ICC confirms expansion of teams in Women's T20 WC

Australian Women`s cricket tea celebrating T20 World Cup 2023 triumph (Pic: ICC)

The International Cricket Council confirmed the expansion of teams in the Women's T20 World Cup to 16 in 2030. The USA Cricket and Cricket Chile have been put on notice.

"The ICC Board has approved an expansion of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup to 16 teams in 2030, aligning with its ongoing commitment to equity between the men's and women's games," ICC said in an statement while announcing the increase in the number of teams.

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In the inaugural season in 2009, the number of teams participating was eight out of which England won the title. Later, the number increased to 10 and will further increase to 12 in 2016. Till 2030, the team's tally will go up to 16.

In the statement, the ICC confirmed that the qualification cut-off date for the 2026 edition of the tournament will be October 31 this year.

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In the statement, the ICC confirmed that the USA Cricket and Cricket Chile have been formally put on notice. They have been given 12 months to address their non-compliance with the ICC Membership Criteria due to the lack of fit-for-purpose, detailed governance and administrative structure and systems.

The Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) also confirmed the allocation of eight regional qualifying spots for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Under this new structure, two teams each will qualify from Africa and Europe, one from the Americas, and three from a combined Asia and East Asia-Pacific (EAP) regional final. Previously, Asia was allocated two spots, and the EAP one spot.

The ICC Board also confirmed there will be a review of the recently concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 overseen by three directors, Roger Twose, Lawson Naidoo and Imran Khwaja, who will report back to the board later in the year.

At the ICC Annual Conference, the CEC also approved the appointment of Paul Reiffel to the ICC Men's Cricket Committee as the Elite Panel Umpire, while Richie Richardson was confirmed as the Elite Panel Referee on the Committee.

The annual conference wrapped up in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday. The four-day conference held just days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics, focused on the theme "Capitalizing on the Olympic Opportunity" ahead of cricket's inclusion in the LA28 Games.

(With ANI Inputs)