ICC Women's World Cup 2022: India to kickstart campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan

The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the complete amended fixture for the next Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand on Tuesday. The tournament will begin on March 4 with a match between host New Zealand and the West Indies at Bay Oval in Tauranga. A total of 31 matches will be contested amongst eight teams over the course of a month to determine who will win the coveted cup. The final will be held at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on April 3.

On March 5, Bangladesh will play South Africa at the University Oval in Dunedin in their first match. Meanwhile, Australia's first match will take place on March 5 at Seddon Park in Hamilton, against defending champions England. In terms of India, the Women in Blue will begin their campaign on March 6 at Tauranga's Bay Oval against arch-rivals Pakistan. The competition will be held in a league format, with each of the eight teams playing each other once before the top four teams advance to the knockout stage.

Australia, England, South Africa, and India qualified based on their positions in the ICC Women's Championship, while Pakistan, West Indies, and Bangladesh advanced to the last eight based on their superior ODI team rankings as the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier was called off due to COVID-19 concerns in Zimbabwe. Because they were the hosts, New Zealand was automatically qualified.

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 schedule

• New Zealand vs West Indies, March 4
• Bangladesh vs South Africa, March 5
• Australia vs England, March 5
• Pakistan vs India, March 6
• New Zealand vs Bangladesh, March 7
• Australia vs Pakistan, March 8
• West Indies vs England, March 9
• New Zealand vs India, March 10
• Pakistan vs South Africa, March 11
• West Indies vs India, March 12
• New Zealand vs Australia, March 13
• South Africa vs England, March 14
• Pakistan vs Bangladesh, March 14
• Australia vs West Indies, March 15
• England vs India, March 16
• New Zealand vs South Africa, March 17
• Bangladesh vs West Indies, March 18
• India vs Australia, March 19
• New Zealand vs England, March 20
• West Indies vs Pakistan, March 21
• India vs Bangladesh, March 22
• South Africa vs West Indies, March 24
• England vs Pakistan, March 24
• Bangladesh vs Australia, March 25
• New Zealand vs Pakistan, March 26
• England vs Bangladesh, March 27
• India vs South Africa, March 27
• Semi-Final 1, March 30
• Semi-Final 2, March 31
• Final, April 3

Image: ICC/Website