The first-ever International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup is all set to take place in South Africa from January 2023 and it is in the same nation that the upcoming senior team event, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in February. The ICC on the 22nd of August revealed the host cities for both tournaments.
The inaugural edition of the upcoming U19 Women’s T20 World Cup will feature as many as 16 teams out of which 15 are decided which see Australia, India, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, United States of America, Zimbabwe, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Netherlands among the mix. The final spot will be confirmed once the Africa qualifier sees a winner next month, in September.
U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Tournament Director, Sivuyile Mqingwana said, “This is a special time for women’s cricket in South Africa, we are excited to be host of the inaugural U19 Women’s T20 World Cup and look forward to the spotlight focusing on the world’s best cricketers.”
ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetly said, “We are delighted to announce the host cities for both women’s events taking place in South Africa in early 2023. It is a very exciting time for women’s cricket with the first U19 T20 World Cup showcasing the future stars of our sport and the next edition of the ultimate prize in the T20 format.
“I have no doubt the host venues identified across both events will provide the best platform to deliver two unforgettable World Cups and another significant milestone for women’s sport.”
The inaugural edition of the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup will take place in Benoni and Potchefstroom, while the coastal cities of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), Paarl and Cape Town will host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
It is all set to be a 10-team tournament this time around in the senior women’s tournament. Out of the 10, eight nations namely, South Africa, Australia, India, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies have been confirmed. The remaining couple of slots will be contested during the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers which will take place in the UAE in September 2022.
Tournament director, Russell Adams said, “We’re thrilled to announce the three cities to host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
“The Eastern and Western Cape are prime cricket and tourist locations with great facilities and infrastructure. We have no doubt that these venues will step up to make this a memorable and uniquely African celebration of cricket for the local and international fans attending the event.”