prediction: Group-stage exit Women’s T20 World Cup12 June to 5 JulyListen on Sounds