The International Cricket Council on Monday confirmed it has submitted a bid for the inclusion of T20 women’s cricket in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The bid has been made in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board, according to an ICC release.
Cricket has made just one appearance at the Commonwealth Games previously, with men playing in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, where South Africa won the gold medal.
The application for the inclusion of women’s cricket for Birmingham 2022 is part of the ICC’s global strategy for cricket “to inspire and empower women and girls around the world and to drive greater levels of inclusivity and opportunity throughout the sport”, according to the release.
“Cricket and the Commonwealth are inextricably linked and almost perfectly aligned with 910 million of cricket’s 1 billion-plus adult fans from Commonwealth countries,” ICC Chief Executive David Richardson was quoted as saying.
The ICC feels that Birmingham is the perfect venue to launch this partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation, considering the number of people of South Asian origin living in the city. According to Richardson, 23% of the city’s residents have links to cricket playing nations outside the UK.
“...the deep connection between cricket and Birmingham will bring people together and inspire future generations of players and fans of women’s cricket,” he said.
“If cricket were to be staged in these Games, we know every team competing would be guaranteed ‘home’ support. There’s a ready-made audience and ready-made infrastructure in the local vicinity,” he added.