Int'l Cricket Council Approves Introduction Of New Int'l Women's Championship

The Int'l Cricket Council Board has approved the introduction of an Int'l Women’s Championship. This bilateral competition involving the top eight ranked women’s teams will determine qualification for the next Women’s World Cup. Competing countries will include Australia, West Indies, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India and Pakistan, with promotion and relegation at the end of the first cycle. Each team will play the others in a series of matches between mid-'14 and the end of '16, with the top teams qualifying automatically for the ICC Women’s World Cup in '17. ICC CEO David Richardson said, "It guarantees a more regular and balanced program of meaningful ODI cricket for a broader group of nations than ever before" (ICC).