The inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa in January 2023. It is set to be a 16-team event with 11 full-member nations — Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe — getting direct berths.
Out of the five remaining spots, four will be determined by regional Qualifiers, while the fifth spot will be automatically awarded to the US on account of the side being the only Associate nation eligible to compete under the ICC’s Event Pathway Participation Criteria in the Americas region.
Recently, the US squad was announced and it caught the attention of Indians on the Internet. This is because all the players on the US team seem to be of Indian origin. “United States of… India”? Desis are clearly having a field day with the announcement.
The World Cup was initially set to take place last year but got delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was then rescheduled for January 2023. It will act as a curtain-raiser for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will also be hosted by South Africa in February 2023.
“We are thrilled to be able to support the development of young female players by holding the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa on the eve of the senior event,” said ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley.
“The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has been the stepping stone for so many of the world’s best male players, so we are excited to see how the inaugural U19 women’s edition will drive the growth of women’s cricket and improve the number of elite international playing opportunities for females at this age group in the years to come.”