With or without Meg Lanning, Australia always enter a Women’s World Cup dubbed as ‘heavy favorites’. Similar is the case now as well, come the mega ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the Middle East. Now under veteran Alyssa Healy’s leadership, the Women in Yellow will march towards their seventh T20 silverware. Note, Australia’s six championships have come in eight attempts!
The Australia come into this tournament with a 3-0 cleansweep over Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand. Moreover, they began their campaign with a resounding win over arch rivals England in their opening warm-up fixture. Having said that, Australia are drawn into the tougher group, involving India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Power-packed with world-class talent in all the departments, it is fair to say that Australia go into the Women’s T20 World Cup with the best squad among all!
Australia squad at Women’s T20 World Cup 2024
Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham
Now with that, let us look at the probable Australia playing XI at the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Australia Predicted XI at Women’s T20 World Cup 2024:
World-class top 3 ft. Healy, Mooney & Perry
Does it get any better than this? Think about opposition when they see Australia having Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry walking in as the front three batters. The troika has a combined total of 22,876 runs in T20 cricket and are among the top six highest run-getters ever.
The opening duo of Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney is one of the dangerous in world cricket, with the left-hand-right-hand duo causing damage all the time. Their understanding and camaraderie is everyone’s to see. The two have mustered 2,635 runs together, which is the most by any duo in women’s T20Is.
Ellyse Perry, meanwhile, will just walk around for her 9th Women’s T20 World Cup. At 33, Perry is still among the finest players going around, with her headlining RCB’s triumph in the WPL 2024. Apart from her 7,530 WT20 runs, Perry is one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament, with 40 scalps to her name at a marvelous economy rate of 5.7.
All-rounders aplenty! Ft. Gardner, McGrath & Litchfield/Grace
Countless batters and bowlers is what Healy will have in her arsenal. While Perry is a great medium pace option, Australia have the world number 2 ranked batter with them in Tahlia McGrath. McGrath, slated to bat at number four, is a solid option who can also hit the ball quite long. Even in the warm-up against England, she made 31 and took a three-wicket haul. The 25-year-old averages above 40 in WT20 internationals!
At five is another veteran all-rounder in Ashleigh Gardner, who is currently the world’s second-best ranked ICC women’s T20I all-rounder after West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews. With 90 WT20Is to her name, Gardner is one of the most experienced players and is enjoying a great form as well. She recently scored runs at a strike rate of 138.5 and took 10 wickets in the women’s Hundred competition.
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The number six slot could be a position of debate. Australia, however, have consistently played Phoebe Litchfield there, with her scoring 160 runs at a superb SR of 183.90. Predominantly an opener, the southpaw has taken her finishers role like a duck to water! Litchfield is likely to continue with her role unless Australia play on a rank-turner. Under drier conditions, Healy could go with Grace Harris instead of Litchfield. Harris gives a spin bowling option and can tonk the ball easily as well.
Australia bowling attack ft. Schutt, Sutherland
We have not yet covered the Australian bowling attack and we already have three proper four-over bowling options. Talk about talent and options!
The only leg-spinner in the first XI is Georgia Wareham, who also won the WPL 2024 with RCB earlier this year. Although Australia also have Alana King as another leg-spin option, Wareham is more than a decent batter. In fact, she has a strike rate of around 150 in WT20Is.
At number eight is the joint-costliest player at WPL 2024 player auction. With her decent speed and remarkable line and length, Annabel Sutherland is a wicket-taking threat who also knows how to keep it tight in the middle overs. Sutherland has an economy rate of just 6.79 in the WT20Is, which is a superb sign for Australia going forward as well (as she is just 22 years old). Sutherland is a brilliant operator with the bat as well, with her also having a 200 to her name in WTests!
The last spin option for Australia could be Sophie Molineux, who is astonishingly also the ninth batting option as well! Molineux provides a slow left-arm orthodox bowling option, who thrives at bowling wicket-to-wicket and always ask difficult questions on tricky surfaces. The 26-year-old southpaw is also enjoying a great year, taking 8 wickets in 6 matches for Australia thus far in the format.
Vlaeminck or Darcie Brown?
And now moving to the pace duo of Australia – Megan Schutt and Tayla Vlaeminck. Megan Schutt is second-highest wicket-taker of all-time in WT20Is with 137 scalps at a brilliant average of 17.81. The veteran pacer, who might be playing her last T20 World Cup, is renowned for her nip-backer that blows away the opposition batters. Her partner is likely to be the teeraway pacer Vlaeminck. Although Darcie Brown could pip her in the Playing XI, Vlaeminck’s pace could come as a surprise package on slow wickets in Dubai and Sharjah.
Predicted Australia Playing XI at Women’s T20 World 2024
Alyssa Healy (C & WK)
Beth Mooney
Ellyse Perry
Tahlia McGrath
Ashleigh Gardner
Phoebe Litchfield/Grace Harris
Georgia Wareham
Annabel Sutherland
Sophie Molineux
Megan Schutt
Tayla Vlaeminck
