ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday confirmed that it has submitted a bid for the inclusion of Twenty-20 women’s cricket into the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022.
The bid, which has been made in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), will see one of the world’s fastest growing women’s team sports apply to become part of the Commonwealth Games family, said a press release.
Cricket has made just one appearance at the Games previously, with men playing in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur where South Africa stood on top of the podium.
The application for inclusion of women’s cricket for Birmingham 2022 is part of the global strategy for cricket to inspire and empower women and girls around the world and to drive greater levels of inclusivity and opportunity throughout the sport.
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said Birmingham is the perfect place to launch this partnership as the city shares cricket’s rich and diverse culture and heritage.
“This partnership has the potential to go way beyond a sporting event that can be enjoyed by hundreds of millions of fans in Birmingham, the UK and the rest of the world,” he said.
ECB Chairman Colin Graves said, “The women’s game is going from strength to strength, attracting strong crowds and drawing girls and boys to cricket.”
“To have cricket play a part in the Commonwealth Games, seen by a wide and diverse audience in the UK and played out across the world, would be a real boost for cricket and the women’s game,” he said.
The bid to the Commonwealth Games Federation proposes an eight-team T20 event played in two pools of four teams and totaling 16 matches in eight days held at two venues.
An ICC and ECB delegation will present its bid for the inclusion of women’s cricket in the Birmingham 2022 sporting programme to an assessment panel early next month.
