Women's WC 2022: India face Pakistan in opening game

INDIA will take on Pakistan in their opening match of ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, in Tauranga, New Zealand, on March 6. 

The showpiece event will kick off on March 4 at the same venue with hosts New Zealand taking on the West Indies. Reigning champions England will meet arch-rivals Australia in Hamilton while Bangladesh will face South Africa in Dunedin on the second day. The event was supposed to be played in 2021 but was postponed to 2022 due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Eight teams will play against each other in the round-robin format with the top four point-earners progressing to the semi-finals. A total of 31 matches will be played in 31 days with the final to be played in Christchurch on April 3.

According to the Indian Cricket Council, Australia, England, South Africa and India qualified for the event on the basis of their positions in ICC Women’s Championship 2017-20 while the White Ferns qualified automatically as hosts.

New Zealand is hosting the mega event for the third time after 1982 and 2000.

India have not won the title yet and finished as the runners-up on both occasions they made the title clash, including in the 2017 edition when they lost to England in their den by just nine runs. They also lost the final of the 2005 edition to Australia by 98 runs.

Pakistan have played the women’s world cup only four times so far compared to India’s nine and their best result has been finishing fifth in the 2009 edition.

Head-to-head, India women have beaten Pakistan women in all 10 matches they have played so far in the one-day format.