The two finalists of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi will secure their spots in this year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh.
The 10 teams competing in the Qualifier have been divided into two groups of five each. The top two from each group will enter the semi-finals with the semi-final winners confirming their trip to Bangladesh.
Scotland, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda and the United States of America (USA) feature in Group A, while Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Vanuatu and Zimbabwe make up Group B.
Sri Lanka will start the tournament as firm favourites. Buoyed by their recent T20I series win in South Africa, the Chamari Atapattu-led side will be aiming to top Group A on their way to a place in the final. Sri Lanka will be aiming to make the most of the upward curve in their form following the disappointing results in last year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa where they finished fourth in Group 1 and ended up competing in the Qualifier for an entry into this year’s main event.
Sri Lanka begin the tournament as the highest ranked team in the ICC Women’s T20 Rankings – seventh. They play Thailand in the tournament opener at the Tolerance Oval on April 25.
