UAE to host ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier will be held at ICC Academy grounds. (ICC Academy)

The winners of this six-team tournament will qualify for the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022

Published: Sat 20 Nov 2021, 6:38 PM

The UAE will be looking to make the most of the home conditions when they start their campaign in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier (November 22-28) against Malaysia on Monday.

Teams are only two steps away from playing in the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.

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The winners of this six-team tournament will qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022, the final round of qualifiers from which teams can book their places for South Africa.

UAE captain Chaya Mughal can feel the anticipation as the two ICC Academy grounds in Dubai Sports City get ready to host Bhutan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia and Nepal.

“Playing in the World Cup is a dream for every cricketer and knowing that it’s just two steps away will certainly push everyone to give their best. The team is anticipating a successful campaign with all the positive vibes around,” Mughal said.

The UAE captain also said that the success of the Associate teams in the recent men’s T20 World Cup was a big inspiration for her team.

“It has been extremely motivating to see the Associate teams in World Cups. We had five Associate teams in the Men’s T20 World Cup this time and two of them made it to the Super 12s. This is certainly a platform where each player dreams to showcase their talent,” she said.

Meanwhile, Bhutan captain Yeshey Choden is hoping to put behind the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic as they get to play in an ICC event.

“Playing in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers is a dream come true. We had to train under strict Covid-19 protocols, which was challenging, as most of us were in-country service as volunteers,” Choden said.

“We worked hard to get match fit and I am very thankful to our Board for giving us the opportunity and investing in us. Till now we had been playing Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments where only teams from Asia compete.

“But playing in ICC events gives us a chance to play against teams from around the globe. So, winning this tournament gives us more opportunities to showcase our talent and we are looking forward to it.”

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier:

When: November 22-28

Where: ICC Academy grounds, Dubai

Teams: UAE, Bhutan, Malaysia, Kuwait, Nepal, Hong Kong

Who will qualify? The top team in the six-team tournament will earn a ticket to the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022, the final round of qualifiers from which teams can book their places for the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Published: Sat 20 Nov 2021, 6:38 PM