Five key matches to watch out for

The fixtures for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 to be held later this year in Bangladesh were announced on Sunday, 5 May. Kicking off in Dhaka on 3 October, the tournament will span 19 days, with 10 teams battling it out in 23 matches for the most prestigious title in Women's T20I cricket.

We take a look at some of the key matches worth keeping an eye on.

England v South Africa, 3 October

A thrilling clash in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 remains the last time these two teams met in this format. The nerve-wracking showdown saw the Proteas edge England by six runs to reach their first-ever World Cup final.

A lot of the stars from then should still be active when these teams meet in the opener of the 2024 event in Dhaka.

Overall, South Africa have only beaten England four times in 24 Women's T20Is and Heather Knight's side will fancy their chances to get a big win early in the competition.

India v Pakistan, 6 October

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to light up the first weekend at the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 with their much-awaited contest coming up on a Sunday.

While India have dominated the head-to-head record in Women's T20Is against Pakistan, the latter gave them a real scare in the last tournament, where Jemimah Rodrigues' unbeaten half-century eventually took India home with an over to spare.

Interestingly, the last time India lost a women's T20I to Pakistan was in Bangladesh in 2022 during the Asia Cup.

This will be a keenly awaited contest as a much-improved Pakistan unit aims to knock over their big rivals on the world stage.

Australia v New Zealand, 11 October

No team has beaten Australia more times in Women's T20Is than the White Ferns, who have 21 victories in the format against the six-time T20 World Cup champions.

As they meet again on the world stage, all eyes will be on New Zealand's strong batting line-up and if they can give the Aussies a run for their money.

Australia have lost two of their last five completed women's T20Is against the White Ferns.

In the last meeting between these sides, at the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup, Australia blanked them by 97 runs, bowling the White Ferns out for 76 with Ashleigh Gardner taking a five-wicket haul.

England v West Indies, 12 October

West Indies have made a strong impression in Women's T20Is since the end of the last edition of the tournament in South Africa. 

In 10 Women's T20Is in this period, West Indies have won seven games, with the incredible Hayley Matthews being the Player of the Match in six of those wins. 

They'll be up against a strong English side in their final Group game of the tournament. To beat them is no easy task, but if Matthews and Co. can put up a strong total, they stand a chance to defeat this England side for the first time in Women's T20Is since 2018.

India v Australia, 13 October 

India's rapid rise as a force in women's cricket has seen them meet Australia in the final in two major women's events since 2020 — the ICC Women's T20 World Cup final in 2020 and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.

Australia triumphed on both occasions, but India have had their moments in recent contests against the mighty Aussies.

The Commonwealth Games final saw them come pretty close to toppling the Aussies. They eventually lost by a narrow margin of nine runs.

As these familiar foes go up against each other in the Women's T20 World Cup in the final round of games, both teams would hope that their semi-final spots are safe. If not, their task would be cut out with the match promising to be an intense affair.