Women's T20 cricket to be included in the 2022 Commonwealth Games

“We are incredibly excited that Women’s T20 Cricket will be included in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said Clare Connor, ECB managing director of women’s cricket. “It’s an honour for cricket to be involved in an event that is committed to championing female and para sport.”

“Cricket’s inclusion offers a wonderful opportunity to capitalise on the global reach of the Games to showcase the very best of women’s cricket and to inspire a new generation of women and girls to start playing the game. We are really pleased that the teams at Birmingham 2022 and the Commonwealth Games Federation share our belief in the power of cricket to connect communities, inspire and engage people across the world.”

Following the joint bid made by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), which has now been ratified by CGF, eight teams will have the chance to compete for a medal in Birmingham. The Games will take place from July 27 to August 7, 2022 with the cricket matches being held at Edgbaston.

“This is a truly historic moment for women’s cricket and for the global cricket community, who were united in their support of this bid,” said Manu Sawhney, chief executive of the ICC. “Women’s cricket continues to go from strength to strength, and we are delighted and honoured the Commonwealth Games Associations voted to include Women’s T20 cricket at Birmingham 2022.”

https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1161186378736181248

Cricket returns to the Games for the first time since 1998, when South Africa won the men’s ODI event in Kuala Lumpur. Women’s cricket will be part of the games for the first time, giving the 2022 event the biggest female sports program in Commonwealth Games history. It will also be the first time the event has featured more women’s medals than men’s.

“It’s massively exciting for women’s cricket to get an opportunity like this at Birmingham 2022," said Natalie Sciver. "We are always looking to grow cricket and to take it to as many people as possible and the platform of Birmingham 2022 will really help that. England Netball winning the gold in Australia was inspirational and we hope during our own Commonwealth Games journey, we can also inspire and encourage more girls to get involved in cricket.”

“We’ve obviously been lucky enough to lift a World Cup on home soil, and as a kid that was something we’d all always dreamt of. The Commonwealth Games is different of course, but the idea of becoming a medallist on home soil is hugely exciting and hopefully we can work towards that.”

“To expose the women’s game to such a different global audience, and to be part of such a prestigious event such as the Commonwealth Games – it’s a huge boost at a time of real momentum,” said Amy Sattherthwaite, New Zealand captain.

The 2022 edition of the Games will see 4,500 athletes compete across 18 different sports.

The ICC will be responsible for the competition terms and the conduct of cricket, by way of providing match officials and ensuring matches are played as per the laws of the game.