‘Not’ all you need to know, but getting there!
Dates: 10-26 February 2023
10 teams (squads of 15): Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan South Africa (hosts), Sri Lanka, West Indies
Three venues
Boland Park, Paarl
Newlands, Cape Town
St. George’s Park, Gqeberha (ex-Port Elizabeth)
The 10 competing teams divide into two groups for the opening stage:
Group 1: Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa
Group 2: England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, West Indies
Squads (* = played in the U19 World Cup)
Australia (trophy holders)
Meg Lanning (captain), Alyssa Healy, Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
Bangladesh
Nigar Sultana Joty (captain), *Marufa Akter, *Dilara Akter, Fahima Khatun, Salma Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana, Rumana Ahmed, Lata Mondol, *Shorna Akter, Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Ritu Moni, *Disha Biswas, Sobhana Mostary
England
Heather Knight (captain), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt-Sciver, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Brunt-Sciver, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt
India
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, *Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, *Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarvani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey
Ireland
Laura Delany (captain), *Georgina Dempsey, *Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Eimear Richardson, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron
New Zealand
Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Molly Penfold. *Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe and Lea Tahuhu
Pakistan
Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Sadaf Shamas, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan
South Africa
Sune Luus (captain), Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta, Tebogo Macheke, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Lara Goodall, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Tumi Sekhukhune
Sri Lanka
Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Oshadi Ranasinghe, Harshitha Samawickrama, Sathya Sandeepani, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulasuriya, “Vishmi Gunaratne, Tharika Sewwandi, Ama Kanchana
West Indies
Hayley Matthews (captain), Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Trishan Holder, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams
Behind the Lists
There has been plenty of news in the build-up. Most headline-catching of all was the omission of Dane van Niekerk (SA) for failing to cover a 2km run in the required time. What the authorities may not have considered was the effect their decision would have on another, equally central member of the squad, her wife, Marizanne Kapp. She knew her place was at home, at the expense of the team’s well-being.
But the exclusion of van Niekerk must surely damage South Africa’s chances. One comment
alone must resonate througth the players’ minds. She confessed to being ‘broken’ at missing out.
Other players (beyond South Africa) have queried the need for a 2 km run to figure so prominently
in deciding a team’s make-up. Fitness in cricket is a strange business. You may find yourself
standing in great heat for hours, but you are still expected to react sharply to the toughest
chance. A batter may run a huge distance up and down 22 yards when mounting a score, but
there are breaks in between (they can seem unfairly brief). Bowlers likewise can put in a
superhuman effort, though the T20 format does remove the need to bowl endless overs.
On the other hand, CSA knew they could not make any exception to requirements that all the
players were aware of.
Australia could almost pick any 15 names out of a hat and still win the trophy with one hand tied
behind their back. But the selectors sprang a minor surprise by choosing Georgia Wareham – after a lengthy injury – rather than Amanda-Jade Wellington, who had been producing strong results
with her leggers.
England have not been at their best in the T20 format. On paper their batting looks strong, but out
in the middle consistency has been lacking. Heather Knight’s return from injury will bolster their
chances.
The Pitches
We saw in the equivalent Under 19 tournment the central role that the pitches play. By the latter
stages, almost inevitably, they were complaining about overwork. Spinners were getting abnormal turn.
The last few matches take place at Newlands, South Africa’s most celebrated ground. We can be sure the curator will ensure that level playing field we are constantly hearing about.
