Australia’s Women’s T20 World Cup winning side could face Barbados at the Birmingham Games as Women’s T20 Cricket makes its Commonwealth Games debut.

Barbados Women’s cricket team will participate in the next year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games as the “representative team” for West Indies.

This decision was made after Cricket West Indies (CWI) decided to postpone the 2021 T20 Blaze tournament until next year due to challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Following the postponement, the Barbados Women’s team will be the representative team from the West Indies as a result of their victory in the 2020 CWI T20 Blaze tournament and in line with Commonwealth Games Association Tournament rules agreed by the International Cricket Council (ICC),” a statement released by the CWI reads.

Barbados won the T20 Blaze in 2020 and has been selected as the West Indies representative in the eight-nation tournament.

Barbados will join Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, England as the teams that will participate in the women’s event at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

It will be the first-time women’s cricket will be played at the Commonwealth Games.

This will also be only the second instance of cricket being played at the game after a men’s ODI competition, held back in 1998 at Kuala Lumpur, which South Africa defeated Australia in the gold medal match.

The Women’s T20 cricket program begins on July 29, 2022 and concludes with the gold medal match at Edgbaston on August 7, 2022.

Meg Lanning, Australia’s captain, said the team were excited to compete for gold in Birmingham.

“Representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games will be an incredible experience and the team can’t wait to take the field in Birmingham next year,” Lanning said.

“It was already shaping up as a huge year with a home Ashes and a World Cup in New Zealand, and a Commonwealth Games takes it to another level.

“The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020 showed the world just how entertaining and competitive women’s 20-over cricket is and the Commonwealth Games will be another opportunity for teams to showcase their talent and determination in front of a global audience.”

Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin said it was great to have cricket back at the games.

“Cricket is a sport that is synonymous with the Commonwealth and we are so excited to have it back in the Games for the first time since the men’s competition at Kuala Lumpur,” Martin said.

Dame Louise Martin also added that the introduction of Women’s T20 cricket will be significant and memorable for the Commonwealth games.

“The debut of women’s T20 cricket will be a historic moment for Commonwealth Sport and a wonderful showcase for women’s sport across the world,” Martin said.