India will begin their campaign in the rescheduled 2022 Women's World Cup in New Zealand with the face-off against a yet undetermined qualifier on March 6 at Tauranga's Bay Oval as per the detailed itinerary announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (December 15).
The tournament which was postponed earlier this year from its February-March 2021 window due to COVID-19 pandemic, will now be played from March 4 till April 3 in the following year with the same six Kiwi cities and venues retained.
Read Also: "They are going to fall behind": Lisa Sthalekar concerned for Indian Women's cricketers
The eight-team competition will see India take on two more qualifying teams on March 12 and March 22 in Hamilton, while also facing England on March 16 in Tauranga - a repeat of the last edition's final at Lord's - and Australia at Auckland's Eden Park on March 19 before taking on South Africa at Hagley Oval, Christchurch on March 27.
The two semi-finals will be held on March 30th and 31st at the Basin Reserve in Wellington and the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, respectively, The Hagley Oval will also play host to the all-important final.
"We have all been through a very difficult year and are happy to be getting back at playing the game we all love," India captain Mithali Raj said in an ICC release.
“India has been doing very well at ICC tournaments in the past three or four years, whether you talk about the (ODI) World Cup or the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
"… if we manage to win the tournament in 2022, it will be a massive inspiration for the next generation of girls, as the fifty-over format, is considered the pinnacle for any cricketer. I can assure you the team and I are looking forward to it."
The three qualifying teams will be determined via a global qualifier to be held from June 26 to July 10 in Sri Lanka next year.
The tournament proper will be the second marquee ICC event to be played in 2022 with a women's T20 competition to be held at that summer's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
"This schedule takes the world’s best cricketers across New Zealand and can help inspire a generation of girls and boys to take up the game," ICC CEO, Manu Sawhney said.
The ICC has also increased the prize money for the 50-over Women's World Cup. The winner of the trophy will fetch a total of 5.5 million NZD with them, a multifold increase from the previous editions in 2017 and 2013.
All 31 games will be broadcasted live to a rising global audience.
"The last five years have seen significant progress in women’s Cricket and recent success of the Women’s T20 challenge is an indicator of the same,” Sanjog Gupta, Head of Star India, the official broadcaster of the event.
"The broadcast of the ICC Women’s World Cup has grown leaps and bounds. The 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup Final, one of the highest-rated sporting events of that year with a cumulative reach of 95 million, is testament to the growing fandoms for women’s cricket in India."
(With PTI inputs)
