Women’s cricket has a long and rich history with the first test match played in December 1934 between England and Australia. The first Women’s World Cup was held in June 1973 where just like the first match, England won.
Growing Popularity
Since then, the sport has gained massive popularity. During the 2017 World Cup held in England, the sell-out crowd cheered on the England team as it triumphed over the Indian team. This major event was broadcasted worldwide, pushing television ratings through the roof. This event gave the game the momentum it needed to start getting noticed.
Estimates made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) show that the Women’s Cricket World Cup had a viewership of 180 million people across the world. This will go a long way in expediting the growth of the game in countries taking particular interest in the sport like the U.S. and China.
New Zealand will play host to this year’s Women’s World Cup. With the game’s performance during the previous World Cup, the organisers are expecting massive viewership. This is after being postponed by 13 months due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Tournament Participants
The following teams will participate in what will be the 12th Edition of the 50-over World Cup:
- Australia – Meg Lanning (Captain)
- Bangladesh – Nigar Sultana (Captain)
- India – Mithali Raj (Captain)
- England – Heather Knight (Captain)
- South Africa – Sune Luus (Captain)
- Pakistan – Bismah Maroof (Captain)
- New Zealand – Sophie Devine (Captain)
- West Indies – Captain to be announced
After the seven rounds, the top 4 teams will qualify for the semi-finals.
When and Where?
The games will begin on Friday, March 4th 2022. New Zealand takes on the West Indies. The group stages will run until Sunday, March 27th 2022 when India and South Africa will match up.
- Auckland – 42,000 spectators
- Christchurch – 18,000 spectators
- Dunedin – 3,500 spectators
- Hamilton – 10,000 spectators
- Mount Maunganui – 10,000 spectators
- Wellington – 11,600 spectators
The tournament will run for 31 days over which 31 games will be played. The first semi-finals will be played at The Basin Reserve in Wellington on March 30th while the second semi-finals will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 31. The finals will be played on Sunday, April 3rd 2022.
Tournament Favourites
Australia has won six titles in the eleven World Cup tournaments held so far, and as the current world champions, they are going into this tournament with a lot of confidence. They are ranked as most likely to win the title once again. Home ground advantage will make it a herculean task to take them off the throne.
India have been ranked as most likely to beat Australia. They have been able to build a well-functioning team over the years. England has won four titles and the current host New Zealand has one. Unfortunately, England have not been on top form recently and are therefore not likely to appear as a top contender.
Betting
Cricket betting during the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 is expected to be quite popular and in demand. Punters will be given the chance to bet on the outright market, as well as wager on a game-by-game basis.
Conclusion
All the milestones made in Women’s Cricket have not been achieved without significant challenges. Representation of women is still far lower than their male counterparts. For instance, the Indian Premier League does not have a female delegation, despite this being the richest and most popular T20 league worldwide.
Furthermore, research indicated that female directorship in national and state associations was only 20%. More needs to be done.
