From Smriti Mandhana to Abtaha Maqsood, Al Jazeera picks the 10 players who could light up the tournament in the UAE.Some of cricket’s finest talent will be on display at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, which gets under way with a match between Bangladesh and Scotland in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.
All 10 teams will rely on the experience of their big-name players to lead them all the way to glory in the October 20 final in Dubai.
Al Jazeera picks the 10 players to watch out for at the ninth edition of the tournament.
Chamari Athapathuthu: Sri Lanka
Athapathuthu, with her impressive all-round skills, will be at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s campaign in the tournament. The Sri Lankan captain is ranked fifth in the ICC’s Women’s T20 all-rounder standings and recently led her country to their first-ever Asia Cup title. The 34-year-old bowls accurate off-spin and can be an explosive batter in the shortest format of the game. Athapaththu has made 246 international appearances since her debut – at the age of 19 – in the T20 World Cup in 2006 and boasts a wealth of experience in franchise T20 cricket as well.
Chamari Athapaththu has 246 international appearances for Sri Lanka [File: Tony Marshall/Getty Images]
Deepti Sharma: India
Sharma will …
