2021 Women's WC to have reserve day for all knockouts

The 2021 Women's World Cup, set to be played in New Zealand, will have a reserve day for all three knockout games, each for the semi-finals and the final.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had faced a lot of criticism last week after one of the semi-finals of the Women's T20 World Cup between India and England was washed out. India had progressed to the final on account of their unbeaten run in the group stage.

On Wednesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) released the 31-match schedule for the tournament where the games will be held at six venues.

Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin will host the games in the tournament. The two semi-finals will be played at Tauranga and Hamilton on March 3 and March 4 respectively while the final will be held on March 7 under lights at the Hagley Oval.

Hosts New Zealand will kickoff the tournament with a clash against a qualifier on at Eden Park, Auckland on February 6, 2021.

Only four teams have been confirmed for the World Cup so far. Australia, defending champions England, South Africa and hosts New Zealand have already qualified with four more spots are up for grabs. The remaining teams will be confirmed following the conclusion of the Women's Championship and the qualifying event in Sri Lanka in July.

Among the matches confirmed for now, the Trans-Tasman clash featuring Australia and New Zealand on February 13 and the clash between defending champions England and Australia on the second day of the tournament stand out.

"It's a match we absolutely fizz about as players - taking on the Aussies is always a huge thrill. Cricket fans who come along to the Basin Reserve on Saturday the 13th of February will no doubt see a lot of passion from both teams," said New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine.

"Playing in a World Cup against our arch-rivals in my home city will be an unreal feeling," she added.

Prize money for the showpiece of women's international cricket will total NZD$5.5million, and all matches will be broadcast live.

ICC CEO, Manu Sawhney said: "The ICC has made a long-term commitment to to elevating women's cricket as part of our strategy to grow and develop the global game.

"We are extremely proud of the significant progress we have made in increasing prize money for ICC events over the last few years, with the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand having $NZD5.5 million dollars available in prize money compared to $NZD3.1m in 2017 and $NZD316,000 in 2013."

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup CEO Andrea Nelson said: "Our team is proud to be delivering a tournament where Kiwis across the whole country, in each of our six host cities, can really get involved in what is a truly special event."

"We can't wait to see the excitement build around New Zealand as we prepare to roll out the welcome mat for the rest of the world," she added.

Hamilton will play host to seven games in the tournament, which is the most, including the semifinal. Christchurch, Wellington and Tauranga will host six games each. Auckland and Dunedin will host two and four matches respectively. IANS