Almost 10 years ago, Sharjah hosted Pakistan’s one-day match against the Sri Lankans in what was the grand old stadium’s first women’s international match.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will begin on Thursday in a nation that struggled until 19 years ago to field 11 players for a women’s cricket team.
When Pakistan plays Sri Lanka on the first day of the tournament, it will be an emotional moment for everyone associated with the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
In what was the grand old stadium’s first women’s international match, Pakistan’s one-day match against Sri Lanka took place there almost ten years ago.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan played the first international women’s match at our stadium in 2015. So, it’s nice to see that these two teams will play tomorrow in Sharjah on the tournament’s first day,” Mazhar Khan, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium’s general manager.
Pakistan played host to the bilateral series. In those days, due to security concerns, the Pakistan team was unable to play at home, so the series was played in Sharjah.
Bangladesh will play Scotland in the opening match at the same stadium at 2 p.m. on Thursday, while Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the evening match (6 p.m.).
The ICC was forced to bring the 10-team World Cup to these shores due to political unrest and a violent student protest across the South Asian nation of Bangladesh. Being able to host World Cup matches for women is a blessing. Khan stated, “We are grateful to the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council, and the Emirates Cricket Board for giving us the opportunity to host these matches.”
Amazingly, when they reached the semifinals of the Global Qualifiers early this year, the UAE came very close to qualifying for this tournament.
However, the team’s hopes of making their World Cup debut were dashed when they fell short in the semifinals to the highly skilled Sri Lankans.
Despite this, Khan asserted that the star-studded World Cup will encourage many young girls in this nation to take up cricket.
He stated, “It’s going to be a big boost for the game in this country, as far as UAE women’s cricket is concerned.” It was challenging to field a team of 11 girls for a match, looking back. The situation has changed now, and the girls are doing extremely well.
“We were very close to qualifying for this World Cup. They are among the strongest associate teams in Asia, and our team is very good right now.
Australia, which has won the Women’s T20 World Cup six times, will be the strongest team in 2024.
A team has rarely dominated a tournament with such ferocity as Australia.
However, skipper Alyssa Healy did not take her adversaries lightly.
Healy stated at the Captains’ Day on Wednesday at the Dubai International Stadium, “There are ten teams sitting on the stage here today that deserve to be here and have a real shot at winning this World Cup.” Healy was speaking at the event.
“You don’t come here to defend a title; that’s not what a World Cup is about,” said one player. “We’re here with that approach, and I’m excited to start.”
Along with Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, and New Zealand, Australia has been placed in Group A.
Our pool is quite challenging. The Australian captain stated, “We’ve got to get past a lot of these teams to be able to lift the trophy, and it’s a challenge we’re excited for.”
India is likely to present Australia with their greatest obstacle during the group stages.
While India’s team is still waiting for their first ICC trophy, the women’s game has made significant progress in the cricket-obsessed nation.
However, Harmanpreet Kaur, captain, stated that her team will take inspiration from this year’s men’s team T20 World Cup victory.
We were obviously greatly inspired by their victory. The flamboyant middle order batter stated, “I am happy with where our team is, like how our team is working hard to achieve small, small things.”
In the meantime, South Africa, who finished second to Bangladesh, Scotland, England, and the West Indies in last year’s competition, has been placed in Group B with the others.
Laura Wolvaardt, the captain, stated, “I think last year was great, but we’re just looking to take it one game at a time.”
“Obviously a very difficult pool, but if we can make it to the semifinals, anything can happen from that.”
Dubai and Sharjah will host 23 matches over 18 days to determine the next winner of the global showpiece, and fans can’t wait for the action to start.
ICC 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup
October 3-20
Dubai and Sharjah
10 teams, two groups
Group A
Australia
India
New Zealand
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Group B
Bangladesh
England
West Indies
South Africa
Scotland