Four-times winners Australia have home advantage and are expected to dominate the Women’s T20 World Cup again. They begin the tournament against India this week and bookmakers are taking no chances over a home success.
World T20 Venues
The Sydney Showground Stadium is situated in Sydney Olympic Park. The 18,000-capacity stadium is Western Sydney’s main sports venue and is used by many different sports.
The 42,500-capacity Sydney Cricket Ground will be the venue for a semi-final double-header to be played on March 5.
The SCG has been a fixture for Australian cricket for 150 years and has twice before hosted WT20Is.
The WACA in Perth holds 19,000 spectators and has been Western Australia’s home since 1899.
The stadium will stage five matches in three days and is the scene of England’s first match in the tournament.
The Manuka Oval in Canberra will host five group-stage Women’s T20 World Cup matches.
The 13,550-seat stadium has played host to rugby and hockey but cricket and Aussie rules football are the mainstay events of the capital ground nowadays.
Melbourne’s Junction Oval is the smallest host venue but will host five group-stage matches before the MCG stages the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 final.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Past Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Scores | Result | Host Nation | Final Venue |
| 2009 | England | New Zealand | New Zealand – 85 (20 Overs), England – 86/4 (17 overs) | England won by 6 wickets | England | London |
| 2010 | Australia | New Zealand | New Zealand – 103/6 (20 overs), Australia – 106/8 (20 overs) | Australia won by 3 runs | West Indies | Bridgetown |
| 2012 | Australia | England | England – 138/9 (20 overs), Australia – 142/4 (20 overs) | Australia won by 4 runs | Sri Lanka | Colombo |
| 2014 | Australia | England | England – 105/8 (20 overs), Australia – 106/4 (15 overs) | Australia won by 6 wickets | Bangladesh | Dhaka |
| 2016 | West Indies | Australia | Australia – 148/5 (20 overs), West Indies – 149/2 (19 overs) | West Indies won by 8 wickets | India | Kolkata |
| 2018 | Australia | England | England – 105/10 (19.4 overs), Australia – 106/2 (15.1 overs) | Australia won by 8 wickets | West Indies | Antigua and Barbuda |
Women’s Cricket Betting at Paddy Power
Group A
Australia – Meg Lanning’s side features the world’s best cricketer, Elyse Perry, among a host of world-class players. They are tremendously strong in the batting department and are expected to click into gear when the tournament gets underway having had a mixed preparation. They are worthy favourites on home soil at 13/20 with Unibet.
India – Have been beaten semi-finalists three times and Harmanpreet Kaur is hoping to lead her team to a first-ever final in Australia. They start off against the favourites but it should get easier from there on and have a match-winner in Smriti Mandhana as well as accomplished spinners. There lack of real pace option could be a disadvantage on fast pitches, however. India are a best 6/1 with Paddy Power.
New Zealand – Twice a finalist in the early years, the Kiwis are striving to recapture past glories under new skipper Sophie Devine.
The return of Rachel Priest gives their batting a more solid look but they will need all of their big performers to produce consistently to reach the semi-finals and their preparation has been anything but smooth. New Zealand are 10/1 with William Hill.
Sri Lanka – Still seeking to get beyond the group stage following six attempts, Chamari Atapattu’s side will have been buoyed by a 10-wicket win over England in their final prep match.
Their captain is their key player but if she’s out cheaply, there isn’t a great deal of back-up and it will be a surprise if the Sri Lankans are in semi-final contention after the opening three rounds of fixtures. They can be backed at 100/1 in the outright betting.
Bangladesh – Taking part in the tournament for only the fourth time, Bangladesh have yet to progress beyond the first-round stage and will have their work cut out again this time.
Salma Khatun leads a largely inexperienced line-up which is hard to predict but generally found wanting against the world’s top nations. They’ll be happy just to win a match and are a general 250/1.
Group B
England – Though the top seeds in the second section, 2018 runner’s up England don’t arrive in the best of form having failed in the Tri-Nations against Australia and India and suffered a 10-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka in their final prep match.
Heather Knight will need to nurse Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt through the tournament but their challenge may end in the semi-finals, if they get that far, unless the top order suddenly finds some form. The 9/2 with Paddy Power is short enough.
South Africa – Possible dark horses for this year’s tournament having been drawn in arguably the weaker group.
Most of their squad have played in either or both of the Women’s Big Bash and the Super League over the last 12 months and that has left them battle-hardened.
Captain Dane van Niekerk is not afraid to make big decision and pace bowlers Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail will enjoy the fast pitches. The 17/1 with Paddy Power is underestimating their chances.
West Indies – The Windies won the T20 World Cup in 2016 and have a chance if Hayley Matthews can reproduce the form she showed in that tournament.
But they were a bit disappointing on home soil two years ago and captain Stefanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin will have to carry the burden of expectation this time. Surprisingly, they haven’t got any real pace in their attack and that could cost them (a general 33/1).
Pakistan – Pakistan have improved since first appearing in this tournament but have still to get beyond the first round.
It may not have helped their cause that they’ve left their most experienced all-rounder, Sana Mir, at home. Bismah Maroof is the captain and their most reliable source of runs but she can’t do everything on her own and another early exit looks likely. Pakistan are 80/1 with William Hill.
Thailand – Thailand are making their first-ever appearance in a major tournament so expectations are low.
Sornnarin Tippoch has led her team to some notable achievements in qualifying but they haven’t been playing top-class opposition and could find the prospect daunting. They will be happy to be competitive in most of their group games and are a best 1000/1 to win the tournament.
Betting To Reach The Semi-Final
Australia and England 1/20
South Africa 4/7
India 4/6
New Zealand 6/5
West Indies 9/5
Pakistan 5/2
Sri Lanka 20/1
Bangladesh 50/1
(Paddy Power odds at 13.30 February 20)
