ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2024 set to mark next step in evolution of the game

Over the past 15 years, women's cricket has experienced significant growth, and it is no accident that this progress has coincided with the introduction of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

Even though Australia is now the dominant force in women's golf, there is a sense that the sport is opening up and that non-traditional powers are beginning to make an impact.

It is evident that the ICC Women's T20 World Cup has expanded since its inaugural competition in England in 2009, when just eight sides participated. The men's competition and the tournament took place at the same time, and the hosts' appearance captivated the country.

In the end, more than 12,000 people attended the Lord's final, where Charlotte Edwards' team defeated New Zealand by six wickets to win the title for the first time. Australia did the same when they won the title in 2010 and have since ran with it, but the victory thrust English women into the public eye.

Even though their triumph over New Zealand at the Kensington Oval by a narrow margin (three runs) started an era of domination that is still going strong today. Following their successes at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Australian stars like Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning became highly sought-after commodities, with teams from all over the world bidding for their services. 

In the inaugural tournament in Bangladesh in 2014, which featured ten teams, Lanning was the leading run scorer as her nation won the championship for the third time in a row.

When the tournament relocated to India in 2016, the West Indies celebrated their rise to prominence by unseating the Australians at Eden Gardens, although there was a new name on the trophy.

The women's final, which was the first to occur on the same day as the men's, set the precedent. The men from the Windies went on to defeat England in a thrilling match, making the Caribbean's men and women the new world champions.

Then, in 2018, the holders hosted as Australia won back the trophy, which they haven't given up since. Indeed, the competition was elevated to unprecedented levels for their 2020 hosting duties. This was finished off with the incredible turnout of 86,174 spectators at the MCG, a record for a women's cricket match, which saw Australia defeat India, the first-time finalists.

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 proved to be the biggest international sporting event to occur in a while because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it will be remembered for all the right reasons.

Due to its elevated prominence in that year, $1 million USD in prize money was given to winners, five times more than in 2018.

With the victors of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2024 in the United Arab Emirates expected to take home $2.34 million, that amount has continuing to soar.

When the competition begins on October 3, nine other nations will face off against Australia in one of the hardest challenges in sports.

We are in for the most exciting battle ever, with well-known competitors like Nat Sciver-Brunt (England), Smriti Mandhana (India), and Marizanne Kapp (South Africa) poised to lead the challenge for their respective countries.