Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia were unveiled as the three venues that will host the 2018 edition of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, the cricket governing body announced on Monday(January 22).The three venues were selected by Cricket West Indies through a bidding process initiated last year and have been ratified by the ICC. The preliminary round matches will be held at the Guyana National Stadium and Darren Sammy Stadium in Saint Lucia, while Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda will stage the two semi-finals and the final.The seventh edition of the Women’s premier T20I event, set to be played from November 2-24, will be the first stand-alone competition after the past six were played alongside the men’s tournament.Hosts Windies will defend the title they won in Kolkata in 2016 after defeating Australia by eight wickets at Eden Gardens. Current skipper Stafanie Taylor said, “As Captain of the defending champions, we are keen on defending our title and since we know we will be at home, we want to use this as an opportunity to welcome the world to the region for top-class competitive Women’s cricket.”Windies will be joined by last year’s runners-up Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and reigning ODI champions England, who have all qualified directly for the tournament. The remaining two spots in the ten-team event will be taken up by the finalists of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier, due to be played in Netherlands from 3-14 July. The participating teams are Bangladesh, Holland, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda and United Arab Emirates.“We are excited to be hosting the very first stand-alone ICC Women’s World T20. This will add to the established passion for women’s cricket throughout our Region. This is significant not just for the advancement of the sport of cricket but also for the potential for sharing with the world the many irresistible offerings of the beautiful countries of the West Indies,” said Tournament Director Jennifer Nero.“We welcome cricket fans around the world to the home of the reigning ICC Women’s WT20 Champions to celebrate with us as we host the world’s best women cricketers in this highly competitive tournament infused with all the truly festive and uniquely Caribbean flavors.”West Indies has previously hosted the World Cup in 2007 and then the World Twenty20 in 2010 when the league matches of the women’s tournament were played in St Kitts, while St Lucia hosted the two semi-finals. The final in Barbados was played after the men’s final and was won by Australia when they beat New Zealand by three runs.The details of the tournament, including groups and fixtures, are yet to be announced.Taken from CricBuzz
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