WEST INDIES Women begin their bid for direct qualification to the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 when they host Sri Lanka Women for a series of three One-day International and three Twenty20 Internationals next month.
The three ODIs to be contested October 11, 13 and 15 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad will form part of the new round of matches in the ICC Women’s Championship which will be contested between the leading eight women’s teams in the World – the Windies and the Sri Lankans, along with Australia, recently-crowned World champions England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa from now until March 2020.
Following the conclusion of the ICC Women’s Championship, the top three ranked teams plus the hosts (New Zealand) automatically qualify for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021. The remaining four teams will have a second chance to qualify through the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 qualifier.
The three T20Is on October 19, 21 and 22 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua will also be critical for the two sides as they also look to prepare themselves for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Tournament to be staged in November next year in the Caribbean.
The Windies Women are the defending World champions in the T20 format and will be looking to get themselves geared up for a purposeful defence of the title on home soil.
Schedule of matches: October: Sunday 8, Trinidad & Tobago Women versus Sri Lanka Women – National Cricket Centre, Trinidad (9:30 a.m. start); Wednesday 11, 1st ICC Women’s Championship One-Day International — Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad (9:30 a.m. start); Friday 13, 2nd ICC Women’s Championship One-Day International — Brian Lara Cricket Academy (2:00 p.m. start); Sunday 15, 3rd ICC Women’s Championship One-Day International — Brian Lara Cricket Academy (9:30 a.m. start); Thursday 19, 1st Twenty20 International — Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua (6:30 p.m. start); Saturday 21, 2nd Twenty20 International — Coolidge Cricket Ground (6:30 p.m. start); Sunday 22, 3rd Twenty20 International — Coolidge Cricket Ground (6:30 p.m. start).