The first-ever International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place early next year in South Africa from the 14th to the 29th of January. The tournament is set to see a total of 16 teams compete of which 12 gained direct qualifications and the other 4 have come through a qualification process.
The 12 nations who’ve gained direct qualification are Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa (hosts), Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and the United States. The 4 nations who’ve joined the 12 are United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the 6-team Asia qualifier, Indonesia from the bilateral East Asia Pacific (EAP) qualifier, Scotland from the bilateral Europe qualifier and Rwanda from the 9-team contested, Africa qualifier. There’s plenty of buzz around this tournament becomes this is the inaugural season where U19 girls from across the world will get to showcase their talents. The Fans are equally excited to witness these raw talents and are looking for ways to get involved with the tournament. One such way is to bet on these talents through platforms that offer great bonus and earning opportunities.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have disclosed their squad of 15 for the ICC event that’s scheduled to see 41 matches being played across 15 days in Benoni and Potchefstroom in South Africa early next year.
England’s squad for the ICC U19 T20 Women’s World Cup :
Ellie Anderson, Hannah Baker, Josie Groves, Liberty Heap, Niamh Holland, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Emma Marlow, Charis Pavely, Davina Perrin, Lizzie Scott, Grace Scrivens, Sophia Smale, Seren Smale, Alexa Stonehouse, Maddie Ward
Non-travelling reserves : Emily Churms, Charlotte Lambert, Bethan Miles, Jemima Spence, Mary Taylor
England’s coaching setup sees Chris Guest appointed as the side’s head coach following an open recruitment process and he’ll be assisted by Laura Marsh and Darren Franklin. The selection was chaired by Richard Bedbrook who also is the head of England Women Performance Pathways and he, on the squad selection said, “It’s hugely exciting to name this squad and to think ahead to the opportunity that awaits the players.
“They’re a tremendous group of young cricketers with great potential at the beginning of their journeys in the game. They’ll all benefit hugely from this experience, on and off the field. It’s important to compete at this age group and it’s equally important to continue the process of learning what it takes to progress to the next level. I’m sure we’ll take a lot away from the tournament.
“We have the ambition for the next few months to be a significant life moment for all the players and ensure they use it as a springboard towards making an impact in senior regional cricket, and hopefully beyond in years to come. The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup will provide an exciting platform for the best young players around the world and it will be really exciting to see our players compete against their peers in a global event.”
The 16 teams constituting of 11 full ICC members and 5 associate teams have been split into four groups. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six League stage, where teams from Group A will play against Group D and Group B will compete against Group C.
England placed in group B are set to play Zimbabwe in their opener on the 15th of January and will then play Pakistan and Rwanda on the 17th and 19th of January respectively.
