Sometimes when sports fans think of cricket, they can think of 5-day long test matches and defensive play that seems to go on for hours. When a major T20 event comes around however, this could not be further from the truth. Players go all out and display some of the best-attacking cricket that you could possibly wish for.
With this year’s women’s ICC T20 cricket event rapidly approaching we took a look at the odds and tips from the betting sites to get an indicator of what team seems to have the best chance of lifting the trophy this year. We can’t wait for the action to unfold, but until it does, you can take a look at our predictions for the event.
Australia
As current champions, the mighty force of Australia has to be listed as number one for our predictions also this year. With the ICC T20 event being held in Australia this year, this team is a favorite winner as we can see by the odds from basically all cricket bookmakers. Besides being
the current champions, the talent that they possess in this team is just unrivaled at present, and given that the tournament is being held on home soil, this will undoubtedly give them a boost.
To start with, the team is led by Meg Lanning, who just seems to deal with enormous pressure without any worries at all. On top of this, Tayla Vlaeminck is now fit and healthy, which will make a huge difference in the overall feeling and belief in the Aussie camp.
They also have a great deal of depth in the batting line-up, meaning that even if teams are able to get a couple of quick wickets, the quality that they have in their ranks will always cause a problem for any opponent.
England
England is one of the most recognized cricket nations in the world, and it is really great to see that the women’s team is starting to make a name for themselves. While they may not have the same strength and depth of Australia, they are a team full of very talented cricket players.
With players like Sophie Ecclestone and Georgia Elwiss bolstering the England ranks for the event, the team is certainly going out there with all guns blazing. Like most other teams, they are taking a total of 15 players, and they will no doubt be hungry for T20 glory.
It’s never going to be an easy task to take home the title in another country however, and the Aussies are looking better than they have ever appeared before. As we all know in sport, anything can happen. So if the England women can maintain their cool and pull out some fantastic performances, anything is possible.
India
As most online betting sites have listed it, the India women’s team is the third favorite to bring home the crown. Much like Australia and England, India is a country where the sport of cricket runs through its citizen’s blood. The game is absolutely adored by fans all over the country, which is a major reason why the women’s team has become so good.
India is heading to Australia with an interesting squad this time around, since they actually have several players over 30 years old, but they have plenty of young-blood in the squad too. How this combination of experience combined with fearless youngsters will impact the performance remains to be seen.
With players such as Harshitha Madavi stepping into a leadership role for this year’s event though, could this be a reason to look for a surprise victor? No matter how the Indian women’s team performs, you can be certain that they will have the will of thousands of fans back home rooting for them.
New Zealand
The New Zealand women’s squad are listed as 4th favorites amongst the majority of online bookies, although there are a few factors that could help them out in this tournament. To begin with, they may receive much more support from other teams since their fans can hop on a short flight and be at the games. Having home support always makes a difference, and it has the potential to give the New Zealand team that extra boost when they need it most.
In addition to this, the New Zealand team will naturally be a bit more acclimatized to the conditions than other teams. This will surely work in their favor, and given that they also have players who are highly skilled with a bat, they are likely to amount a solid number of runs regardless of who they play.
The tournament kicked off February 21st with Australia vs India and runs through March 8, so be sure to tune in and watch these teams in action!
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