After 2022, Birmingham, England edition of the Commonwealth Games, the Games for its next, 2026 edition, cross shores to Victoria, Australia. The multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth is scheduled to take place across four regional sites in the Australian state of Victoria – Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, and Gippsland.
The opening ceremony will be held in the state capital, Melbourne, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The Games are likely to take place over 12 days between the 17th to the 29th of March 2026. Women’s cricket debuted in the previous edition of the Commonwealth Games and of the 20 sports set to feature in the upcoming, 2026 edition of the Commonwealth Games, women’s cricket is one among them.
There earlier were only 16 events on the schedule and the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia when on the 5th of October, unveiled their full program for the multi-sport event which sees Women’s cricket retained in the mix and Golf, BMX and Coastal Rowing scheduled to be handed debut at the Commonwealth Games.
Women’s cricket marked its debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England and the same was the re-launch of cricket at the Commonwealth Games as cricket had last featured on the Games schedule back in 1998, in the men’s event in the long 50-over format. The 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games, in Cricket saw Australia, India and New Zealand have podium finishes having clinched the Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively in the Twenty20 (T20) format played tournament.
ICC General Manager, Wasim Khan, said, “We are delighted to know that women’s cricket will be part of the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. It will be another significant landmark for the sport after its huge success in recent years, including Birmingham. The continued growth and upward trajectory of both the women’s game and T20 cricket fits perfectly with our long-term ambitions that include being part of the Olympic Games.
“Women’s cricket has witnessed a sharp upward curve with rising standards and a rapidly increasing fan base. The sight of 86,174 fans in Melbourne for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 still lives strong in our memories and so we just can’t wait for another opportunity to showcase the women’s game, this time in Victoria in 2026.”
Gold medalists, Australia are presented with an opportunity to defend their top finish on the podium and clinch a gold more, while other top nations in India, England, New Zealand and South Africa will look to better their efforts.
(Quote sourced from icc-cricket.com )
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