This weekend sees the biggest event in women’s cricket get underway, with South Africa hosting the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Ten teams will converge on the African continent for a little over two weeks of fierce female cricket in the eighth edition of this tournament.
Australia are on the hunt for their sixth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title this year, having dominated the event since its inception in 2009. India will be eager to prevent this happening and go one better than they did in the previous edition, while England and New Zealand will also be searching for a deep run in this year’s tournament. We breakdown everything you need to know in order to bet on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in this betting preview.
| Tournament: | ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 |
| Format: | Two pools of five teams, top two from each pool advance to playoffs |
| Venues: | Stadiums across South Africa |
| Dates: | Saturday, 11 February to Monday, 27 February 2023 |
Here’s a look at the outright winner odds for those who want to bet on the ICC World Cup ahead of the tournament starting this Saturday:
Looking at the 2023 T20 world cup women favorites, we can see that there are some lopsided betting odds at the bookies. Australia are the clear favorites with odds of 1.50 (1/2), well ahead of the next favorite, India, who are back at 3.75 (11/4). England and New Zealand are the only other realistic betting options on any VIP betting site, with England at 5.50 (9/2) and New Zealand at 11.00 (10/1). After this, the betting drops off significantly to 26.00 (25/1) for South Africa, and beyond that, to 67.00 (66/1) for the West Indies.
First held in 2009, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup has become a staple of the women’s cricket calendar, being held on average every two years. It has been a tournament dominated by Australia, with the Aussies winning all but two of the tournaments:
With Australia again the heavy favorite to win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, can another side spoil their party? Or will the Australians make it six titles from eight events?
For those who want to do some female cricket T20 World Cup betting, here’s our complete rundown of how this tournament works and how teams are shaping up ahead of the first match.
Ten teams take part in this tournament, with various different qualification pathways.
South Africa automatically qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 as the hosts of the tournament. They are joined by seven of the next highest-ranked teams in women’s cricket, which are Australia, India, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the West Indies.
The two remaining spots in the event were filled by way of a qualifying tournament, which saw Bangladesh and Ireland win their places in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.
Here’s a look at the make up of Group A, along with predicted finishes for each team:
| Women Cricket Team | Women’s World T20 Group Prediction |
|---|---|
| Australia | Group Winners |
| Bangladesh | Last in the group |
| New Zealand | Second in the group |
| South Africa | Third in the group |
| Sri Lanka | Fourth in the group |
Looking at the first of the two groups that will contest the group stage of this tournament, Australia are the clear favorites. They’ve lost just one match by Super Over since the start of 2022 and should easily move through the group stage, from which point the tournament is theirs to lose.
The big match to watch out for in this group is New Zealand vs South Africa. The Kiwis are betting favorites to move through to the playoffs, but South Africa are the next strongest side, and playing at home, they could have a chance of pulling off an upset here. Expect this to be the match that determines who will join Australia in qualifying from Group A.
Here’s a look at the make up of Group B, along with predicted finishes for each team:
| Women Cricket Team | Women’s World T20 Group Prediction |
|---|---|
| England | Group Winners |
| India | Second in the group |
| Ireland | Last in the group |
| Pakistan | Fourth in the group |
| West Indies | Third in the group |
Group B is a much more even group, with the top spot not guaranteed and three real contenders to qualify for the playoffs. England and India will be vying for the No.1 position in the group, having met in the semifinals in the last edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup. India are looking strong this year, with a win at the U19 Women’s World Cup and three weeks in South Africa to acclimatize. The match between these two should determine who will finish one and two in the group.
However, the dark horse in Group B is the West Indies. The island nation has previously won a World Cup, and while they are far from the side which took home the silverware in 2014, still have the potential to cause an upset. Expect the West Indies to be pushing for second place in the group if one of India or England slip up.
For those who are eager to do some cricket World Cup betting, here are the best wagers we suggest making based on odds from the top cricket betting sites:
It’s undeniable – Australia are the heavy favorites to win this tournament and with good reason. The last time the Women’s T20 World Cup was played in 2020, Australia won the final by a whopping 85 runs. Since then, the side has only lost five times across all formats, winning the ODI World Cup and the Commonwealth Games as well. After failing to win the first edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009, Australia have won every tournament since then, bar one.
Their squad has incredible depth, with new stars emerging in the form of Tahlia McGrath, for example. It would take a real off-day for the Aussies not to win another cricket World Cup here.
The latest side to defeat Australia are India, who won a Super Over against the defending champions less than two months ago. India have just played a five-match series against Australia, and while this was their only win, they are familiar with what the tournament favorites have to offer. There is no doubt that with an overwhelming interest in cricket betting in India, their women’s team will be motivated enough to fight.
Add to this the fact that India have turned up to this World Cup looking as though they mean business, and they are a strong second option to Australia in the outright betting odds, with a much higher return. The Indian women will have two members of the winning U19 squad in their team and have spent plenty of time playing cricket and preparing in South Africa ahead of this tournament. They may not be the favorites, but if anyone is going to defeat Australia, it could be India.
For those who are after some more immediate or high return bets, here are some of our bonus betting tips that can be taken on betting apps today:
New Zealand may only be fourth in the betting odds, but the reality is they’re No.3 in the world and on an eight-match winning streak. Last year, they defeated Australia, India, England, and South Africa in white-ball cricket – all of the other realistic betting favorites for this tournament.
The Kiwis have proven in recent times that they have the ability to beat the best of the best. In fact, within the last 12 months, they’ve beaten every single team competing in the Women’s T20 World Cup, with the exception of Ireland, who they did not play. All it takes is for New Zealand to string wins together and keep Sophie Devine fit, and they have a real chance of winning this tournament. With New Zealand bookmakers offering odds at 11.00 (10/1) for this outcome, it is worth a punt.
Speaking of upset victories, we say there’s a good chance New Zealand will execute one in their tournament’s opening match.
Since Australia’s last T20 World Cup Women’s title, no team has beaten them more times than New Zealand. With two T20 wins and one ODI win since 2020, the Black Cap Women know what is required to defeat this Australian team. Heading into the opening match of each teams’ tournament, Australia will be under much more pressure to win this game. New Zealand are expected to lose, while Australia are the overwhelming favorites to win.
We say this pressure could well boil over and result in an upset, with New Zealand getting their campaign off to a roaring start against their neighbors.
The next three weeks will be a fantastic spectacle of women’s cricket, with this aspect of the game growing each year. We say that this is Australia’s tournament, and the most dominant women’s cricket tips will all praise the Aussies, who should collect their sixth title from eight World Cups. However, there’s a good chance they’ll drop a game along the way, getting a wake-up call from New Zealand in their opening match before bouncing back and winning the title. Follow BetZillion for more.
