ICC Women's World T20 2016: 5 best players to watch out for

Starting just a few hours before the men's tournament, the 2016 Women's World T20 in 2016 is likely to be a battle between two Trans-Tasman rivals. Australia will be looking for their fourth successive Women's World T20 trophy, while their rivals from across the sea look like the team most likely to stop them from achieving that milestone.Even though the tournament is likely to be out two teams for the title, there might also be quite a few surprises in store that no one sees coming. The tournament will also feature some of the finest T20 players the women's game has ever produced.So let us take a look at the 5 best players to watch out for:

#5 Shabnim Ismail

South Africa’s progress hinges largely on Ismail’s hands

The South African fast bowler might have been around for almost nine years but it is only recently that she has finally managed to garner some spotlight thanks to her experience and ability to bowl a variety of deliveries. Although the hitting in the women’s game is nowhere near as brutal, it still takes a brave person to be a fast bowler in the death overs and after years of practice, Shabnim Ismail has finally managed to perfect the art of getting the batsman to play into where she wants.

Although South Africa aren’t one of the favourites, they are many people’s dark horses and that is thanks largely to their bowling attack, which has shown they can defend pretty much anything. And it is no surprise that it is Ismali who is leading the attack.

#4 Smriti Mandhana

Mandhana is the next cab out of the batting ranks?

Fortunately or unfortunately, the hype on female cricketers in India is nowhere near as much as it is on the male cricketers. If it was, then Smriti Mandhana would be one of the names on every Indian fan’s lips, instead, the 19-year-old is someone few are likely to have heard too much about, unless they closely follow Indian women’s cricket.

But there is a reason why Mandhana is making all the headlines. The stylish top-order batsman, who made her Indian debut when she was just 16, has been showing that age is just a number and that if you are good enough, you can always make a difference.

The bespectacled southpaw is someone who relies more on technique and her classical strokes to survive, so that makes her one of the most elegant batters going around women's cricket at the moment. While she might not be as popular as Mithali Raj, if she continues her impressive form into the tournament, she certainly will rocket up to the top of the minds of the people.

#3 Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor is one of the few female cricketers who can play every shot in the book and more

When you look at similarities between male and female cricketers, if there is one player that immediately sparks a similar comparison is England’s wicketkeepers. The men’s keeper Jos Buttler and women’s keeper Sarah Taylor. Although the latter is far more established and experienced, the pair are remarkably similar in the way that they operate and go about their game.

In fact, there are few female cricketers who possess the vast array fo shots that Sarah Taylor does. Whether it is the reverse-sweep, switch hit, slog sweep or extra cover drive, Taylor can play them all. And the best thing about her is that she does all that while looking extremely graceful. Behind the stumps, her reflexes are lightning quick and in some ways, there are similarities with MS Dhoni in the speed at which she removes the bails.

But if there is one thing that must be said about Taylor it is that she is her own player. Her style although similar to a few others are her own and it will on her to take the English batting to places they haven’t gone before in the upcoming World T20.

#2 Suzie Bates

Can Bates stop the Australian juggernaut?

Such has been the talk about Ellyse Perry as arguably the best all-rounder in cricket that New Zealand’s Suzie Bates has almost gone under the radar. The New Zealand captain and star all-rounder has been her country’s shining light in cricket for a while and recently even led her side to a 2-1 T20I series win over the much-fancied Southern Stars.

As a batsman, her style of play has always been about taking risks and the attack to the opposition. In that regard, she isn’t too dissimilar to former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum but where she is different is that she also bowls more than handy medium pace and has nearly 50 T20I wickets to go along with her 1,900 odd runs in the format.

If the White Ferns are to have any chance of toppling the Southern Stars in what is likely to be the match-up of the tournament, they will need Bates to be firing on all cylinders.

#1 Meg Lanning

Can Lanning guide Australia to another title?

When you are talking about Women’s cricket, there are few who wouldn't have heard of Meghann Moira Lanning, or Meg Lanning as she is popularly known. The Australian skipper has been one of the pillars on the back of which their team has been built and unlike any other batsman has managed to elevate her batting to a level of consistency that is unheard of in women’s cricket.

Batting in the top order, Lanning provides not only a stable base at the start but also the option to explode as well. As Captain, her exploits are even more impressive and she will be looking to add one more by winning Australia’s fourth-consecutive World T20 title. While much of the attention might on Ellyse Perry, it is Lanning who is the undoubted star of the batting line-up thanks to his consistency and ability to get her team out of tricky situations.