The International Cricket Council has revealed the schedule of 2021 Women’s World Cup on Wednesday, with the hosts New Zealand taking on a qualifier in the opening match of the perennial tournament. New Zealand’s largest cricket ground, Eden Park will play host in the inaugural match of the tournament, while the final match will be played in Christchurch.
HOW MANY TEAMS ARE PLAYING IN THE TOURNAMENT?
As many as eight teams will lock horns against each other in a bid to clinch the trophy. As of now, four teams with the likes of New Zealand, defending champions England, Australia and South Africa have been qualified for the tournament, while the other four will be confirmed post the conclusion of Women’s championship and qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka.
WILL THERE BE RESERVE DAYS IN THE KNOCKOUTS?
After the semi-final between India and England got washed out due to rain, ICC was met with several criticisms for not planning a reserve day for the knockouts. Keeping that mind, the International Cricket Council has opted for a reserve day in all three knock-out games, i.e., two semi-finals and a final in the upcoming 2021 Women’s World Cup.
WHAT ARE THE VENUES?
Hosts New Zealand have selected six venues for the 2021 Women’s World Cup. Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin are grounds where the matches will be held. The two semi-final games will be held in Tauranga and Hamilton, while the final be held in Christchurch.
“The ICC has made a long-term commitment to elevating women’s cricket as part of our strategy to grow and develop the global game,” ICC CEO, Manu Sawhney was quoted as saying in Cricbuzz.
“We want to build a sustainable foundation for women’s cricket. It is about building a product that fans want to watch, that kids want to take up, that sponsors and broadcasters want to be part of.”
“We are extremely proud of the significant progress we have made in increasing prize money for ICC events over the last few years, with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand having $NZD5.5 million dollars available in prize money compared to $NZD3.1m in 2017 and $NZD316,000 in 2013,” he further added.
