Jokes aside, there's an unusual sense of calm around the venues.If you're expecting fanfare and hoopla around the stadiums as a marker of the buzz around the Women's T20 World Cup, you may need to temper your expectations.

The Women's T20 World Cup gets underway on Thursday. The International Cricket Council is hopeful of another stellar outing for the globe’s top female cricketers following the success of the 2023 edition in South Africa.

Australia are hot favourites for their seventh title at the women's T20 World Cup starting Thursday in their first tournament appearance since the retirement of four-time tournament-winning captain Meg Lanning.