A new chapter is about to open in Women’s cricket as they are set to feature in the Commonwealth Games for the first time in its history in 2022. The multi-sport tournament is going to feature cricket for only the second time after a hiatus of almost 24 years in Birmingham. Women’s cricket was part of the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014, with Pakistan winning the Gold on both occasions.

The historic tournament in Birmingham will commence on the 29th of July and will feature eight teams, divided into two groups of four. The seven-day long tournament will be played in the T20 format and will feature 16 matches, hosted by Edgbaston. Although it is expected to be a hotly contested affair with the Gold medal at stake, some teams are the favorites going into the tournament.

Here are three teams who can win the gold medal in the competition: 

1. Australia

The dominant force in Women’s cricket, Australia are at the summit of the rankings in all formats of the game and are one of the bookie’s favorites to clinch the gold at the quadrennial sporting event. Led by their enigmatic leader Meg Lanning, Australia got their hands on the seventh World Cup title earlier this year, defeating arch-rivals England in the final.

The Aussies are also the most successful T20I team in women’s cricket, with five World Cup titles to their name in seven editions of the tournament, a testament to their superiority. The reigning champions will face off against India in the opening fixture of the tournament.

Beth Mooney is the lynchpin in the batting order for the Women in Yellow alongside skipper Meg Lanning, the pair are the highest ranked T20I batters in the ICC rankings. The emergence of Ashleigh Gardner has been fruitful for them, who will be vying to make a mark in the tournament alongside the mercurial Ellyse Perry from the all-rounder contingent.

2. England

Australia’s nemesis and the 2017-World Cup winners England are arguably the biggest threat to the Kangaroos’ ambition of clinching the gold medal at this tournament. England and Australia are placed in different groups being the top-seeded side and could potentially lock horns in the blockbuster finale, in a repeat of the 2022 WC final.

The English camp has been hit by terrible news ahead of the tournament, as the 2017 WC-winning skipper Heather Knight is doubtful for the CWG 2022 after sustaining a hip injury in the ongoing series against South Africa.

They will be looking to redeem themselves by winning the gold medal after losing out on the WC title earlier this year. Knight deputy Nat Sciver has been in the inspired form off late and is likely to lead the side if Knight misses out. Young bowling sensation Sophie Ecclestone will be accompanying veteran spearhead Katherine Brunt in the bowling department.

3. India

The Women in Blue are the dark horses for the momentous tournament at CWG 2022 and can throw in the spanner in the hopes and dreams of Australia and England. The fourth-ranked T20I team in the world is capable of turning over any side in the world on their day, and the opponents will be wary of their abilities.

Under the truculent leadership of star all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur, India have reinvigorated their hunger after a disappointing World Cup earlier this year. Mithali Raj’s retirement in June has left a massive void to fill for the Indian camp, but the emergence of youngsters like Harleen Deol bodes well for the team.

The onus will be on the eye-catching opening duo of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma along with accomplished all-rounder Deepti Sharma, while the bowling lineup will be relying upon Radha Yadav, who has been an constant threat with her left-arm spin.

Indian woman cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy believes that a 130-140 score is not enough to compete in women’s T20I cricket anymore. She also said that every player now needs to play attacking cricket and put a big score on the board as India Women’s team get ready for the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham. This is the first time in history that women’s cricket will be a part of a multi-sport tournament like CWG.

The 29-year-old batter has represented India in 124 international matches and has scored over 1700 runs so far. But the right-handed batter last played international cricket back in 2020 and is not part of India’s squad for CWG 2022. She regularly plays domestic cricket for her home state team Karnataka Women. She shared her thoughts on how the T20I game has transformed in the last few years and said that it’s crucial to get a good start in the shortest format of the game.

“In T20s, obviously you need a good start, Smriti and Shafali are two great proponents of that (providing quick starts). It’s crucial. It’s not about who is going to score, everyone has to play attacking cricket (now). You need to put (big) scores on the board. You cannot expect 130-140 will win your matches. The game has transformed in the last few years, Even 160-170 is still not safe. The way people go about the game has changed completely. So you have to put up big scores,” Veda Krishnamurthy said on the Sony Sports channel.

India Women got everything to compete in 2022 CWG: Veda Krishnamurthy

The Indian women’s cricket team, which rank fourth on both ICC T20I and ODI charts, has struggled to compete in world cricket in the last few months. They won the recent bilateral series against Sri Lanka but lost the previous three series against the comparatively stronger teams Australia, New Zealand, and England. They also failed to reach the knockout stages in the 2022 World Cup after winning just three out of seven group stage fixtures. But Veda believes that the current team has prepared well for the upcoming 2022 CWG and can compete at the highest level.

“I think so. They’ve practiced for unpredictability. They’ve been playing a lot of cricket, regardless of where and against whom. They had the World Cup, women’s IPL, and more. The conditions at max will go down to whether you want an extra pacer or not. They’ve got a lot of people who can perform,” Veda Krishnamurthy added.

The South African team has suffered another blow before starting with their Commonwealth Games campaign as their star all-rounder and one of the key players in the team, Marizanne Kapp has been ruled out. She recently left the England tour midway to travel back home due to an emergency situation in the family.

Cricket South Africa had hinted that Kapp’s availability for the Commonwealth Games, which starts this week, was unsure. It was confirmed by the Proteas head coach Hilton Moreeng, after the conclusion of the T20I series, that Kapp would not return back to Birmingham for the global event. England won both the T20I and ODI series by 3-0 and tied the Test match as South Africa suffered a setback before their CWG campaign.

Moreeng refuted that the remainder of the team had been negatively impacted by the absence of numerous senior players throughout the tour.

“It’s sport. These kinds of things happen. Sometimes you have plans as a team, as coaches, as an organization and then players feel that on certain days they’ve had enough,” Moreeng was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Kapp played the one-off Test against England and scored a magnificent century, recording a score of 150 (213). She then went on to play the three-match ODI series and claimed 147 runs in the three games. Unfortunately, she had to fly back home before the T20I series as her brother-in-law met with a major accident and was in critical condition in the ICU. Her niece and nephew had also fallen sick while she was a part of the games during her time in England.

“You have to respect and celebrate the times that they had with you because they were incredible cricketers and these kinds of things happen because when you look at where they are in their lives, the different stages of their lives, they have to make at times decisions that are good for them, as people first, before they can worry about anything else,” he added.

We also are a squad in transition, we’re not going to lose sight of that: Moreeng

After the Test match, dynamic batter Lizelle Lee announced her sudden and shocking retirement from all formats of the game with immediate effect amid a dispute over the issuance of a NOC for her to participate in The Hundred, England’s franchise-based unique 100-ball cricket tournament. Shabnim Ismail, a key player in South Africa’s bowling attack, also missed a few games during the tour due to injury concerns.

“So we respect their decisions but at the end of the day it gave opportunities to youngsters to be able to put up their hands. We’re very excited by what we’re seeing. Yes, the results aren’t there yet but we’re taking a lot of things, a lot of homework to be done, because bilateral tours like this give you an indication of where you are as a squad. We also are a squad in transition, we’re not going to lose sight of that. If you look at our bowlers, the ages they’re at, youngsters are going to start coming in. They’ve given us good years,” Moreeng further stated.

Indian women’s team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is all geared up to lead the team in the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022 that gets underway on Friday, July 29. India will be facing the reigning World T20 Champions Australia in the curtain-raiser.

With India being one of the eight participants in the women’s T20 cricket tournament, an elated Kaur said that they feel privileged to get an opportunity of making their CWG debut. She also said that the Indian eves would definitely eyeing to win a medal.

This tournament is very important for us: Harmanpreet Kaur

“This tournament is very important for us. This time we are playing for a medal. If I speak about myself, we have grown watching these kind of tournaments and we are glad that we are also getting an opportunity, we will be part of a big event. I think in the future, if we keep getting these (kind of) opportunities, it will be great for us,” said Kaur before a pre-departure media interaction.

“When you were speaking, I actually felt that I am walking on that (CWG) road, because that is what we are talking about and this time we are going to be part of multi-sporting event. Now it is not only about cricket but other teams also and we will be there for them to cheer up and we want to celebrate each and every medal. This time it will be totally different and we are all very excited,” she added.

All the participating teams have been divided into two groups each. India have been placed in Group A alongside Australia, arch-rivals Pakistan, and Barbados. The group stage concludes on August 4 after which both semifinal matches will be held on August 6. The bronze and gold medal matches are scheduled on August 7.

Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly had confirmed of a COVID-19 case where an unnamed member was tested positive before departing to the UK for the tournament. India would be hoping to put all those distractions behind and focus on the task at hand.

The women’s cricket action is set to be back with the Commonwealth Games 2022 getting underway on the 28th of July. The top eight teams will clash for a gold medal at the tournament that will be played in the T20 format and the teams have been divided into two groups with four teams in each group.

Australia Women, Barbados Women, India Women and Pakistan Women have been categorised into Group A while England Women, New Zealand Women, South Africa Women and Sri Lanka Women have been categorised in Group B. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead Team India while Smriti Mandhana is her deputy.

The matches will commence with the first game between Australia and India on July 29 at the Edgbaston ground in Birmingham while Barbados and Pakistan will take on each other in the second game of the day. The gold medal match will take place on August 7.

Here’s all you need to know about the tournament:

Commonwealth Games 2022

Squads

India Women: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Taniya Bhatia (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sabbhineni Meghana, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav.

Pakistan Women: Bismah Maroof (c), Muneeba Ali (wk), Anam Amin, Aiman Anwer, Diana Baig, Nida Dar, Gull Feroza (wk), Tuba Hassan, Kainat Imtiaz, Sadia Iqbal, Iram Javed, Ayesha Naseem, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Omaima Sohail.

Australia Women: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington.

England Women: Heather Knight (c), Nat Sciver (vc), Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Bryony Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt.

Barbados Women: Hayley Matthews (c), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shanika Bruce, Shai Carrington, Shaunte Carrington, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Keila Elliott, Trishan Holder, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Alisa Scantlebury, Shakera Selman, Tiffany Thorpe, Aaliyah Williams.

New Zealand Women: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Claudia Green, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Jess McFadyen, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.

South Africa Women: Suné Luus (c), Anneke Bosch, Trisha Chetty, Lara Goodall, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Mignon du Preez, Tumi Sekhukhune, Shabnim Ismail, Chloe Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt.

Sri Lanka Women: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Vishmi Gunaratne, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Anushka Sanjeewani, Malsha Shehani, Rashmi Silva.

Schedule (All timings in IST)

July 29, Friday

Australia Women vs India Women, 4:30 pm

Barbados Women vs Pakistan Women, 11:30 pm

July 30, Saturday

New Zealand Women vs South Africa Women, 4:30 pm

England Women vs Sri Lanka Women, 11:30 pm

July 31, Sunday

India Women vs Pakistan Women, 4:30 pm

Australia Women vs Barbados Women, 11:30 pm

August 2, Tuesday

England Women vs South Africa Women, 4:30 pm

New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women, 11:30 pm

August 3, Wednesday

Australia Women vs Pakistan Women, 4:30 pm

Barbados Women vs India Women, 11:30 pm

August 4, Thursday

South Africa Women vs Sri Lanka Women, 4:30 pm

England Women vs New Zealand Women, 11:30 pm

August 6, Saturday

1st semi-final, 4:30 pm

2nd semi-final, 11:30 pm

August 7, Sunday

Bronze medal match, 2:30 pm

Gold medal match, 10:30 pm

Live Streaming and Broadcasting details

Sony Sports network will broadcast the cricket matches of the Commonwealth Games 2022 live on television. Live streaming will be available on the SonyLIV app.

South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has left the team midway in the ongoing T20I series against England owing to personal family reasons. As a result, she will miss out on the remainder of the series. Her sudden exit has also raised concerns over her participation in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which will witness a women’s cricket for the first time in its history.

Kapp has been a crucial part of the South African setup for a long time now, and her absence from the combination would be a major setback for the side. It will be a double blow for the Proteas side as their pacer Tumi Sekhukhune is also set to return back home as she re-injured her groin during the ongoing tour.

“The 23-year-old Sekhukhune experienced discomfort during the warm-ups ahead of the third and final ODI against England on Monday, and after being assessed by the team’s medical staff, it was agreed she will be sent home to begin her rehabilitation. Meanwhile, star allrounder Kapp has requested to travel back home to Gqeberha to be close to her family during this trying time,” Cricket South Africa said in a statement.

Tazmin Brits, a top-order batter, has been called up to South Africa’s T20I roaster for the remaining matches against England, which comprise two T20Is- one on Saturday, June 23, in Worcester and the final game on Monday, June 25, in Derby.

CSA did not reveal much information about Kapp’s exit, but her wife, Dane van Niekerk, the South African skipper who is out of the squad due to a prolonged injury, broke the silence on her social media handle and informed about the ongoing concerns in her family. She revealed that Kapp’s sister’s husband met with a major accident that had him admitted to the ICU.

Dane van Niekerk also revealed that Kapp, while playing the one-off Test and the ODIs, had been going through a difficult phase mentally as her niece and nephew had fallen immensely sick. Van Niekerk also slammed the critics who had been questioning Kapp’s commitment to her country and the team.

 

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Lizelle Lee’s exit brings instability in the team

The Proteas have been going through a rough phase as a team ever since their star batter Lizelle Lee announced her retirement from international cricket. She was a part of the team in the Test match but took the decision suddenly during the tour, just before the start of the ODI series. South Africa suffered a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series and also lost the first game of the T20I series.

The Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 to be held in Birmingham is on the cusp of creating history for women’s sports and the sport of cricket, as the 2022 edition of CWG has included women’s T20Is as one of its events for the first time in its history. Also, this will be the first time cricket will be played at the event since 1998.

In the 1998 CWG, hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it was the men’s cricket teams that took part. And it was South Africa, led by Shaun Pollock, who defeated Steve Waugh’s Australia in the final to bag the gold medal. New Zealand, led by Stephen Fleming, settled for bronze.

Meanwhile, the T20 format was first introduced in 2003, and the first T20 international game was played in 2005 between Australia and New Zealand. Hence, this will be the first time T20 cricket would feature in the mega event in Birmingham, which cricket matches to commence on July 29.

Here are the three Indian bowlers who can give their best performance in the Commonwealth Games 2022:

1. Renuka Singh

The 26-year-old fast bowler, born in Himachal Pradesh, is one of the emerging bowling talents in Indian cricket. Renuka Singh Thakur made her international debut in October 2021 against Australia in a T20I at Carrara. She has so far appeared in six T20Is and five ODIs for India ever since.

Renuka, predominantly a new ball bowler, has picked up 10 wickets at an average of 18.20 and a strike rate of 22.8, at an economy rate of 4.78 in ODIs and best figures of four wickets for 28 runs. In T20Is, she has picked up three wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.40.

Renuka represented Trailblazers in the Women’s T20 Challenge earlier this year. She picked up one wicket for 32 runs in four overs in their last match against Velocity, while defending a target of 191. Trailblazers went on to win the match by 16 runs. Her ability to swing the ball in English conditions might be key for India in the tournament.

2. Deepti Sharma

Deepti Sharma is one of India’s most valuable players for her all-round prowess. She is a middle-order batter and India’s frontline off-spinner across formats. She made her India debut in November 2014 against South Africa in an ODI.

Deepti has appeared in two Test matches, 77 ODIs and 61 T20Is ever since. In T20Is, she has 63 wickets in 60 innings at an average of 20.96 and a strike rate of 20.3, with an economy rate of 6.16.

In 2022, she has picked up five T20I wickets in 14 overs at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 16.8 with an economy rate of 6.78. Deepti currently stands fifth in the ICC bowling rankings for women’s T20Is and is the highest-ranked Indian bowler in the format.

3. Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Slow left-arm orthodox spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad has been one of India’s most prolific bowlers across formats over the last five years. She made her international debut in January 2014 against Sri Lanka in an ODI.

Gayakwad has picked up five wickets in two Test matches at an average of 29 with best innings figures of four wickets for 54 runs. She has scalped 96 ODI wickets in 61 matches at an economy rate of 3.59 and best match figures of five wickets for 15 runs.

In T20Is, she has picked up 45 wickets in 35 innings at an economy rate of 6.38 and best match figures of three wickets for nine runs. She represented Trailblazers in this year’s Women’s T20 Challenge and picked up three wickets in two matches.

Sri Lanka have announced their squad for the upcoming Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and the contingent has been reduced from what was named against India for the recently concluded T20I series. Sri Lanka Women had deployed a 19-member squad for the India series, but Sathya Sandeepani, Kaushani Nuthyangana, Hansima Karunaratne, and Tharika Sewwandi have been left out of the CWG 2022 as the group now consists of 15 players.

Although Sri Lanka’s run against India did not go as they had hoped, their decisive victory in the third T20I of the series gave them optimism that they could succeed on the global platform. Yet again, Chamari Athapaththu will lead the team. Additionally, Sri Lanka will be hoping that promising all-rounder Kavisha Dilhari puts on a noteworthy showing.

Some of the other important players on the team are Inoka Ranaweera and Oshadi Ranasinghe, who had been in good touch against India. The two spinners have produced match-winning spells previously, and something similar will be expected from them. While Athapaththu will continue her place as an opener, Vishmi Gunarathne is expected to open the innings alongside her.

There have been instances where the Sri Lankan lineup has depended upon their top order, especially Athapaththu. The skipper has played some memorable knocks in the top-order and guided her side to a victory single-handedly. In the third T20I match against India, Athapaththu remained unbeaten at 80*(48) and punished the bowlers after the other two top-order batters failed to put up a show.

Commonwealth Games include 16 matches across 10 days

This is the first time that women’s cricket has been included in the Commonwealth Games, and all eight teams will give their best performances to clinch the Gold medal. All teams will face the other three teams in their respective groups once. Therefore, all side will play three matches each before the semi-finalists are declared.

16 games, including the finals, will be played over the course of 10 days and Sri Lanka will be a part of Group B alongside hosts England, New Zealand, and South Africa. Meanwhile, Group A consists of World Champions Australia, India, Pakistan, and Barbados.

Sri Lanka Women’s Commonwealth Games squad

Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Malsha Shehani, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Rashmi de Silva, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Anushka Sanjeewani

Team New Zealand has faced a massive jolt ahead of the Commonwealth Games with their star all-rounder Amelia Kerr returning Covid-19 positive. The 21-year-old tested positive in England on July 17 (Sunday) and will now have to complete her isolation period of one week.

In positive news for New Zealand, Kerr is the only player for White Ferns to test positive for the virus, while the management committee will continue to monitor and test the remainder of the squad ahead of their clash against the England A squad this week.

New Zealand will play against South Africa in their first match of the Commonwealth Games

The White Ferns are placed in Group B and will take on South Africa in their opening encounter slated to be played at Edgbaston on July 30. New Zealand will want their star player Kerr to get back to her full fitness before their opening encounter in the Commonwealth Games.

Kerr holds the record for being the youngest player to score a double century in women’s cricket after smashing an unbeaten 232 against Ireland at the age of just 17 years and 243 days, she also can scalp some crucial wickets for his side with the ball. Talking about her numbers, Kerr has played 42 T20I matches and scored 234 runs. With the ball, she has scalped a total of 41 wickets at an average of 21.85. In ODIs, she has scored 1240 runs in 53 matches and has also taken a total of 76 wickets.

During the recently concluded ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at home, Kerr amassed a total of 201 runs from just seven matches and also took nine wickets for her side. Kerr will be looking to recover as soon as possible and represent her country in the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

New Zealand Commonwealth Games squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Jess McFadyen, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe

Sri Lanka is currently going through one of its worst economic crises, which has brought about a shortage of essential resources such as fuel and cooking gas, among other things. This has also compromised the public transportation facilities in the country and prompted various universities and schools to be shut down. In a situation like this, it is Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that has stepped up to play its part.

As the sports authorities were told to forget about their participation in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, it is Sri Lanka’s cricket board that has chipped in to make an open-handed contribution of 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to secure their athletes’ participation in the mega event.

“The Treasury said they don’t have money. Forget about it,” Dampath Fernando, Sri Lanka’s chef de mission, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express on July 15, Friday. “We fell into a difficult, desperate situation.”

It wasn’t as if we ran out of supplies: Fernando

“It’s a fairly big amount. Ours is a small country, we (administrators) know each other very well. In a crisis situation like the one at present, we need to appreciate that the cricket board volunteered to help the Olympic association. That’s very unique,” said the chef de mission of Sri Lanka.

Fernando said that transport has become an issue, adding that several senior managers come to work on bicycles. He revealed that the athletes, coaches, and other officials are also facing the same situation. “It wasn’t as if we ran out of supplies. The situation was such that we did not have fuel to transport it to the boxers,” said Fernando.

“I had to engage the sports ministry’s medical unit. Transport has become a big issue, there’s no fuel in the country. It puts us in a very difficult kind of situation,” added Fernando.

Meanwhile, the secretary general of the Sri Lankan Olympic Association, Maxwell de Silva was attacked by thugs and had his car stolen. “I later got it (car) back. I don’t know if the attack was politically motivated or because of sports, the police are investigating,” said de Silva.