Maitlan Brown's great Australian dream could come true on home turf with a chapter of the world champions' title defence set to be written in Canberra.
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The ACT Meteors fast bowler has long been identified by national selectors as a player of the future and she is in the frame for Australia's Twenty20 World Cup defence next year.
Australia will feature in one of five games to be played across three days at Manuka Oval, as the city prepares to host a stacked line-up of women's Twenty20 World Cup fixtures in 2020.
The tournament rolls into Canberra on Wednesday, February 26, when England host an unknown qualifier (dubbed Qualifier 2) in a precursor to the West Indies' clash with Pakistan later that day.
Australian superstars Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning will then lead the home side against a second unknown qualifier (Qualifier 1) on Thursday, February 27.
South Africa will host Qualifier 2 before England and Pakistan bring proceedings to a close in the capital on Friday, February 28.
A Healy-inspired Australian outfit romped to victory in the 2018 edition and their title defence will begin on February 21 with the final to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 8.
Brown is desperate to be there every step of the way.
"It would be absolutely amazing and a dream come true if I was playing in the Twenty20 World Cup," Brown said.
"It’s a goal of mine but I just have to focus on the here and now and perform well to get into a squad like that. It’s definitely exciting to think about playing for Australia in the future but you’ve got to live in the moment and go as hard as you can.
"I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s cool to know how close I am."
The ICC and Cricket Australia have set their sights on shattering the record crowd figure for a women's sporting event at the final, an ambitious goal given 90,185 attended the 1999 women's soccer World Cup final between the US and China at California's Rose Bowl.
Australia has been grouped alongside India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and another qualifier. Group B will consist of England, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan and a second qualifier.
Cricket ACT chief executive James Allsopp is banking on a groundswell of support in Canberra as the city prepares to host seven of the world's best teams.
"I’ve got no doubt women’s cricket over the next few years is only going to get bigger and bigger, and it’s going to culminate in 2020 when we see the World Twenty20 here and hopefully a world record in Melbourne for the final," Allsopp said.
"[The Australian team are] really pioneers for women’s sport, they’re a shining light in our sport at the moment. To have players of that calibre and such great ambassadors of the game playing in Canberra will be fantastic."
The ACT government turned its back on the men's tournament to invest in securing elite women's teams for the competition rebranded as the Twenty20 World Cup, as opposed to the World Twenty20.
The tournaments will again be played as standalone events at opposite ends of the year, with the women's World Cup being contested by 10 teams from February until March.
Sixteen teams will then look to knock the West Indies off their perch during the men's tournament from October 18 until November 15.
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S 2020 T20 WORLD CUP FIXTURE
February 21: v India, Sydney Showgrounds
February 24: v Sri Lanka, WACA Ground
February 27: v Qualifier, Manuka Oval
March 2: v New Zealand, Junction Oval
Finals
March 5: First semi-final, SCG
March 5: Second semi-final, SCG
March 8: Final, MCG
AUSTRALIAN MEN'S 2020 T20 WORLD CUP FIXTURE
October 24: Australia v Pakistan, SCG
October 28: Australia v West Indies, Perth Stadium
Oct ober31: Australia v qualifier 1, Gabba
November 3: Australia v qualifier 2, Adelaide Oval
November 6: Australia v New Zealand, MCG
Finals
November 11: First semi-final, SCG
November 12: Second semi-final, Adelaide Oval
November 15: Final, MCG
