Women’s T20 Cricket has been confirmed for inclusion at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games after a joint bid by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

“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.”

WHITE FERNS captain Amy Satterthwaite is among those who see the inclusion as a significant step for women’s cricket.

“This is a very exciting opportunity to expose the women’s game to a different global audience and be part of an established and prestigious event such as the Commonwealth Games.”

“To have the opportunity to potentially play against countries that we currently don’t play against will be unique and only a good thing for the growth of the game,” she said.

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Andrea Nelson, Chief Executive of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 set to be hosted in New Zealand, says having T20 Cricket included in the Commonwealth Games can only be a positive move for the sport.

“This is fantastic for cricket and in fact women’s sport as a whole. It’s another chance for the public to see our top female athletes performing on the world stage and hopefully can build on the momentum generated by the one-day World Cup we are hosting here in New Zealand in 2021.”

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place in England from 27th July to 7th August 2022 and will see 4,500 athletes competing at across 18 sports.

The ICC will be responsible for the competition terms and the conduct of cricket, by way of providing match officials and ensuring matches are played as per the laws of the game. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and Birmingham 2022 will be responsible for delivery of the Commonwealth Games 2022.

“Today is an historic day and we are delighted to welcome the sport of cricket back to the Commonwealth Games,” said 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.”

All eight matchdays will be held at Edgbaston cricket ground, which played host to a number of memorable matches at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup this summer.