Schedule for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier announced

The schedule for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier has been announced on Wednesday (August 31) with eight teams competing for the final two spots of the next year’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland and USA put in Group A while Thailand, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and hosts UAE pooled in Group B, reports UNB.

Two qualifiers for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 are to be determined from the eight-team league tournament that runs from September 18-25 in Abu Dhabi

The top two teams from each group will make the semi-finals and both the finalists will book their places in the next year's T20 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Hosts the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will play Thailand at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on the opening day of the global qualifier.

Zimbabwe will also be in action on day one as they take on Papua New Guinea at the adjacent Tolerance Oval.

Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland and the USA complete the line up in the qualifier in the battle to join Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and hosts South Africa at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup next year.

Hosted at Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub, the matches at the Tolerance Oval will be the first full internationals at the ground since it was given ICC accreditation, while the Zayed Cricket Stadium will be the venue for the final as well as both semi-finals.

Bangladesh and Thailand, who played in the highly successful T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020 and qualified for this tournament on that basis, are the two leading teams in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings and are drawn in different groups.

Two qualifiers for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 are to be determined from the eight-team league tournament that runs from September 18-25 in Abu Dhabi.