Women’s cricket got a shot in the arm after it was included in the roster for the upcoming Commonwealth Games that will be hosted at Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2022. This is the first time since 1998 that cricket will be included in the CWG, although only the women’s teams will be participating. Earlier, MCC chief Mike Gatting had revealed that the sport could possibly find a place in the 2028 Olympics that will be held at Los Angeles.
The last time the event was held in the CWG, in 1998, only the men’s team participated, with South Africa winning gold after they defeated Australia in Kuala Lumpur. But while that was played in the 50-over format, the event in 2022 will be played in the T20 format. The edition will be played from July 27 2022 till 7th August, with cricket being played at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
“Today is an historic day and we are delighted to welcome the sport of cricket back to the Commonwealth Games,” said Commonwealth Games Foundation (CGF) President Dame Louise Martin DBE. “Cricket was last played in the Games at Kuala Lumpur in 1998 when the men’s 50-overs-a-side competition was won by South Africa and featured icons of the sport including Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar.
“We believe the Commonwealth Games will be a fantastic platform to showcase the exciting sport of Women’s T20 Cricket and continue to help grow the game globally. We would like to thank the International Cricket Council for their hard work and efforts to ensure that the sport is in the Games in Birmingham as we believe it will contribute to a spectacular and vibrant multi-sport event. Cricket is truly a Commonwealth sport and we hope Birmingham 2022 will be the start of a long and successful partnership between Women’s Cricket and the Games,” he added.
The ICC welcomed the news and hoped that women’s cricket could grow stronger after the move. “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 International Cricket Council. “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.
“Fast and exciting, the T20 format is the perfect fit for the Commonwealth Games and offers another chance to showcase women’s cricket on the global stage as part of our ambitious plans to accelerate the growth of the game, whilst inspiring the next generation of cricketers. All the players who are lucky enough to compete at Birmingham 2022 will be part of a truly memorable experience,” he added.
Tom Harrison, the Chief Executive Officer of the England and Wales Cricket Board too agreed and stated that the move showed how popular cricket was across the globe. “We are delighted that Women’s T20 Cricket will be part of Birmingham 2022, an event that represents the biggest female and para sport programme in Commonwealth Games history. Today’s landmark announcement is another indication of the extremely bright future for women’s cricket, ” Harrison said.
“Cricket’s inclusion in an event with such a large global reach aligns perfectly with our plan to enable more women and girls to be inspired to get involved in cricket. We would like to thank the teams at Birmingham 2022, the Commonwealth Games Foundation and the International Cricket Council for their support in sharing this vision for one of the world’s biggest team sports,” he added.