Only three teams have won the Women’s Cricket World Cup since it began in 1973 – England, Australia and New Zealand – and all three winning teams will compete for another world title in Hamilton next year.
The 31-match schedule for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 was announced in Wellington this morning, with Hamilton joining Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin as host cities.
Hamilton’s Seddon Park will host six international pool games plus a semi-final. City fans are guaranteed to see reigning champions England, six-times champion Australia, South Africa and New Zealand’s winning WHITE FERNS in action. Four more teams have yet to qualify.
All matches will be broadcast live to a huge global audience as teams chase NZD$5.5 million in prize money.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate was at today’s launch, which was attended by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, Minister for Sport Grant Robertson, Minister of Economic Development Phil Twyford, Australian High Commissioner Her Excellency Patricia Forsythe and ICC CEO Manu Sawhney.
Mayor Southgate said the announcement was a strong endorsement of Hamilton’s world-class venue at Seddon Park and “fabulous” for women’s sport and cricket in general.
“This is going to be an amazing event and having top-class cricket at Seddon park beamed to a global audience will be fantastic for our city and for the wider region, ” Mayor Southgate said.
“Hamilton has some incredible sporting venues and Seddon Park is one of our most-loved,” she said.
“But hosting the games will bring other benefits to Hamilton, including economic benefits as visitors come to the city. Events like this engender huge pride in Hamilton. We do them well and Hamilton fans are wildly enthusiastic. Being able to share our culture, heritage and sporting passion with an international audience is brilliant so this is very exciting,”
England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa will play across six pool-play match dates in Hamilton in February and March 2021. The four teams have already qualified for the World Cup, with four more teams to be added after the ICC Women’s Championship and a subsequent qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka in July.
Seddon Park is managed by Hamilton City Council’s H3 division and has played a part in previous Cricket World Cups, hosting matches in the Men’s events in 1992 and 2015.
The World Cup opens at Auckland’s Eden Park with a bumper opening weekend featuring the WHITE FERNS on Waitangi Day followed by England against Australia the next day.
The tournament caps off the ICC’s Year of Women’s Cricket, which began on International Women’s Day this year and concludes with the 7 March ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 final under lights at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Scheduled match dates for Hamilton’s Seddon Park, ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021:
- Monday, 8 Feb – QUALIFIER v South Africa
- Wednesday, 10 Feb – England v QUALIFIER
- Thursday, 11 Feb – QUALIFIER v South Africa
- Saturday, 20 Feb – New Zealand v South Africa
- Wednesday, 24 Feb – QUALIFIER v Australia
- Friday, 26 Feb – South Africa v Australia
- Thursday, 4 March – Semi-final 2 (2v3)
