Everything you need to know about Cricket at Commonwealth Games

Cricket is set to be a part of the upcoming multi-sport event after a long period of time.

The 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) will take place in the city of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is one of the biggest multi-sport events which takes place once every four years. The upcoming edition will begin from  28 July 2022 to 8 August 2022. There are many disciplines at the CWG, making it a very diverse and competitive event. One of the several disciplines at the 2022 edition will be the sport of cricket.

It has been a long-time demand from the stakeholders of cricket to get inclusion in multi-sport events such as the Olympics. As the sport grows and more countries start playing it on the international level, that dream is not far from becoming a reality. For the time being, there is a lot to celebrate about for the cricket community. A women’s cricket tournament will be part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Women’s cricket is rapidly growing and the demand for it is ever-increasing. Getting inclusion at the CWG is a huge achievement which will do the sport a world of good. On that note, here is a look at cricket, its history and the upcoming tournament at the Commonwealth Games:

History

Cricket got its first inclusion at the 1998 Commonwealth Games that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was the first time that cricket was part of a major multi-sport event. A men’s tournament took place where 50-over matches were played. It had a Level-A status rather than being One Day Internationals. There were 16 participating nations that were divided into four groups of four teams each. As the trend is, the Caribbean nations entered the tournament as individuals, rather than as a combined ‘West Indies’ team. 

Group A had Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Jamaica and Malaysia. Group B consisted of Australia, India, Antigua and Barbuda and Canada. In Group C, there was South Africa, Barbados, Northern Ireland and Bangladesh. Finally, in Group D, there was New Zealand, Pakistan, Kenya and Scotland.

The Indian team had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ajay Jadeja, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman and more notable individuals. Indian cricket team finished third in the group and failed to qualify for the semi-final. They lost to Australia, had their match against Antigua & Barbuda called off due to rain and beat Canada.

Eventually, South Africa met Australia in the final and emerged as the gold medal winner. In the third-place match, New Zealand beat Sri Lanka for the bronze medal to conclude the tournament.

The Women’s Tournament At The 2022 Commonwealth Games

Birmingham will witness a women’s cricket tournament in a T20 format at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. It is a huge boost for women’s cricket which is developing and getting its fair share of recognition on a global level. There are going to be eight participating nations, fighting for the gold, silver and bronze medal. 

There are two groups of four teams each and the top two will qualify for the semi-final. Group A consists of Australia, Barbados, India and Pakistan. On the other hand, Group B includes hosts England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The competition for the top two places will be fierce, to say the least, and it will be interesting to see which nation becomes the winner of the first-ever women’s cricket tournament at the Commonwealth Games.

Indian Schedule

29 July 2022 (Group A) - Australia vs India

31 July 2022 (Group A) - India vs Pakistan

3 August 2022 (Group A) - Barbados vs India

All the matches will take place on the prestigious Edgbaston Cricket Ground in the T20 format. 

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