The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 is about to start on 10 February in 3 venues in South Africa namely Cape Town, Paarl, and Port Elizabeth. It promises to be an exciting tournament with 10 teams divided into two groups.
Each team has some top-quality batters that can change the course of the game with their aggressive batting. After playing round-robin matches, two teams in each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
It will be a closely contested tournament as Australia would look to defend its title, which it won in 2020.
Here we look at the top 5 batters to look out for in ICC T20 Women’s World Cup 2023
Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana has been the backbone of India’s batting line-up with her aggressive batting at the top along with Shafali Verma. The stylish left-handed can make use of the first six overs and put the opponent team under immense pressure.
She will play an important role for Team India in the upcoming tournament to provide explosive starts making life tough. Right before the World Cup, Mandhana looked impressive in the Tri-series involving hosts South Africa and West Indies.
Mandhana struggled badly in last year’s edition of the World Cup. She made just 49 runs from 4 matches with the best score of 17 runs.
Sophie Devine
Sophie Devine is known for her hard-hitting abilities and provide solid starts to the White Ferns side. She has been the pillar of the New Zealand women’s team for a long time. Devine would be looking to showcase her domination against Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka sides in their Group ensuring that White Ferns reach the semi-finals side.
Devine looked impressive with her batting in the 2020 edition of the World Cup. She made 132 runs from 4 matches including 1 half-century with the best score of 75 not out. Despite her efforts, White Ferns could not qualify for the semi-finals.
She made her World Cup in 2009 and scored 652 runs from 28 matches (27 innings) including 3 half-centuries. Devine would be looking to prove her worth making sure that White Ferns can produce magical performances.
Beth Mooney
Beth Mooney has been in excellent form with her ability to change the momentum of the game with her attacking batting. She opens the innings and can create an impact with both spinners and pacers.
She was in great touch during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2020. Mooney finished as the leading run-getter with 259 runs from 6 matches with 3 half-centuries. After losing the opening match against India, Mooney upped the ante and helped Australia win the title.
The Australian team would be looking that Beth Mooney continues her aggressive form and help them defend their title. She has a brilliant record in T20 World Cup history with 402 runs from 17 matches ( 14 innings) with the best score of 81 not out including 3 half-centuries.
Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur has been struggling for form in recent times. She is known for her power-hitting after settling down.
She would look to lead from the front with her explosive batting and make sure that the Indian team win matches. Her performances in T20 World Cups has been decent enough with 458 runs from 30 matches ( 24 innings) with the best score of 103 against New Zealand in the 2018 edition played in West Indies.
Kaur hit 1 half-century and 1 century in T20 World Cup history. It was a heartbreak as was a part of the team that reached the finals of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup finals in 2020.
Hayley Mathews
The West Indies women’s team has struggled a lot with their batting. Hayley Mathews has been named the captain of the T20 World Cup 2023. With lack of power in the line-up, the onus will be on Mathews to do the bulk of the scoring.
Matthews needs to anchor the innings along with hitting boundaries in the first six overs. With no Deandra Dottin in the squad, Matthews is an experienced player.
Matthews has played 14 matches in T20 World Cup history and scored 261 runs with 2 half-centuries to her name including the best score of 66. She was a part of the winning team that stunned Australia in the finals of the 2016 World Cup played in Kolkata.
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