Today, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is set to be launched with a bang as Dubai International Stadium hosted Captains’ Day where all the 10 team captains were present a day before the commencement of the ninth edition of the event. Harmanpreet Kaur, who is the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, spoke about the aspect of learning in cricket, affirming that she went on to say, “There’s something that I think we keep learning every day. When you win, sometimes you feel, OK, that is something I have achieved. But the next day, when you play, you have made these very small mistakes. I think that is the whole game. There’s no end to learning, every day is a learning day. I am learning from every game played in it. The best part is that people around me are trying and making efforts to take us to the level we want as a team. I appreciate the team’s efforts in putting in the work they are doing even to meet the little goals.”, according to statements made to ICC.
Healy was also asked about the competitive aspect of the tournament and replied: “There are ten teams here, and they all belong here, because everybody has a real chance to win this World Cup, and to be honest you do not even come here to defend a title that is not what this World Cup is about rather you come here to win it. This particular cross-section of teams is formidable. A lot of those teams have to be overcome in order to raise the cup and we welcome the challenge.’
The team of the West Indies captain, Hayley Matthews, also spoke about the prolonged period of time associated with the World Cup preparation, noting ‘It is such that you play all year long training bar the last two where you even entered, and this is the ultimate up there as a team that you hope to achieve. It is every series, every practice that is directed towards this specific objective, the World Cup. It has been a long avenue however for the West Indies team, we have been looking towards it for a while, she stated. ‘We are wishing for a favorable outcome.”
The captain of the cricket team of Bangladesh, Nigar Sultana, said that at first she was disappointed to have the event moved from Bangladesh, but there was a silver lining. “It was disappointing at first, but we are professionals. Now, we are here and focused. I expect many spectators especially because there are a lot of Bangladeshis in Sharjah. There is an event like this and I am sure more people will come out to support us.”
‘We Just Want to Play, This is the Key’, said Kathryn Bryce, captain of Scotland, showing their fighting will: “We just want to compete in this tournament. We have played brilliant cricket in the qualifiers and we have to do justice to ourselves on the big stage with good performances.”
Speaking on her captaincy challenges and developments, England’s Heather Knight revealed: “Captaincy, I would say, is a working progress. There is always a learning and unlearning and re-learning curve. With time, you tend to learn how to say it differently and with the assistance of others. I have had quite a number of coaches which puts a variation in it. There is always a change in the team, which is very good.”
“It would be about enjoying and being myself,” said Pakistan’s Fatima Sana about being a captain: “I would support myself and as a captain. I also encourage decision-making in the field, thanks to the management who stand by me, supporting me in taking radical moves. I would like to keep my cool and do those.”
In an interview, Sophie Devine, the captain of the New Zealand region, appreciated the evolution of women’s cricket. For her, “the women’s game has advanced tremendously and on many fronts and in many ways. You are seeing bowlers who can consistently bowl at or near 120 km/h and in fact above that. The evolution in fitness and skills has progressed enormously. Within the last 12 – 18 months, we have some fast bowlers emerging who have come up very well.”
On the other hand, the captain of South Africa, Laura Wolvaardt, was speaking on their planned methodology. “Last year was amazing, of course, but we are taking it one game at a time. We are in a very hard pool and hopefully, we will be able to reach the semi-finals and after that, anything can happen. The squad structure has changed but we have been able to handle it properly by even incorporating new coaches, among other assistance. It is nice to have particular teams concentrating on particular aspects.”
Skipper Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka has said that it is okay to be considered outsiders in this competition. “We always come in with a tag of an underdog, so no pressure. Pressure on my team, I do not want to raise. The squad has a good balance of youth and experience, having been involved in impressive cricket over the last 16 months. But the format is different this time, so we will take it from the top and vow to go one game at a time.”
In the World Cup which is going to be held within 18 days with 23 matches played across the host cities of Dubai and Sharjah, the audience including the younger lot who are supposed to be the future of the game will surely find it entertaining and will offer a good platform to promote women’s cricket.
Start of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be held in Sharjah where host Bangladesh will play against Scotland and followed by Pakistan vs Sri Lanka.
On this occasion, ICC had a different approach towards the captains’ photo by allowing each captain to express their emotions regarding the competition in front of the iconic Dubai Frame, which is a representative image of UAE’s geographical features. This combination of architectural designs of the Emirate’s modern buildings and its desert parts symbolizes the cultural variety of this World Cup edition.
