Zimbabwe to host Women's ODI World Cup qualifier
Top three secure qualification for 2022 WC in New Zealand, while fourth and fifth make it to next edition of ICC Women's Championship
ESPNcricinfo staff
19-Aug-2021
Thailand's opportunity to make their first ODI World Cup will come in the qualifier tournament in November-December 2021 • Peter Della Penna
The Women's ODI World Cup Qualifier 2021, that will decide the final three spots for the 2022 World Cup, will be held in Zimbabwe later this year. The ICC announced that the ten-team tournament will be played between November 21 and December 5 in Harare.
The qualifiers were originally meant to be hosted by Sri Lanka in July 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the tournament, as well as the main event in New Zealand.
The ten teams, vying for the three World Cup spots, will include Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Ireland - and the five regional qualifiers who won their respective competitions in 2019.
Hosts Zimbabwe are the Africa regional qualifiers, Thailand are from Asia, Papua New Guinea represent Asia East-Pacific, Netherlands are the European winners and United States of America will play as Americas champions.
While the top three make it to the eight-team ODI World Cup in March-April 2022, the next two teams from the competition will also secure their places in the next ICC Women's Championship.
The next cycle of the ICC Women's Championship will expand from eight teams to ten, thus freeing up five places. The other five spots will be taken by the automatic qualifiers of the ODI World Cup - Australia, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand - on the back of their top-five finish in the previous ICC Women's Championship.
"I wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the ICC board for their magnanimous gesture in allowing us the privilege of hosting the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021," Zimbabwe Cricket's Tavengwa Mukuhlani said.
"On our part, we will leave no stone unturned to ensure this prestigious global event stands out as a unique event that celebrates Zimbabwe in all its magnificent splendour, richness, vibrancy, diversity and glory. I believe being granted the right to host this tournament is a vote of confidence in what we as ZC are doing and what we are hoping to do.
"You can rest assured we will not disappoint. We will not disappoint the nation of Zimbabwe and we will not disappoint the game of cricket."