2018 ICC Women’s World T20 Just around the Corner
2018 ICC Women’s World T20 Just around the Corner
It’s time again for another high-profile cricket tournament, where the best in the world of Women’s cricket battle it out for the top honours in the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Championship. It is the sixth edition of the popular T20 world cup format, which is scheduled to be held between 9th and 24th of November 2018. West Indies play host for the second time in the history of the sport, with the country’s men’s and the women’s team having won the title simultaneously last time around.
This is the first time ICC has decided to organise a standalone tournament for the Women’s T20 title, with the competition kicking off with three high-profile matches on the inaugural day. The first match sees India taking on New Zealand, followed by Australia versus Pakistan, while the last game of the day witnesses the hosts taking on one of the finalists from the ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier.
The entire tournament features the top 8 teams, which includes Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. Australia has won the title for a record three times, while England has won the inaugural T20 championship.
ICC has also announced that it will add two more teams from the Qualifying event, taking the total number of participants to 10. Teams from Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates have been competing over the past few weeks to reach the two finalist qualifying spots in the qualifiers, in a bid to get direct access to the T20 world cup.
A Tournament of many Firsts
ICC has gone to great lengths for promoting women’s cricket among fans of the sport around the world. In what can be seen as the first for any top-level cricketing tournament, the cricket governing body has introduced DRS (Decision Review System) for the upcoming T20 Women’s World Cup. According to the ICC, consistency in the use of technology must remain at par for all top-level tournaments, which can pave the way for the system to be used in all future ICC tournaments.
The organisers have also roped in the services of West Indies star Darren Sammy, a two-time T20 Champion, to act as an ambassador for the Women’s version of the game. Sammy has captained his national side to both of their wins in 2012 and 2016 and is considered to be the most successful captain in the shortest format of the game. He has also rendered his complete support to the #WatchThis campaign, which aims to boost women’s cricket in the predominantly male-driven sport.
Sports Betting Opportunities
Cricket betting has become one of the most popular activities in the world of sports gambling. The upcoming women’s T20 tournament can throw up plenty of betting opportunities for both fans of the game, as well as punters looking for fantastic wagering options. There are some incredible top rated betting apps for cricket in the betting industry, where you can get access to amazing odds and a vast choice of betting markets from leading online sportsbooks in the market. Almost all established bookmakers have a custom-tailored sports betting app for online cricket betting, where their sportsbook is updated with pre-match and live in-play odds as per the scheduled fixture.
T20 Women’s World Cup Match Schedules & Fixtures
The entire tournament consists of 23 matches, played across 13 days in three different stadiums. The matches will be held at Guyana National Stadium, which hosts the inaugural match on 9th of November, alongside the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia and the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.
Teams are split up into two groups, Group A and Group B, where the matches are scheduled across three different sessions. The morning session will commence at 11 AM local time, the afternoon session will begin at 4 PM local time, and the evening session starts at 8 PM local time. The Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground will play host to a packed final of the tournament on 24th of November at 8 PM.
The ICC will broadcast all the matches live to a global audience, and since there isn’t a men’s T20 world cup this year, all focus will be on the women’s version of the game. Such a move is predicted to increase the viewing figures substantially and promote the sport to a broader audience.
Team’s Thoughts & Preparations
All the 8 major league teams and the qualifiers are working hard behind the scenes to put their best foot forward and win the title. Reigning champions Windies and their captain Stephanie Taylor are delighted to be defending their title on their home soil, and the team believes that the home advantage should work in their favour.
On the other hand, three-time champions Australia will be looking to extend their record by winning a fourth title. Australian captain Meg Lanning counts on the strength and competitiveness of the team to take the title home. The England side has also made some significant changes to their line-up by including as much as three uncapped players in their squad.
With the teams set to deliver the best, the upcoming tournament sets to be an exciting one for the fans. Several leading bookmakers also seem to be joining in on the action by delivering the best sportsbooks with excellent odds and incredible payouts.
