Cricket World Cup: How it all works and who to look out for

New match-ups, old rivalries and world cup debuts years in the making will feature at the Women’s Cricket World Cup over the next month.

Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies all play each other once at the 50-over tournament which starts on Friday.

Early rivalries

The world cup draw has put some of the biggest rivalries in the game on show over the first weekend.

Australia and England have had a stranglehold on the trophy for more than a decade – winning the last four titles between them.

Fans will get an early glimpse of this rivalry on Saturday when the defending champions England meet the world number one ranked Australians in Hamilton.

England Captain Heather Knight and her team celebrate with the 2017 Women’s ICC World cup Trophy.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

England captain Heather Knight says recent losses against Australia have been moved on from.

“On the day I do think and believe that we can beat Australia. The way we went at Australia and went toe-to-toe with them in certain matches [during the women’s Ashes], I’ll be encouraging the girls to do that again and we felt like we put Australia under pressure at certain times but obviously weren’t able to convert that and didn’t quite have the killer instinct.”

India and Pakistan have a rivalry of a different kind.

The two countries that share a border will play their opening clash against each other on Sunday in Mt Maunganui.

It will be the first time the two sides have played each other in nearly three years.

Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof says her side isn’t looking across at what India is doing.

“India Pakistan is a much followed match around the world and we definitely want the girls that look up to us to be inspire and I hope that this match will be an interesting one.

“We are really focussing on our strength and I want my team to perform to their potential and do well in the match.”

India captain Mithali Raj is expecting a good game for both teams’ players and fans alike.

Newcomers

Bangladesh have played three T20 World Cups but have never played an ODI one.

The world number six ranked side reach the tournament in New Zealand after the emergence of Omicron during the qualifiers in Zimbabwe in November forced the ICC to use world rankings to decide which teams would play rather than winners of the qualifying tournament.

Dane van Niekerk of South Africa hits the ball towards the boundary, as Nigar Sultana of Bangladesh looks on during the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 match.
Photo: ICC Media Zone

For captain Nigar Sultana and her teammates playing in this competition is a “long-awaited dream come true”.

“This is a big opportunity for all of us. We’ve been working so hard for this…I think if we could do well here it will be a great impact for Bangladesh cricket.”

Bangladesh have never played England, Australia or New Zealand in ODIs and won’t have to wait long to face this new opposition.

After an opening game against South Africa, Bangladesh face the hosts in Dunedin in their second game.

“We have followed them on the TV and the internet as we knew that someday we would play against them, and our analysts have given us information about their strengths and weaknesses to help us prepare.”

New Zealand conditions are also new for the Bangladesh women and they arrived in the country early to try to acclimatise ahead of the world cup.

They also asked their men’s team, who had been in New Zealand for a series against the Black Caps this year, for some pointers.

“They shared a lot of experience about the conditions and how to play here and it’s going to help us.”

First-timers

It’s not just countries that are new to the world cup experience, there are also several players who will play in their first world cup this month.

White Ferns spin bowler Fran Jonas won’t even be 18 by the time the world cup ends but she is already racking up the experience.

Auckland Hearts left-arm spinner Fran Jonas.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020

Jonas has three ODI appearances to her name, and her first international wicket, and she is just following on from her impressive form in New Zealand’s domestic competition.

In 2020, the left-arm finger spinner took three wickets in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield final as Auckland Hearts claimed the one-day title.

The next season saw Jonas take 13 wickets as Auckland made the final again and she has picked up six scalps in four matches before national honour and a world cup debut came calling.

Almost 11 years and 37 matches since making her ODI debut for Bangladesh, Fargana Hoque will make her first appearance at an ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Prior to the pandemic shutting cricket down, Hoque made four scores over 20 in five innings, ending 2019 with a 67 against Pakistan.

As Bangladesh re-emerged on the world stage against Zimbabwe last year, Hoque continued in the same form, contributing 53 not out in the second match of the series.

The right-hander arrives in New Zealand having made 841 runs for Bangladesh.

South Africa would be forgiven for having Tazmin Brits in their squad as a specialist fielder, the 31-year-old was a Youth World Champion in javelin back in 2007.

An injury in 2012 hampered her hopes of the Olympics but 10 years later she will be reaching the pinnacle of another sport.

And she is more than just an excellent thrower, Brits has made 177 runs in her seven ODI appearances for the Proteas including a high score of 48.

Pakistan’s Ghulam Fatima made her debut during the qualifiers for the 2017 world cup appearing three times but was not picked for the actual tournament and hasn’t played an ODI since.

But the right-arm spinner is back in the fold.

She took six wickets in those three matches before the last world cup, including best returns of three for 28 against Bangladesh.

It would be fitting for Fatima to make her world cup debut against South Africa, the same team Pakistan faced when her international career began.

Veterans

At the opposite end of the experience scale, India’s captain Mithali Raj will play in a record sixth world cup having featured first back in 2000.

Since then, she has played 31 matches and scored 1139 runs, the fifth-most of any player, while her nine half-centuries put her one behind New Zealand legend Debbie Hockley.

India captain Mithali Raj.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2019

She is likely to break Belinda Clark’s record of most world Cup matches as captain at this tournament, needing just three more to surpass Clark’s 23.

Mithali admits she doesn’t remember much from her first world cup tournament.

“I do remember having the pressures of performing in the world cup but as a young kid you don’t carry the baggage which an experienced player carries over the years and the young talent in the side today I tell them that you don’t have the experience of the past world cups so it’s a clean slate for you, all you have to do is enjoy the big stage.”

Anisa Mohammed is at her fifth world cup, and has played 18 matches at the game’s showpiece event for the West Indies.

Across those five tournaments, the right arm off-spinner has taken 15 wickets at an average of 33.13 and will pass on her knowledge as she serves as Stafanie Taylor’s vice-captain.

For New Zealand, White Ferns captain Sophie Devine is in her fourth world cup as are Amy Satterthwaite and Suzie Bates.

Only Hockley has scored more world cup runs for the White Ferns than Bates, who topped the standings in 2013 with 407 runs.

In 2009, as she made her world cup debut, Bates was named as an opener in the Team of the Tournament having scored 275 runs, while 2017 saw her bring her overall total to 924.

Sophie Devine (left) and Suzie Bates of New Zealand
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Not too far behind Bates is Satterthwaite who has scored 559 runs across three world cups including a high score of 103 against England in 2013.

Wicketkeeper Katey Martin and experienced quick bowler Lea Tahuhu are set to feature in their third world cup and have over 150 ODI appearances between them.

Australia’s Ellyse Perry has dominated with bat and ball at ICC Women’s World Cups since 2009.

Australian allrounder Ellyse Perry.
Photo: Photosport

The all-rounder has made 510 runs at an average of 56.66, ending not out seven times in 16 innings, while her 26 wickets have come at an average of 25.07.

Her best bowling performance of three for 19 came against the West Indies in the 2013 World Cup Final.

-RNZ