The 12th edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup has arrived after being postponed for a year due to Covid-19. On March 4, hosts New Zealand will take on the West Indies at the Bay Oval. Everything you need to know about the tournament is right here.
Participating Teams
Eight. While New Zealand qualified by virtue of hosting, Australia, England, South Africa, and India qualified by finishing in the top five teams in the Women’s Championship from 2017 to 2021. The other three teams were decided by the ICC ODI rankings of the teams. Pakistan, West Indies, and Bangladesh made it through.
Important Matches to Watch
On March 6, India will play Pakistan in a day-night match, while Australia and England will face off on March 5. On March 13, Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and Australia face-off. On March 28, India and South Africa will play in the last round-robin stage match.
Format of the Women’s World Cup.
Each team will play every other team once, similar to the Men’s 2019 World Cup, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The top-seeded team will face the fourth-placed team in the first semi-final, while the second- and third-placed teams will compete in the other semi-final.
Venues and Gounds
Eden Park in Auckland
Hagley Oval in Christchurch
University Oval in Dunedin
Seddon Park in Hamilton
Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui
The Basin Reserve in Wellington will host the competition’s 31 matches.
Wellington and Christchurch will host the semi-finals, with the latter also hosting the final.
Prize Money
The World Cup winner will receive $1.32 million, which is double what England received after winning the 2017 event. In addition, the total prize pool has been boosted by 75%. The second-place finisher will receive $600,000, while the two losing semi-finalists will each receive $300,000. A total of $70,000 will be granted to the four teams that do not go past the league stage.
Spectators Will be Allowed?
Venues can fill up to 10% of their capacity in the early stages of the event. The organizers are expecting that as the event develops, the cap will be raised.
Players to Watch
Amelia Kerr from New Zealand.
Deandra Dottin from West Indies.
Richa Ghosh from India. She has the ability to shatter records with her bat.
South African Laura Wolvaardt
Tammy Beaumont from England.
Alana King and Beth Mooney from Australia.
Fran Jonas of New Zealand, who is 17 years and 330 days old, will be the tournament’s youngest player.
Defending Champion and Teams Won the World Cup
In 2017, England won the tournament by nine runs over India.
Australia has won six times.
England has won the tournament four times.
New Zealand won once in 2000.
New Records could be Created
Mithali Raj is on track to become the first player to appear in six Women’s World Cups. Raj is 362 runs short of Debbie Hockley’s all-time record of 1139. She’s also three games away from becoming the team’s all-time leader in World Cup games.
Jhulan Goswami now has 36 wickets and needs four more to become the Women’s World Cup’s all-time highest wicket-taker.
