New Delhi: The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is around the corner with 10 teams to grapple for the top honours in the course of next 17 days in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The eyes will be on veteran players of the game Perrys, Harmanpreets, Devines, Bates, Taylors, Matthews as this particular juncture will shed light on whether they should prolong their careers or call it time hereafter.
The showpiece event will also throw opportunity at young guns to shine and leave an indelible remark on their respective careers. Some of them have went through a rigorous process to make cut in their respective national teams and getting into a T20 World Cup squad is a big achievement. Let’s look at five such young cricketers who can be focused in the ninth edition of the World T20.
Phoebe Litchfield (Australia)
Phoebe Litchfield is considered as the next generation star. She broke into Australian cricket circuit as a teen prodigy and has now transformed as a stylish middle order batter for the Alyssa Healy-led team. Playing in her first major global event, the 21-year-old will be expected to flourish in the Australian batting line-up, though she didn’t got the opportunity to bat in their warm-up games against the West Indies and England.
She made her T20I debut for Australia in December 2022 and has played 16 matches, scoring 268 runs from 12 innings at an impressive strike rate of 153.14. Her rise in international cricket has been rapid. She has made 1212 runs in 63 innings in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), striking at 111.91.
Shreyanka Patil (India)
Shreyanka Patil will be effective with her off-breakers to break key partnerships and curb runs in the middle overs. The Karnataka youngster is also handy with the bat, playing some superb late cameos. She has gained enough exposure in competitions such as Women’s Premier League and Caribbean Premier League.
Shreyanka has played 12 T20I matches for the Indian team, having made her debut in December last year. She has claimed 16 dismissals with the ball, though she has got limited opportunity with the bat (7 runs in two innings).
Kavisha Dilhari (Sri Lanka)
Kavisha Dilhari is one of the emerging all-rounders in the women’s cricket. She has performed well in the last few months, though she made her Sri Lanka debut in both white-ball formats in 2018. Her exploits with the bat has boosted the middle-order for Sri Lanka. The 23-year-old will be key in Chamari Athapaththu’s side to translate their continental success at the global stage.
Freya Kemp (England)
At the age of 17 years and 145 days, Freya Kemp became the youngest player from England across gender to score a fifty in T20Is. She made unbeaten 51 against India in Derby in September 2022. She has played 19 T20Is for England apart from her regular appearance for Southern Brave in Women’s Hundred. Kemp has admitted on missing out of England’s squad for last year’s T20 World Cup in South Africa and she will be hungry to perform in the gulf nation this time.
Marufa Akter (Bangladesh)
Marufa Akter has emerged as one of the quickest bowlers in Bangladesh women’s team. She has made massive impact with her pace, deomolishing the defences of the opposition batters. The 19-year-old’s debut at the last World T20 allowed her to tell the world her challenging journey. It’s her ability to move the ball both ways on the pitch that makes a her a go-to bowler for any captain. She will have the challenge to test her pace and moment in the batting-friendly conditions of the UAE.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is around the corner with 10 teams to grapple for the top honours in the course of next 17 days in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The eyes will be on veteran players of the game Perrys, Harmanpreets, Devines, Bates, Taylors, Matthews as this particular juncture will shed light on whether they should prolong their careers or call it time hereafter. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
