ICC Women's World T20 Cup: Lee Tags Australia As Favourites, Bills India As Strong Contenders

"England and New Zealand, led by Heather Knight and Sophie Devine, also bring with them incredibly solid and talented teams that should feel confident of doing well," Lee added.

Former Australian speedster believes the Indian women's team will add a fourth dimension to the T20 World Cup beginning Friday. "With Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma in their batting unit, we'll also need to keep a close eye on India, a side who are set to add a fourth dimension to this tournament," Lee wrote in his column for the ICC. Lee further said that the tournament opener between Australia and India could really set a tone for the tournament as it's going to be a match-up between two of the most impressive teams in the game. "We saw in the tri-series that these two countries play exciting brands of cricket and I can't wait for what is not only going to be a fantastic match, but also a huge occasion for global sport." The 43-year-old also said that being the hosts, the Meg Lanning-led side will be a confident group and would go into tournament as favourites. "The home nation will be confident in their chances having won the tournament four times so far. And in Meg Lanning, they have a really special captain who is the perfect lead to her team of superstars," said Lee. "England and New Zealand, led by Heather Knight and Sophie Devine, also bring with them incredibly solid and talented teams that should feel confident of doing well," he added. He further said: "All ten countries will be confident of producing strong performances and results in this competition, which makes the battle to reach the semi-finals in Sydney and the final in Melbourne even more exciting." "The future is therefore bright for the women's game, and if the tournament is able to reach its predicted new heights, then the sky really is the limit." The tournament opens on Friday and will culminate with the final scheduled to be played on March 8, which coincides with the International Women's Day.