ICC allocates reserve days for 2021 women's ODI World Cup knockout games
The ICC has included a reserve day for the women’s ODI World Cup 2021 after facing harsh criticism for looking over it in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. All the knockout games have been allocated reserve days with the semis being played in Tauranga and Hamilton and the final in Christchurch.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has allocated reserve days for the knockout games in the upcoming women’s ODI World Cup 2021 after being scrutinised for looking over it in the recently-concluded women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. The careless attitude of the governing body resulted in England being knocked out of the tournament without even playing the semi-final against India as the latter advanced due to superior position in the group stage.
The situation which arose in the first place due to the lack of a reserve day for the rain-hit semi-final drew criticism for the ICC from around the World but it looks like the global body has learned the lesson. The ICC released the 31-match schedule for the tournament, starting February 6 to March 7 in New Zealand with reserve days scheduled for all three knockout matches a day later.
The Women’s ODI World Cup will be played at six venues, including Eden Park, Bay Oval, Seddon Park, University Oval, Basin Reserve and Hagley Oval. Auckland will be hosting the opening game between the hosts, the white ferns, and a qualifying team while the semifinals will be played in Tauranga and Hamilton on February March 3 and 4 respectively with the final scheduled to take place in Christchurch on March 7.
New Zealand, Australia, England and South Africa have already qualified for the World Cup. The remaining four teams will be established following the completion of the ICC Women’s Championship and a subsequent qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka in July. The eight-team event will feature a round-robin format with the top four teams making it to the semi-finals.