India will begin their ICC Women’s World Twenty20 campaign with a showdown against New Zealand in their opening fixture in the Carribean islands. The first stand-alone Women’s World T20 featuring 23 matches will be held in Guyana, St Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda. The showpiece event will begin from November 9 and culminate on November 24. The tournament will feature 10 teams which include the top eight-ranked teams- defending champions the Windies, Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and two qualifiers. Bangladesh, Ireland, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates will compete for the slots of the two qualifiers. Incidentally, Decision Review System (DRS) will also make its debut.
Speaking after the announcement, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said, “The announcement of the schedule marks the countdown to this big event and we are all really looking forward to playing in the West Indies. The ICC Women’s World Twenty20 will be a competitive tournament with some tough league matches early on and no team can take it easy at any stage.”
“Naturally, expectations will be high from our team after our World Cup final appearance last year and we aim to be at our best during the tournament,” ICC quoted her saying.
Meanwhile, ICC Women’s World T20 Tournament Director, Jennifer Nero welcomed all the teams and said, “The West Indies is one of the great places in the world for sports, entertainment, and culture. Cricket is the heartbeat of the West Indies and we want to showcase all these offerings during the tournament. It will be fast-paced, exciting and action-packed with lots of enjoyable moments. This is the Year of the Woman, and the world’s top teams will be coming.”
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