Commonwealth Games 2022 would host women’s cricket for the first time. Meanwhile, the opening game would involve India and Australia, as the teams fight it out in Edgbaston.
In a landmark moment for cricket, the women’s version is set to make its debut in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Meanwhile, the schedule for the same was announced on Friday. India and Australia lock horns in the opening contest of the competition at Edgbaston on July 29.
As per the schedule, the Gold Medal match will be played on August 7. Eight teams are slated to take part in the event. While seven teams have already been confirmed, one of the sides will be finalised by January, which takes on England in its opening contest on July 30. In the meantime, India’s second game would be against arch-rival Pakistan on July 31.
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The eight teams have been split into a couple of groups. While India has been placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Australia and Barbados, Group B consists of England, New Zealand, South Africa and the qualifier. The top two sides from each group play the semis, which takes place on August 6, followed by the bronze and gold medal match on August 7. Check out the full schedule above.
As far as the qualification of the teams is concerned, it was done based on the ICC T20I Rankings as of April last year, while England qualified as the host. Meanwhile, Barbados will be the only side to represent the Windies, owing to it winning the domestic title last year, while the competition for this year was postponed due to COVID.
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“We have seen tremendous growth of the women’s game over the past few years and the Commonwealth Games will undoubtedly be another major moment on that journey. On behalf of the ICC and our Members, I would like to thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for all the support and look forward to some exciting cricket in Birmingham 2022,” said Geoff Allardice (ICC Acting Chief Executive) in a release.