Picture Credit: ICC
International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the expansion of women’s cricket events after the end of 2023 cycle. The announcement was made on the the occasion of International Women’s Day. ICC women’s events will witness participation from more teams from 2024 onwards. The ultimate goal is to grow women’s cricket in a well-planned way as ICC aims to expand it globally in a sustainable fashion.
Reflecting on the decision to expand women’s cricket, Manu Sawhney, ICC Chief Executive said, “We have a clear focus and commitment to an ambitious long-term growth plan for the women’s game. We have been building momentum around the women’s game for the last four years investing in global broadcast coverage and marketing to drive fan engagement.”
Revised structure of ICC events for women’s cricket post 2023 cycle
Resounding success of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 laid the platform, admits Manu Sawhney
The ICC Chief executive admitted that the reception women’s cricket received during the T20 World Cup in Australia proves that it has the potential to grow. The final of the event was played exactly one year ago on March 8, 2020 as women's cricket was celebrated on the occasion of International Women's Day.
Reflecting on the historic final between India Women and Australia Women, Mr. Manu Sawhney said that the results speak for themselves with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 attracting record numbers, 1.1 billion video views, making it the most watched women’s cricket event of all time. The final match also saw 86,174 fans attending the final at the MCG, a record attendance for a women’s cricket event.
The decision to expand women’s events is built on these foundations and allows them to give more member countries greater opportunities to compete on a global stage, added Mr. Sawhney. “This means that more teams will also get the opportunity to compete in the qualification pathways for the respective ICC events over the coming years. I am sure these initiatives will go a long way in helping us achieve our strategic goal of continuing to build strength and depth in the women’s game,” Mr. Manu concluded.