Women's T20 World Cup 2024: England look 'very strong' but holders Australia still 'the side to beat'

Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain looks ahead to the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup, assessing England's chances of ending their 15-year wait for a second title, as well as holders Australia's hopes of securing a seventh success.

How are England looking heading into World Cup?

They've got a very strong team, a good blend of youth and experience.

And obviously they will want to go at least one stage better than when they got knocked out in the semi-finals last year to hosts South Africa.

I covered that World Cup and England definitely were much more attacking - they have been ever since Jon Lewis has been head coach... and it looks like it's becoming much more natural to them.

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They've got good spin options, which I think you need in women's cricket, and for the conditions in the UAE, with Sharjah and Dubai the two venues.

The games are double-headers, and I found that in the men's T20 World Cup held in the UAE [in 2022], it was very toss-dependent because of the dew, which means you tend to bowl first and then chase under lights.

With the bat, Alice Capsey is back to her best. It looks almost like she suffered last year from almost second-season syndrome - people work you out a little bit and you have to cope with being that sort of superstar that everyone is talking about in English cricket.

As well as Capsey, you've then got the experience of Danni Wyatt and Nat Sciver-Brunt, and the skipper Heather Knight is in great form too. She had a fabulous Hundred, lifting the trophy for London Spirit at Lord's.

The captain playing well I always think is important. If you think of someone like Meg Lanning historically, when she's captained Australia, you lead from the front.

Speaking of Australia, England got a lot of confidence off the back of beating Australia - who are still the side to beat - in the white-ball part of the multi-format Ashes series last year.

What do you make of the squad they've selected?

They've got those three quality spin options.

Sophie Ecclestone is still the number one bowler in the world in this format, and then you've also got Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean... the three of them are absolutely outstanding.

They've also got another spin option in the squad as well in Linsey Smith. She is an excellent selection, giving England another spin option to bowl in the powerplay - she was absolutely magnificent in The Hundred, bowled economically and had wicket-taking potential.

The only thing I'd say is, how often are they going to pick four spinners and have her in the team?

They left Lauren Filer - tall, fast bowler - out of the squad, and I may have gone with that option simply because I always like to take people in the squad who will play in the team.

You've already got three spinners and if it really turns, you've always got Capsey as well, who bowls a bit of off-spin.

Will Australia's dominance continue?

With Australia, the expectation is to just win. That's the same with any Australian side in a World Cup, men's or women's.

It's not a case of, 'we got through to a final and the other side played well'. That does not happen.

I remember being on the coverage in South Africa last year when they won the final and saying, 'this is the best cricketing side we've seen - men or women'.

I think Tammy Beaumont said it could be the best ever sporting side, given the amount they've won and their dominance over the past decade or so - Commonwealth Games, 50-over World Cups, T20 cricket and The Ashes.

Whatever the format, they're serial winners.

That said, I think they do miss Meg Lanning. I think there has been a slight drop off since her retirement because of her importance to that side, the way she led and the way she batted.

This is a first major tournament with Alyssa Healy in charge. She has to focus on keeping, opening the batting and captaining, so the key for her is to be able to compartmentalise all of that and do it well.

She's a fantastic player, so I think if Healy has a good tournament, that will go a long way towards Australia winning - because as she gains confidence, that will then filter through to the team.

What do you make of the other teams' prospects?

I would still look at the four semi-finalists from last time, England, South Africa, India and Australia. They're the four powerhouses.

There are no easy games though. Other sides have some individual brilliance within their teams, like the West Indies with Hayley Matthews.

I would also keep an eye on Sri Lanka, with Chamari Athapaththu and some of the younger girls who are improving exponentially in that squad.

I've also noticed that with Pakistan, they're starting to try and play more aggressively, particularly with the bat.

I've always felt with the Pakistan women's side, with the ball and in the field, they're excellent, but if you score over 140 or 150 against them, they struggle to match that with the bat.

Recently against South Africa, I noted they got a big score, and that tells me they've had a real change of mindset. It will be fascinating to see how they do.

Do England have the easier draw?

Group A looks slightly harder, but what you can't afford is to have that mindset going into the tournament of 'we're in the easy group' and start looking forward to the semi-finals.

I'm sure Heather and the team, and head coach John Lewis, will not think that way at all, because if you do you can come unstuck in a tournament.

You can easily lose one game, especially in T20, the shorter the format - it just takes one player to have an absolute blinder with bat or ball and you're well up against it.

Then, if you've lost one, suddenly your group doesn't look as easy, because every game thereafter becomes must-win.

Watch every match of the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports, starting with the tournament opener between Bangladesh and Scotland on Thursday October 3 in Sharjah and concluding with the final in Dubai on Sunday October 20.

(c) Sky Sports 2024: Women's T20 World Cup 2024: England look 'very strong' but holders Australia still 'the side to beat'