Photo Credit: ICC
The stage is set for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. The 16 captains assembled for their historical photo at Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg.
The captains’ gathering marks the start of the tournament, featuring a breakfast event with tournament ambassador, Mithali Raj. The 16 future stars were given the opportunity to engage with her about her vast World Cup experience and received insight on how to tackle game day nerves, bouncing back from losses, leadership styles and how to grow and maintain a strong brand.
The first of the 41 matches get started at Willowmoore Park Stadium in Benoni, with the tournament running from 14-29 January when the first-ever champions will be crowned.
Groups A and D get the tournament underway when Australia take on Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) go head-to-head against Scotland at 10h00 Willowmoore Park and Willowmoore Park B Field in Benoni.
They are followed by hosts, South Africa, who go up against India and Sri Lanka who face off the United States of America (USA) at the same venues.
South Africa captain, Oluhle Siyo said: “It feels like today has taken so long to get to, but we’re finally here. The World Cup has officially begun. It was so awesome to meet all of the captains during the captains’ photo, this tournament is going to be so much fun. As a team, we’re really excited to be hosts and to also play in our first-ever World Cup. We’ve worked hard to prepare for this moment and we just want to get started and show what we’re made of.”
Australia Captain, Rhys McKenna said: “It was pretty cool being able to meet all the other captains and being able to see the trophy up close made me pretty itchy to get the win. It’s been a pretty hectic few days since we’ve gotten to South Africa, we’ve either been training or playing (warm-up) games or doing lots of talks but it’s been pretty good to get a look at the other teams. We’re excited for Saturday, definitely.
India captain, Shafali Verma said: “Our first week of the U19 T20 World Cup has been really exciting and busy. We’ve done everything from training to warm-up games, to workshops about health and wellness, media and integrity. You can’t help but feel like you’re part of something new and historic. Today’s captains’ photo was definitely one of my standout moments of the build-up so far. It was such a festive atmosphere. We’re excited for our first match on Saturday.
UAE captain Theertha Satish said: “Our first week in South Africa has been so amazing. We’ve been to so many new grounds, we’ve met so many new people. The experience has just been amazing and we’ve enjoyed it to the fullest. We got a good opportunity to meet big stars who have been there and done that and have shared very valuable information with us on how they have gone about their own World Cup experiences, we’re excited to put those lessons to action. Taking the photo with the other captains and getting to meet them and make new friends was probably one of my best highlights so far. We can’t wait for Saturday to finally arrive.
