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Women's cricket is set for an exciting ride as it gets ready to be included in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham for the first time in history of the mega event. It will also mark the return of cricket in CWG after 23 years since men's 50 overs event happened in 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur. With already so much excitement and buzz around the same, the organizers have also announced the groups and complete schedule of the event on Friday.
While 7 out of 8 teams have already been confirmed, the final spot will be taken by the side who wins the CWG qualifiers. The two groups for first stage of the tournament will be as follows:
Group A: India, Australia, Barbados, Pakistan
Group B: England, New Zealand, South Africa, CWG Qualifier
The top two teams from each group will qualify for semi-finals, following which bronze medal and gold medal matches will take place. Notably, all the matches will take place at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
India and Australia set to face off in tournament opener
Reflecting on the inclusion of women's cricket in CWG, ICC's acting chief executive Geoff Allardice said, “We have seen tremendous growth of the women’s game over the past few years and the Commonwealth Games will undoubtedly be another major moment on that journey."
The 54-year-old also expressed his excitement on the fact that India and Australia will lock horns in the tournament opener. “Today’s announcement of the match schedule gives fans lots to look forward to, not least with the opening game between ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 finalists Australia and India and we know that Edgbaston will provide a great stage for the competition," he added.
Here’s the full schedule of Commonwealth Games
July 29 (Group A)
Australia vs India, 4:30 PM IST
Pakistan vs Barbados, 11:30 PM IST
July 30 (Group B)
New Zealand vs South Africa, 4:30 PM IST
England vs CWG Qualifier, 11:30 PM IST
July 31 (Group A)
India vs Pakistan, 4:30 PM IST
Barbados vs Australia, 11:30 PM IST
August 2 (Group B)
England vs South Africa, 4:30 PM IST
CWG Qualifier vs New Zealand, 11:30 PM IST
August 3 (Group A)
Australia vs Pakistan, 4:30 PM IST
India vs Barbados, 11:30 PM IST
August 4 (Group B)
South Africa vs CWG Qualifier, 4:30 PM IST
England vs New Zealand, 11:30 PM IST
August 6 (Saturday)
Semi-final 1, 4:30 PM IST
Semi-final 2, 11:30 PM IST
August 7 (Sunday)
Bronze Medal Match - Semi-final 1 Runner-up vs Semi-final 2 Runner-up, 3:30 PM IST
Gold Medal Match - Winner of Semi-final 1 vs Winner of Semi-final 2, 10:30 PM IST