‘Women’s World T20 to be celebration of cricket’

BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis: The ICC Women’s World T20 (WWT20) in November would be a “celebration of cricket” in true Caribbean style, chief executive David Richardson said.

Speaking during a trip to assess preparations for the event on Sunday, Richardson hoped that the tournament would mark another leap forward for the women’s game as well as in efforts to make the sport more inclusive.

The tournament, which starts November 9 and is the first stand-alone Women’s World T20, is a chance for the local communities to put their stamp on it, he added.“We want this event to belong to the community, as opposed to the ICC,” he said“We want to be more inclusive. Cricket is for everyone.”

Urging fans to turn up, he said: “It’s going to be a party. It’s going to be a celebration of cricket in this part of the world.”Richardson expected the 2018 edition of the tournament to build on the goodwill generated by the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 in England, and give the sport another boost ahead of the Women’s World T20 2020 in Australia.

“Cricket is uniquely placed to be a sport that can be played by women, followed by women,” Richardson said. “Certainly, within 5-10 years, we want cricket to be the No.1 sport for women.”