Lights, camel, action! T20 World Cup gets underway in the UAE

Alyssa Healy arrived in the United Arab Emirates prepared to embrace the unexpected at a T20 World Cup staged in entirely unfamiliar territory.

But it is unlikely the Australia skipper’s imagination could have stretched to a scenario that would see her getting up close and personal with a menagerie of camels and falcons on the eve of the tournament.

Going with the flow is an ongoing theme of this World Cup, however, following its late relocation from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates in mid-August.   

The 10 captains assembled on the field at Dubai International Stadium for the unusual photo opportunity, celebrating Emirati icons, on Wednesday afternoon, a little over 24 hours before Bangladesh and Scotland will get proceedings underway in Thursday’s tournament opener.

Australia will need to wait a little longer to get their own campaign underway, with their first game to come against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Saturday.

Even then, the Aussies will be reacting on the fly, given they will not train at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium prior to playing on it. 

This is the first time the UAE has hosted the women's T20 World Cup, although it has previously been the venue for qualifying events.

The majority of competing teams have played little cricket in the country, while Australia, India and England have played none at all.

An unprecedented fourth consecutive title is on the line for the Aussies, but Healy was adamant on Wednesday that there was no such thing as a "title defence".

"There are 10 teams sitting on the stage here today that deserve to be here and have a real shot of winning this World Cup," Healy said during a captains’ panel discussion chaired by Mel Jones.

"You don't come here to defend a title, that's not what a World Cup is about, you come here to win it, so we're here with that approach and I'm excited to get underway."

This tournament is Healy’s eighth World Cup – she narrowly missed the inaugural event in England in 2009 – but it will be her first as Australian captain following the retirement of Meg Lanning.

Australia have won seven of the T20 World Cups Healy has featured in, with four of those triumphs captained by Lanning.

Asked to reveal the secrets behind her team's success, Healy was quick to quip: "It was written down on a piece of paper from Meg and passed along to me, so I can't give that to you."

Jokes aside, Healy is acutely aware of is the challenge standing in between her team and a seventh trophy.

Australia not only head into this tournament as the hunted, they have also been placed in what the skipper has dubbed the "group of death" alongside India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan.

"Our pool is quite a tricky one. 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," Healy continued.

"Our group is obviously heavily subcontinental and used to these conditions, New Zealand has played pretty well in the subcontinent as well.

"It's going to be tough, it's going to be hard work, and we know that.

"But our team is really motivated by that challenge, by the continual improvement and trying to evolve ourselves."

The depth in global women’s cricket continues to increase, and a number of teams have caused significant upsets in the last 12 months alone, including Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup final win over India, while West Indies and South Africa recorded rare T20 wins over Australia.

The last T20 World Cup, which culminated in Lanning lifting the trophy at Newlands, was only held in February 2023.

But the majority of the competing teams have undergone significant changes in the last 20 months.

With that in mind...

What the T20 World Cup captains had to say

Australia: Alyssa Healy

The biggest change for Australia is the retirement of Meg Lanning, who lifted the trophy in 2018, 2020 and 2023. Alyssa Healy has taken the reins and leads a largely experienced squad that has welcomed back Sophie Molineux and Tayla Vlaeminck from long term injuries, while Phoebe Litchfield makes her World Cup debut. Aside from Lanning, the biggest absentee is spinner Jess Jonassen, who was overlooked for selection.

"I think I approach (the captaincy) like I do everyday life," Healy said. "I take it as each day as it comes. It's been a really enjoyable experience so far, I'm really grateful at the point in my career to have it ... this World Cup experience has been quite different as skipper, that's for sure. The girls are at the Water Park today and I'm here."

India: Harmanpreet Kaur

After falling agonisingly short to Australia in the 2023 semi-final, India have since appointed a new coach, with Amol Mazumdar taking over in October last year. The core of their squad remains the same, but there are some new faces who have forced their way into the group on weight of Women's Premier League performances including Dayalan Hemalatha.

"Every day I'm going and learning and getting experience from every game," Kaur said. "People around me, they are helping me, they are working hard to make our team go at that level where we want to be. I am happy with where our team is, how our team is working hard to achieve small things." 

New Zealand: Sophie Devine

No major changes for the White Ferns since 2023, but all the talk has been around their torrid run in the T20I format since the last World Cup. In 22 matches since they departed South Africa, New Zealand have won five and lost 16, including their last 10 in a row.  

"We've got a number of young fast bowlers coming through," Devine said. "Their development has been massive the last 12 to 18 months so certainly looking forward to seeing what sort of bowlers they can turn into."

Pakistan: Fatima Sana 

Pakistan named a new captain in the lead-up to this tournament with pace-bowling allrounder Fatima Sana taking over from Nida Dar. At 22, she is the youngest captain at the tournament.

"I will try to enjoy myself, express myself and back myself as well (as captain)," Sana said. "Our whole management is supporting me, and they told me that you just take a brave decision on the field, so just try to do this, be calm and just do whatever you want."    

Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu

Sri Lanka are a team on the up, fresh off winning their first T20 Asia Cup with an upset victory over India in the final in July. For far too long, too much weight fell on the shoulders of captain Athapaththu, but she now has plenty of back-up, including Harshitha Samarawickrama and Vishmi Gunaratne.

"We are coming with the underdog tag all the time, so we don't have any pressure," Athapaththu said. "We keep it simple. I have a very young team ... we've been playing really good cricket the last 16 months." 

Group B 

Bangladesh: Nigar Sultana Joty

Bangladesh have had to park the disappointment of their home tournament being moved to the UAE. This will be their sixth appearance at a T20 World Cup, but they have won just two matches across the previous five tournaments, and they will be desperate to add to that tally.

"Shifting the event from Bangladesh was pretty disappointing initially, but the thing is we're very professional," Joty said. "I'm expecting a lot of spectators, because in Sharjah there are a lot of Bangladeshis there. And playing in this kind of event, I think more people will come watch us and support."

England: Heather Knight

England have kept a relatively stable group, while coach Jon Lewis has now fully settled into the role after taking it on shortly before the 2023 tournament. Maia Bouchier has come on in leaps and bounds to cement the opening spot alongside Danni Wyatt-Hodge, and the long-awaited return of allrounder Freya Kemp from injury is a significant boost. Knight is the longest serving captain at the World Cup, having taken over from Charlotte Edwards in 2016.

"I think captaincy is always a constant challenge," Knight said. "I don't think you need that freshness as a captain. You've always been challenged in different ways and trying to learn little tricks and trying to grow in everything you do. I've got through a few coaches as well, so that kind of helps freshen things up and obviously, the team's constantly evolving."

Scotland: Kathryn Bryce 

Scotland are appearing in a women's T20 World Cup for the first time and unlike the majority of their rivals, have a squad made up of a combination of professional and part-time cricketers. 

"I think we just really want to compete in this competition," Bryce said. "We've played some fantastic cricket in the qualifiers and leading up to it, so we just want to go out there and do ourselves justice on that stage and put in some good performances against these teams."

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt

South Africa made the final for the first time at their home event in 2023. Since then, they have appointed a new captain in Laura Wolvaardt, while the 11-year tenure of former coach Hilton Mooreng came to an end, with Dillon du Preez taking over.

"It's obviously a bit different now," Wolvaardt said. "I think most players who have played in the team have never played under anyone besides Hilton. But Dillon has been with us for four or five years. So, he still knows how things were and where we’re headed. And we've actually got a batting coach and a fielding coach now this season for the first time officially as well, so everything just feels really well organised at the moment."

West Indies: Hayley Matthews

Since upsetting Australia for their first and only title in 2016, West Indies have only made it to the semi-finals once, at their home tournament in 2016. But their 2024 hopes have been boosted by the return of Deandra Dottin, who has come out of international retirement having previously walked away in mid-2022. They have also appointed a new coach since the 2023 World Cup, with Shane Deitz replacing Courtney Walsh.

"Every series you play, every training session you have is towards that goal of a World Cup, so (preparation) definitely is a long process, and I think this is one that as a West Indies team, we've had in our sights for a very long time."

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Warm-up matches

September 29: Australia defeated England by 33 runs

October 1: Australia defeated West Indies by 35 runs

Australia's Group A fixtures

October 5: v Sri Lanka, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 8pm AEST

October 8: v New Zealand, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 9 AEDT

October 11: v Pakistan, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 12 AEDT

October 13: v India, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 14 AEDT

Finals

October 17: Semi-final 1, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 18 AEDT

October 18: Semi-final 2, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 19 AEDT

October 20: Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 21 AEDT

For the full list of fixtures click here. All matches live and exclusive on Prime Video. Sign up here for a 30-day free trial