POTCHEFSTROOM: When word spread about the inaugural Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in January 2023, many in the cricketing ecosystem were extremely excited about the first-of-its-kind tournament giving a stage for young players to showcase their talent and chase their dreams of playing at the international level.
In the current era in which the visibility of women's cricket has seen swift growth, the tournament has done its job of putting the future stars of the game in the spotlight. Now, after two weeks of action that has seen 16 teams participate in the competition, it is set up for an exciting finale with Sunday's title between India and England to be held in the JB Marks Oval at Potchefstroom on Sunday.
While India stormed into the final with comprehensive wins, barring a blip against Australia in the Super Sixes, England are yet to lose a match and have registered thumping victories too. They also showed in their incredible three-run win over Australia in the second semifinal that they can withstand pressure and hold their nerve in tough situations on-field.
For India, Sunday presents a golden opportunity to clinch their first global trophy in their history of featuring in women's cricket. In a country where India first made the final of a Women's World Cup, 18 years ago (2005 ODI World Cup final), Shafali Verma & Co have a chance to make history and set the ball rolling for even greater participation of females back home in cricket.
In the run-up to the tournament, India U19 'A' won the quadrangular series in Visakhapatnam that also featured an India U19 'B' team, West Indies and Sri Lanka U19 teams in November 2022. From there, the India U19 team registered a 5-0 clean sweep over the New Zealand Development team in Mumbai in early December and registered a 4-0 win over hosts South Africa.
India also have the calm head of former spinner Nooshin Al Khadeer, who is currently their head coach, to bank upon. Nooshin, a highly successful coach in the women's domestic circuit was a part of the Indian team that finished runners-up in the 2005 ODI World Cup final in South Africa, and 18 years later, she finds herself on the verge of glory. IANS
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