Women's WT20 2018: ICC announces venues for the tournament

The ICC Women’s World T20 will be staged from 9th to 24th November this year. The tournament will be played in the Carribean Islands. Yesterday, the ICC announced three venues in the West Indies that will host the tournament. This is also the first stand-alone Women’s T20 cup. All the previous editions were scheduled along with the men’s tournament.

The three venues announced are Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia. The three venues were selected by Cricket West Indies through a bidding process. They were also ratified by the ICC. The preliminary round matches will be held at the Guyana National Stadium and Darren Sammy Stadium in Saint Lucia. Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda will stage the two semi-finals and the final respectively.

The Windies go into the tournament as the defending champions. They won the finals of the 2016 tournament against Australia in India. Stafanie Taylor is expected to once again lead the Windies in front of a passionate home crowd. She said that the Windies are very keen to defend the title.

West Indies, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and England are qualified for the tournament. Two more spots are up for grabs. Eight teams will be competing for these places in the qualifier tournament in June.

The International Cricket Council’s Statements

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “We are delighted to have Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia on board as hosts for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 later this year.”

“Of course, Windies women are the reigning ICC World Twenty20 champions. I’ve no doubt they’ll be looking to defend their title on home soil. We are keen to build on the momentum from this summer’s Women’s World Cup. I’m sure the players can rely on a warm welcome from the legendary cricket fans in the West Indies and we’re all in for a great experience in the Caribbean.”

ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2018 Tournament Director Jennifer Nero added: “We are excited to be hosting the very first stand-alone ICC Women’s World T20. This will add to the established passion for women’s cricket throughout our Region. This is significant not just for the advancement of the sport of cricket but also for the potential for sharing with the world the many irresistible offerings of the beautiful countries of the West Indies.”

“We welcome cricket fans around the world to the home of the reigning ICC Women’s WT20 Champions to celebrate with us as we host the world’s best women cricketers in this highly competitive tournament infused with all the truly festive and uniquely Caribbean flavours.”

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