What Did We Learn From The 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

After Australia’s triumph at the World Cup, here are some of the lessons to remember for the future.

The 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup held in Bangladesh has reached an end. With spectacular matches all around, teams from the North to the South all came with the common objective of winning. As the Australian team could defend their title, we also saw amazing performances from the other teams.

Australia Continues To Prove Their Worth

With the odds of 1.50 and 1.44 at the best betting sites online, the Australian women were the favorites. Especially as defending champions, fans and experts still expected much from the Australian team. This year, they brought a team of skilled veterans such as Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning, and Alyssa Healy. But also a player like Ashleigh Gardner, who won the Player of the Tournament with 110 runs, was a big part of Australia’s way to the winning title.

Beth Mooney Is Still One Of The Greatest

It is safe to say that the 29-year-old Beth Mooney hit it out of the park this tournament. This World Cup she became the first person with two fifty-plus scores in the finals. With a stunning knock against South Africa, which led Australia to victory, she could also take home the title as POTM. Even though Australia has had to fight to keep up the momentum, Australia does not get tired of winning as Beth Mooney mentioned in an interview. Their winning mentality is what drives them through the tournament. 

England Couldn’t Reap The Fruits

With the odds of 5.50 and 5.00 England was also a strong favorite. Being the 2nd team in the rankings, the expectations were high for the England women. England fought hard and aggressively, but the defeat to Bangladesh and loss to South Africa in the semi-finals was a slap in the face. For the time being, England will have to re-evaluate their performance at the tournament.   

The Newcomers Who Didn’t Disappoint

While some teams couldn’t live up to expectations, some players exceeded expectations.

Marufa Akter from Bangladesh is one of them. At only 18 years old, Akter played at the level of her seniors as she was a continuous threat against great players like Beth Mooney.

Hailing from Sri Lanka, Harshita Samarawickrama was a pillar on the team when playing against Bangladesh. With a record of 69* from 50 balls against the team and a great performance against Australia, Samarawickrama is one to watch.

South Africa Still Has A Bright Future

There were many expectations for South Africa, as they presented their 15-member squad in January. Having been a semi-finalist at the last World Cup, the squad could reach the finals for the first time with players like Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp.

It was their first final ever, which was an astounding accomplishment after having beaten England in the semi-finals. Even though England didn’t play their best, the win could be accredited to South Africa’s extraordinary play. Even though they couldn’t finish off the World Cup with the winning title, the team has shown immense progress with both veterans and newcomers playing their absolute best.