Players to watch out for (Group B) ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier. The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier will get underway on 25th April 2024 and conclude on 7th May 2024. A total of 10 teams namely, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Scotland, Zimbabwe, UAE, Uganda, Netherlands, Vanuatu, USA, and Ireland. A couple of spots are up for grabs for these teams: Ireland, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Vanuatu.
The two finalists will book their spot for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.
Player to Watch out for (Group B):
Amy Hunter (Ireland):
Her breakthrough came in October 2021, when on her 16th birthday, she became the youngest cricketer ever to score an ODI century. Hunter’s success continued into January 2024 when she notched her maiden T20I century in 66 balls with 13 fours and a six, resulting in a 57-run victory for Ireland, becoming the first Irish woman and the third player overall to achieve centuries in both T20I and ODI formats, being the youngest player to record centuries in both white-ball formats at the international stage.
She also became the third-youngest player to score a hundred in women’s T20. Following the T20 series against Zimbabwe, she established the record for most runs in a T20 series for Ireland, scoring a total of 240 runs in 5 innings. She was awarded the prestigious accolade of ICC Player of the Month for January 2024 for her outstanding performances in both ODIs and T20Is. She could play a crucial role with the bat at the top of the order for Ireland.
Kelis Ndhlovu (Zimbabwe):
She made her international debut on 20th April 2022 in a T20I against Namibia. She has scored 601 runs at a strike rate of 98.52 and a decent average of 20.72 in 34 innings. Her tally of runs includes a couple of half-centuries. Her best performance with the bat for Zimbabwe in the T20I format came on 24th April 2022 when she scored an unbeaten 58 runs at a strike rate of 92.06 against Namibia in the Capricorn Women’s tri-series involving Namibia and Uganda.
Apart from her exploits with the bat, she has also picked up 34 wickets at a strike rate of 17, an average of 15.70, with an economy of 5.51 in 32 innings with the ball for her side. Her best performance with the ball came on 11th March 2024 when she returned with sensational match figures (4-1-12-3) in her spell against Nigeria in the 2nd semi-final of the Women’s African Games, earlier this year. She is a young sensation and a promising talent from Zimbabwe. She could be the ultimate game-changer with the bat as well as with the ball for Zimbabwe in the Global Qualifiers.
Robin Rijke (Netherlands):
She made her International debut on 7th July 2018 in a T20I against Thailand. She has scored 605 runs at a strike rate of 86.05 in 47 innings. Apart from her exploits with the bat, she has also picked up 23 wickets at a strike rate of 14, an average of 10.69 in 16 innings. Her tally of wickets includes a couple of four-wicket hauls. Her best performance with the ball came on 10th September 2023 when she returned with exceptional match figures (4-0-7-4) in her spell against France.
Her exceptional performance as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the inaugural edition of the Women’s European Cricket Championship in December 2023 further solidifies her status as a prominent figure in Dutch cricket. She is one of the players to watch out for the Netherlands in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers.
Vaishnave Mahesh (UAE):
She made her international debut on 13th January 2019 in a T20I against China just at the tender age of 12 years and 31 days. At just 16 years and 262 days old, she etched her name in history as the youngest cricketer to reach the 50-wicket landmark in T20 internationals. One of the standout moments in UAE cricket came courtesy of Mahesh during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2023 in Abu Dhabi, where she played a pivotal role in the team’s stunning victory over Zimbabwe. Her spell of three for 15 contributed significantly to UAE’s triumph by seven wickets, marking a milestone in her career.
In the 7th Match of the Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series in Namibia, featuring Uganda Women and UAE Women at Windhoek, she captained her side, etching her name as the 5th youngest captain in history. With the ball, Mahesh’s performance has been nothing short of exceptional, claiming a total of 78 wickets in 58 innings, maintaining an impressive economy rate of 4.57 and an average of 10.92. Among her standout bowling performances is her remarkable 4/10 against Bahrain on September 4, 2023.
In addition to her bowling prowess, Mahesh has displayed commendable skills with the bat, amassing 93 runs in 24 innings with a strike rate of 64.13.
Rachel Andrew (Vanuatu):
Rachel Andrew holds the esteemed title of being the first captain of the Vanuatu T20 International women’s team. She made her international debut on 6th May 2019 against Papua New Guinea. She has scored 781 runs at a strike rate of 100.51 and an impressive average of 26.03 in 35 innings.
Her tally of runs includes one century and one half-century. Her best performance with the bat came on 19th January 2024 when she scored an unbeaten 106 runs at an impressive strike rate of 155.88 against Cook Islands in the Women’s T20 Pacific Cup. Apart from her exploits with the bat, she has also picked up 37 wickets with the ball at a strike rate of 17.5, an average of 12.27, and an impressive economy of 4.19 in 34 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 13th July 2019 when she returned with exceptional match figures (4-1-7-3) in her spell against Fiji.