The Indian women’s cricket is finally set to kickstart once again. March 8th, 2020 was the last time the Indian women’s cricket team took the field, and it was the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup T20 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Indian women’s cricketers have just taken part in the Women’s T20 Challenge that was played in the UAE as a part of the 2020 season of the IPL. Apart from that, there is barely any other competitive cricket that India’s women have played.
However, the drought is all set to end as they will be up against South Africa in a home series. The tour comprises five ODIs and three T20Is, and this will officially kick-start India’s preparation for the 2021 Women’s World Cup (50-over). The Ekana Stadium in Lucknow has been confirmed as the venue for the entire tour.
There were as many as four cities that were in fray to host this tour, which consists of eight white-ball games. The Greenfield International Stadium in Trivandrum, Kerala was supposed to seal the deal, but the ground is unavailable for the allotted dates as the stadium owners booked an Army recruitment drive. Thus, Lucknow was zeroed in.
It is true that the UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association) has been allotted the women’s series against South Africa and all the eight games will be played in Lucknow,
UPCA’s senior manager of cricket operations Shreyans Kartikeya was quoted saying to Cricbuzz.
The ODI series is slated to start on the 7th of March and the rest of the games in the five-match ODI series will be played on 10th, 12th, 14th and 17th of March. On the other hand, T20Is will start on the 20th of March with 22nd and 24th of March hosting the second and third T20I respectively. The five ODI matches will be day encounters while the T20I series is scheduled to take place under lights (day-night games).
An official announcement for the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is awaited, and it could take place any time this week. In fact, there are reports that the teams have already been finalised and the South African team is also expected to land and camp in Lucknow later this week. The Indian players are also expected to assemble in Lucknow soon. The board wants the players and support staff from both sides to finish their biosecurity protocols and finish their quarantines as early as possible. In addition to this, RT-PCR tests will be conducted on a regular basis and only if players return with negative reports, they will be allowed to train.
The fixtures:
India vs South Africa women’s ODI series: March 7, 9, 12, 14, 17
T20I series: March 20, 21, 23
Venue: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Women’s domestic matches to start in the second week of March
The BCCI has also been contemplating the domestic women’s tournament. According to Cricbuzz, it is learnt that those domestic games are likely to start after the completion group stages of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. That means that the matches could be underway somewhere in the second or third week of March.
Moreover, like the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, six hubs will be created to stage the game. Jaipur, Surat, Indore, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai are likely to host the women’s domestic competition and these venues have already staged the men’s domestic competitions. The official announcement is awaited and the delay is largely due to the change in the general manager for game development.
