ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
ICC World Test Championship: Participants
ICC Women's T20 World Cup: the main t20 cricket competition
Until 2019, this tournament was called the ICC Women’s World Twenty20. Now the championship has a new name – ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. This is the most prestigious event for women in the Twenty20 International format. The tournament started two years later than men’s, but women are now ahead in terms of the number of games held.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: general information
The men played the first official international match in the Twenty20 International format in 2003, and women played in this format for the first time in 2004. Domestic competitions quickly began to be held in Australia. In 2015, they were replaced by the Women’s Big Bash League, which all players now dream of becoming members of. Since 2016, the Women’s Cricket Super League has been held in the UK.
In 2009, the next meeting of the International Cricket Council was held, at which it was decided to add a world forum in this category of cricket to the calendar. Until 2016, the main men’s and women’s Twenty20 International tournaments were held in one place. In 2018 and 2020, women’s competitions were held in India and Australia, respectively. In the first case, it was decided not to hold the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup because of the density of the world calendar, and in 2020, the organizers were prevented by the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the men’s tournament was postponed to the 2021 season and will most likely take place in India. The UAE is a backup option for holding it.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: format
To get into the tournament, both the world ranking in the Twenty20 International format and the qualifying stage called the World Twenty20 Qualifier are used. Several different formulas have already been used to determine the participants of the final part of the World Championship:
- Up to and including 2012, six teams entered the tournament automatically by rating, and two more qualified.
- In 2014, the number of participants in the final part of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup increased. Now the hosts (Bangladesh) and the top six ranked teams were directly passed. Three national teams that successfully played in the qualification were added to them.
- In 2016, 2018 and 2020, in the final part of the tournament, the number of participants remained stable — 10. At the same time, the hosts and the top seven teams received an automatic pass. From the qualification, as in the first three draws, the three best teams went on.
The format of the final part of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup has never changed, which is a rarity for cricket. Ten teams (up to and including 2012 — eight) are divided into two groups at the group stage. Then the top two from each group advance to the playoffs, where they begin to fight from the 1/2 finals.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: tournament history
As in the One Day International format, Australia is considered the best tournament team for women. This team has won five times, including the last two championships:
- For the first time, the Australian national team became the best in the 2010 season. At the end of the group stage, the Australians took first place in their quartet. They successively defeated England (albeit in the Super Over), South Africa and the West Indies. In the semi-finals, the Indian national team became the rivals of the future champions. There was a stubborn struggle in the match, but still, the representatives of the Green Continent won with a difference of 7 wickets. In the final, they were also better than New Zealand in an interesting encounter. Only three wickets separated the teams.
- In 2012, at the group stage, representatives of the Green Continent got into the same quartet with the teams of England, Pakistan and India. The main favorites of the competition met in the third match. In a stubborn struggle, the Australians defeated the British. In the semi-finals, the Australian team confidently beat the West Indies (with a difference of 28 runs). In the final, Australia and England met again. This time the fight was even more intense, but again the Australians won with an advantage of 4 runs.
- For the third time in a row, Australian women became champions in 2014. There were now four matches to be played in the group stage, not three. The Australian national team started the tournament with a loss to New Zealand but then defeated South Africa, Ireland and Pakistan. In the competition’s semi-finals, the Australians met with the West Indies and won with an advantage of 8 runs. In the final, the representatives of the Green Continent played well against the English. The opponents stubbornly resisted but still admitted defeat with a difference of 6 wickets.
- In 2016, the Australians lost to the West Indies in the final, but in 2018 they won the tournament again. At the victorious championship, the Australians won three matches (against New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland) and lost to the Indian national team. In the semi-finals, they defeated the West Indies team, and in the final, they met with the English. The next match between these teams ended in favor of the Australians (this time with a difference of 8 wickets).
- The Australian national team won the fifth trophy in the 2020 season, being the championship host. In the group stage, the representatives of the Green Continent again lost to the Indians but defeated New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In the semi-finals, the reigning world champions were forced to fight hard by the representatives of South Africa, but they could not make a sensation (the more titled team won with a difference of 5 runs). In the final, the Australians met India again and defeated their opponent with an advantage of 85 runs.
In addition to Australia and the West Indies, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was also won by English women. Their success came at the first game in 2009. In the final, they beat New Zealand in a hard fight with a difference of 6 wickets. At least once, 11 teams played at the tournament, and eight national teams did not miss a single match. At the moment, the debutants of the tournament have never made the playoffs.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: interesting facts
During the seven tournaments held in the history, a lot of interesting statistics have accumulated, which we want to introduce you to:
- The record for the number of runs in one match belongs to the Australian Meg Lanning – 126.
- Deandra Dottin from the West Indies national team leads the best bowling ranking. In 2018, in a match against Bangladesh, she made 5/5 figures in 3.4 overs.
- The record for the number of runs for the tournament belongs to the Australian Beth Mooney – 259.
- Anya Shrubsole (England) and Megan Schutt (Australia) scored the most wickets for the championship — 13.
The next ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be held in 2023, and South Africa will become its host. Previously, African countries have not hosted such tournaments.
