The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022

We are now in the throes of the biggest women’s cricket tournament in the world – and cricket betting fans are certainly getting lots of action to bet on, with some outstanding performances from teams all over the world.

Let’s look at the history of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and what we can expect this year…

THE HISTORY OF THE ICC WOMEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP

The concept of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup first came about during talks between English cricketer Rachael Heyhoe Flint and businessman Jack Hayward, in the city of Wolverhampton.

All the way back in 1971, the two stayed up all night brainstorming the format and logistics of the tournament in which Heyhoe Flint would captain England to victory just two years later. Indeed, the very first Women’s Cricket World Cup took place in 1973 and involved several teams, including England. It was a very different format from the one we see today, as the best international women’s teams now battle for 50 overs, no longer 60 – with the winner being decided by a league table and not a knock-out competition.

The final round-robin match of that first tournament saw England take on its historical cricketing foe, Australia. With Enid Bakewell hitting 18 and Heyhoe managing a half-century, the result was that England won by 92 runs and took the title.

INDIA JOINS THE COMPETITION

It wasn’t until 1978 that India made its debut – and hosted the tournament. Others to take part included England, Australia and New Zealand. The top two teams were again England and Australia. However, this time it was Australia’s turn to take the title, as Indian cricketing fans watched the action at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad.

In 1982, they introduced a final to the competition and 5 teams competed for the championship. All of the teams would play the others three times and the top two would make it into the final. Unsurprisingly,  it was once again between England and Australia – and it went down to the wire. However, it was once again Australia that came out on top, winning by three wickets.

In 1988, the Australians again successfully defended their title – again beating England in the final. However, there was a shock result in 1993 when the Aussies failed to reach the finals. This was the year that England claimed back the crown – as the host nation. By this time, they were also joined by teams from the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and the West Indies.

The Aussies couldn’t be held back for long – and took their place back at the top in 1997. This tournament featured 11 teams after Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka all joined. The growth of the tournament saw the teams being split into two groups, with four teams from each group moving into the quarter-final. It was Australia and New Zealand that made it through to the final that year, with the Aussies winning by seven wickets. However, the New Zealanders would get their own back in 2000, by winning the title on their home turf, beating Australia by just four runs.

2005 – INDIA MAKES THE FINAL

2005 was an exciting year. This was the first year that South Africa had been allowed to host the tournament – and it was this year that India reached their first World Cup final. Unfortunately, the Aussies were too strong and Karen Rolton helped them to a 98-run win.

The following three World Cups were all about the Australians and English yet again, with England winning in 2009, Australia taking it back again in 2013 – and England triumphing again in 2017 – on home soil, after beating India in a dramatic final at Lords, making sure to go into the next World Cup as titleholders.

2022 TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS

Although the England team went in as titleholders, their performances in the run-up to the tournament – and the fact that they have struggled in their matches uptil now makes it highly unlikely that the team will retain the title. Many now think that this will certainly be between the Australians and New Zealand – with the Aussies coming in as favourites.

There is a good chance that Australia will take the victory in the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup. They go into it having won the T20 World Cup in 2020, of which they were the hosts and they certainly are playing with plenty of confidence. They also had a very successful 2021, as the team won both of the bilateral series that they played. Firstly, they beat New Zealand 3-0 at New Zealand and they followed this by beating India 2-1 at home.

On paper – and in action, this team is looking good – with a great mix of youth and experience. Cricket betting fans will be all too aware of their dominance and will certainly not shy away from backing this time either.