Chair of the ICC Women's Committee Clare Connor Sunday hailed the IDI Board for according approval to six global women's tournaments from 2016 to 2023.
The schedule will see two ICC Women's World Cups as well as four ICC World Twenty20 events including the continuation of the successful joint men's and women's events of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016 and 2020 in India and Australia, respectively. In 2018 West Indies and 2022 South Africa, the women's event will be a stand-alone tournament.
Speaking from London, Connor said: "I am delighted with the schedule of women's events through to 2023. It is a great outcome for women's cricket. The agreement of a schedule that incorporates a fixed cycle for women's events illustrates how seriously women's cricket is taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC). This cycle provides a great platform for the continuing growth of women's cricket.
"The past two World Twenty20s have been joint men's and women's events and have been significant opportunities to show off the women's game on a global stage in front of a huge broadcast audience. We welcome the decision to continue this for the 2016 and 2020 events while also embracing the opportunity to hold two stand-alone events in 2018 and 2022."
There was more good news for women's cricket when the IDI Board also agreed to expand the Women's World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 to a 10-team tournament. This means that the top three teams from the Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013, to be held in Dublin July 23-31, will now join Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies in the 2014 tournament that will be staged from March 16 to April 6, 2014.
Teams participating in the Dublin tournament are Canada, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Zimbabwe.