Image Credit- ACC
The T20 format of the 2024 women’s Asia Cup will be
held in Dambulla from July 19–28. Eight teams total—one more than in the
previous edition—will compete, including the strong teams from Bangladesh,
India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as well as the semi-finalists from the Women’s
Premier Cup 2024, the UAE, Nepal, Thailand, and Malaysia.
This year, the teams will be divided into two groups instead of playing each
other once before the semi-finals as they did previous season. Group A
comprises India, Pakistan, UAE, and Nepal, while Group B includes Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia. The match between India and Pakistan is set
for July 21.
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, Jay Shah, said of the tournament’s
expansion: “We are excited to see the increased participation and
competitiveness among the teams, reflecting the growing popularity and
importance of women’s cricket. This expansion, from six teams in 2018 to seven
in 2022, and now eight, is a testament to our commitment to the women’s game
and the burgeoning talent pool in Asian cricket.”
An ACC statement
further verified that this tournament will only include female umpires, just as
the previous one that was held in Sylhet.
Teams will use the Asia Cup as a practise run before the T20 World Cup, which
will take place in Bangladesh starting in September.
With seven championship victories, India is the most successful team and the
defending champion at the Asia Cup.
The competition has been held in the T20 format since 2012, normally once every
two years. However, due to the pandemic in 2020, the event was first postponed
and ultimately cancelled.
This year, the later part of the Asia Cup will clash with the start of the
Women’s Hundred competition in England, which begins on July 23. That could
affect the participation of Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave), Chamari
Athapaththu (Oval Invincibles) and Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix) for their
Hundred teams.