The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is almost over, and the top four teams are ready to play in the knockout rounds. Two teams from each group have made it to the semi-finals.

Ten teams joined the tournament, and split into two groups of five. Each team played four matches, and the best two teams from each group moved on to the semi-finals.

The first semi-final will happen on Thursday, October 17, in Dubai, with Australia playing. The second semi-final is on Friday, October 18, in Sharjah, featuring New Zealand. The final match will take place on October 20 in Dubai.

Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Teams Going to the Semi-Finals

1. Australia

The Australian women’s cricket team has shown great skill in this tournament. With new captain Alyssa Healy, they have kept up the success from the previous captain, Meg Lanning.

Australia won all four of their matches in Group A. They started strong with a six-wicket win against Sri Lanka, followed by a big 60-run win over New Zealand. They also beat Pakistan and India, winning by nine wickets and nine runs, respectively.

However, Australia has some injury problems before the semi-finals. Captain Healy missed the match against India, and fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck cannot play for the rest of the tournament. Despite these issues, Australia is still a strong team, having won the last three ICC Women’s T20 World Cups.

2. New Zealand

New Zealand is the second team from Group A to reach the semi-finals. They started the tournament with a great 58-run win over India but lost to Australia by 60 runs.

Still, the Black Ferns bounced back with two wins in a row, defeating Sri Lanka by eight wickets and Pakistan by 54 runs, securing their spot in the knockout stages of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: The Other Teams

3. TBA
4. TBA

As the semi-finals get closer, the competition is getting intense, and fans are excited to see which teams will win and fight for the trophy.

Also Read: Top 5 Highest T20I Scores by Bangladesh: Memorable Moments

The World Cup is often considered to be the ultimate “fate-deciding” innings of a cricketer’s journey and the intensity of mental pressure that a cricketer goes through during the World Cup tournament is – unimaginable and insane. Often hailed as one of the most popular, poised, and nerve-wracking tournaments, the World Cup attracts fans and viewership from all over the world. With billions of fans around the world eyeing the World Cup, the tournament is often filled with the gut-wrenching spirit of the fans and fierce rivalry between the arch-rivals that uplifts the whole atmosphere on the cricket ground and beyond. Over the years numerous cricketers have been the game-changers for their teams in the high-spirited showdown of World Cup editions, a few of them have proven to be the greatest of all time. 

In this article, we will take a look at the top five cricket World Cup performances of all time. 

• Kapil Dev: 1983 Cricket World Cup 

Let’s start off the list of the top five cricket World Cup performances of all-time with the all-time classic knock of former Indian legendary international cricketer and skipper of the Indian national cricket team Kapil Dev at the 1983 Cricket World Cup. In the group-stage match against Zimbabwe India found itself majorly stuck in a dark zone losing five wickets at seventeen runs when Kapil Dev came to the crease and proved to be a game-changer for the Indian side. Kapil Dev fearlessly faced the wrath of Zimbabwean bowlers and smashed a match-winning total of 175* runs. The legendary Indian skipper single-handedly led his team to a formidable total of 266/8 in a total of 60 overs. More than just a match-winning inning, Kapil Dev’s 175* runs knock served as a reminder of India’s fearless and absolutely dominant batting approach that served as a nightmare for the opposition teams for a long period of time. 

• Adam Gilchrist: 2007  Cricket World Cup 

Former international cricketer and skipper of the Australian national cricket team, Adam Gilchrist is at the first spot in our list of top five cricketers who delivered the most spine-chilling cricket World Cup performances of all time. Adam Gilchrist’s fierce power-hitting was on full display during the showdown of the 2007 Cricket World Cup between Australia and Sri Lanka. Adam Gilchrist opened the innings for the Australian side and smashed a dominating knock of 149* runs off 104 deliveries. Adam Gilchrist’s fearless batting approach as he sent off roaring deliveries into the Caribbean sky proved to be a major factor behind Australia’s glorious triumph at the 2007 Cricket World Cup. 

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni: 2011 Cricket World Cup 

The 2011 Cricket World Cup is still a fresh memory in the hearts of hardcore cricket enthusiasts especially the fans of the Indian cricket team. The final match of the 2011 cricket World Cup between India and Sri Lanka is still considered to be one of the most spine-chilling matches in the history of international cricket that undoubtedly kept the audience hooked to the match till the very last delivery. India was left in an extremely challenging situation to chase a mammoth total of 277* runs in order to defeat Sri Lanka and clinch the World Cup when MS Dhoni took the command of the match in his hands. MS Dhoni walked into the ground at number five with his calm demeanor and went on to take the whole innings under India’s favor with his outrageous yet extremely calculated shots. MS Dhoni scored an unbeaten 91* runs innings against Sri Lanka leading the Indian cricket team to a star-studded victory at the 2011 Cricket World Cup. 

• Ben Stokes: 2019 Cricket World Cup 

Next up at the fourth spot in our list of the top five cricket World Cup performances of all-time, we have the most memorable innings of Ben Stokes at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. England’s top-notch all-rounder Ben Stokes proved his mettle throughout the tournament but his innings in the final match against New Zealand is still revered as one of the most dominant innings of his international cricketing career which led England to a breathtaking victory at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. With a chasing target of 241, England was in a gruesome situation after losing four of its most crucial wickets at 86 runs when Ben Stokes entered the game and transformed it completely smashing 84* runs off 98 deliveries which led the game to a super-over. Ultimately England defeated New Zealand at the Super Over and clinched the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Undoubtedly if it wasn’t for Ben Stokes’ dominating innings, England couldn’t have defeated New Zealand at any cost. 

• Virat Kohli: 2024 Cricket World Cup 

The Indian cricket team was crowned as “World Champions” after their unbeaten streak of victory at the 2924 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Although the team’s efforts were consistent throughout the tournament leading them to the finals of the 2924 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against South Africa, the top-order proved to be a little lopsided in the match. Just when the supporters of the Indian cricket team started losing their hopes of ending their 13-year-long wait and clinching the World Cup, Kohli emerged from the shadows as a beam of hope and went on to dominate and overturn the course of the match against South Africa. Kohli’s aggression against the South African bowlers and his decade-long experience of playing T20Is was clearly evident in his match-winning 76* runs innings which ultimately played a pivotal role for India in defeating South Africa and clinching the 2024 cricket World Cup.

On Tuesday, the England Cricket Board announced that Brendon McCullum, who has been the coach of the Test side of England since 2022, will also take charge of the white-ball teams from next year. This change is part of England’s new leadership plan.

Brendon McCullum’s popular ‘Bazball’ approach will now influence the England cricket team in the white-batt formats of the game. Earlier, the busy international schedule of the England cricket team had made it tough for one person to handle both the red-ball format and the white-ball format of the game, especially with overlapping games.

However, with the new changes in the cricketing calendar, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and McCullum feel that managing the team in all formats is now possible.

Brendon McCullum’s contract has also been extended until 2027.

“The idea of a unified coaching structure, especially with the schedule easing next year, made perfect sense,” McCullum said. “I’m energized by the prospect of guiding both teams and am grateful for the support from the ECB and my family as I take on these added responsibilities.”

For the unversed, England’s white-ball coach Matthew Mott stepped down as England’s white-ball coach on July 30 after overseeing the team’s disappointing performances in the ODI and T20 World Cup titles.

“The talent within English cricket is immense, and I’m looking forward to helping these players reach their full potential,” McCullum said. “My goal is to create an environment where everyone can thrive and where we can continue to compete at the highest level across all formats.”

Brendon McCullum will begin his dual coaching roles in January, aligning with England’s white-ball tour of India and the Champions Trophy.

Ben Stokes On McCullum’s New Role

Meanwhile, England’s red-ball Ben Stokes told Sky Sports when asked to share his thoughts on McCullum’s new role said: “I think it’s great for English cricket.” He added: “What Baz (Brendon McCullum) has given to this team and the individuals in the team and the confidence it has instilled in myself and the team is brilliant.”

“I am really looking forward to the guys who are involved in the white-ball team to experience that as well. He is a fantastic human being and a great coach. I am really excited for the white-ball side to be able to go forward with Baz and Jos (Buttler) in front. He (McCullum) obviously has taken this challenge on board because he feels like he can make a difference and he can help and that’s something you want in your coach.”

Watch the video:

"He's a fantastic human being and a great coach" 🗣️

Ben Stokes says "it's great for English cricket" that Brendon McCullum has been appointed England white-ball coach in addition to role as Test coach 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿pic.twitter.com/n0y7NjuOQV

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 4, 2024

Stokes emphasized the importance of having a coach who understands what they’re signing up for and brings a clear plan, rather than someone who merely reacts to situations and lets the players dictate the terms.

“You don’t want a coach who’s just gonna come in and let things just play out and whatever will be.. will be…but Baz is a very determined person to come in and make an influence wherever he goes in the world as a coach. I think it’s unbelievable for English cricket that Brendon’s gonna be coaching both teams,” Stokes concluded.

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