Commonwealth Games Australia, with the agreement of Cricket Australia, is delighted to accept the qualification place from the Commonwealth Games Federation for the Australian Women’s Team to compete at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Women’s T20 cricket will make its debut at the Commonwealth Games with Australia automatically qualifying due to their No. 1 world ranking as at April 1, 2021.

The qualification process grants hosts England one spot while the six other highest ranked ICC Members in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings as of 1 April 2021 also qualify directly for the eight-team tournament.

ICC Women’s T20 Rankings

*Since athletes from the Caribbean will be representing their countries and not the West, the winner of a designated qualifying tournament will decide which country gets to compete in the West Indies slot.

The remaining place will be allocated to the winner of a Commonwealth Games Qualifier, the format and details of which will be announced in due course. The deadline for the Qualifier is 31 January 2022.

The 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.”

Australian team Chef de Mission Petria Thomas OAM said it was exciting to begin the team qualification announcements with the world’s number one, in an event that will make its Commonwealth Games debut.

“Confirmation of Australia’s qualification for the inaugural women’s T20 cricket tournament at the Commonwealth Games is an important milestone in the countdown to the Birmingham Games,” Thomas said.

“This is our first qualified team and we couldn’t be more excited that it’s in an event which will makes its Commonwealth Games debut.”

“We know our all-conquering women’s cricketers have a massive year in 2022 – Ashes, World Cup and Commonwealth Games – so it’s truly a bumper year of sport for them.”

Cricket has featured once before at the Commonwealth Games, albeit in the 50-over format. On that occasion, Australia claimed the silver medal at Kuala Lumpur in 1998 under the captaincy of Steve Waugh.