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- The inaugural tournament will take place in South Africa from 14 to 29 January 2023
- Benoni and Potchefstroom confirmed as host cities
- Rwanda clinched the final spot for the 16-team event, joining England, Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Group B
- Rwanda and Indonesia to make ICC World Cup debuts
- The match schedule for the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in South Africa has been announced. The historical event will showcase the future stars of the game with 16 teams travelling to the Rainbow Nation to compete in 41 matches from 14 to 29 January 2023 in Benoni and Potchefstroom.
The 16 participating teams which include the very best U19 female players in the world comprises 11 Full ICC Members and five Associates. The four groups are as follows:
Group A
Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United States of America (USA).
Group B
England, Pakistan, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Group C
Indonesia, Ireland, New Zealand and West Indies.
Group D
India, Scotland, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Rwanda joins fellow newcomers Indonesia, as first-time ICC World Cup participants at any level. The former beat out Tanzania by six wickets on Monday to secure their place in the event which promises to see even more dazzling performances as it progresses.
Scotland, the UAE, and the USA were the three remaining teams that qualified to the World Cup through the regional qualification pathway, detailed here.
The 41-match World Cup schedule will begin on 14 January with Australia taking on Bangladesh, followed by the hosts, South Africa, going head-to-head against India at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, while at Willowmoore Park B Oval, the UAE will go up against Scotland, followed by Sri Lanka and the USA.
The top three teams will progress to the Super Six League where the teams from Group A play against two of the teams from Group D, while the same will take place between Group B and Group C.
The semi-finals will be played on 27 January, at JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, with the final taking place at the same location on 29 January.
ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup is the ultimate finishing school for future female stars of our game and to have 16 teams heading to South Africa for the inaugural event is incredibly exciting for the development of women’s cricket which is a strategic priority for the ICC.
“We are looking forward to seeing the kind of success stories emerge from this event that we have enjoyed in the Men’s U19s over the years and it’s fantastic to welcome ICC event debutants Indonesia and Rwanda to the world stage.
“We are delighted that South Africa will be hosting this event as well as the senior ICC Women’s T20 World Cup shortly thereafter and we wish all the teams the very best in their preparations for the tournament and to Cricket South Africa in organising the event.”
Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO, Pholetsi Moseki said: “CSA is thrilled to be hosting two very exciting ICC women’s events in the coming months, but for us as an organisation, the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup holds a special place in our hearts. As a nation, we hold women and the significant and vital roles that they play in our society in high esteem, and to that end, we are incredibly proud to be hosting the very first global T20 event of its kind for young women of this age group.
“This falls in line with CSA’s vision to make cricket a truly national sport of winners and accessible to all, not just in South Africa and Africa, but around the world.
“The fixtures and matchups are going to make for exciting viewing, and we look forward to record-breaking and life-changing results.”
There will be 16 warm-up matches taking place between 9 and 11 January in the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane.
ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Venues:
Benoni – Willowmoore Park and Willowmoore Park B.
Potchefstroom – JB Marks Oval and North West University Oval.
