The Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 will run from 28 July to 8 August. The major multi sport event will be featuring cricket for the first time since 1998, with eight qualifying teams battling it out in a Twenty20 format.
In this article, we’ll cover a quick overview of the Commonwealth games cricket matches, the cricket schedule, and answers to a couple of other questions you may have.
| Read more: Check out the complete Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 schedule. If you’re keen on helping Birmingham get ready, check out how you can become a Commonwealth Games Volunteer. |
This Article Contains:
- A Quick Overview Of The 2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket
- 2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket Qualifying Teams
- Commonwealth Games 2022 Cricket Schedule
- Other FAQs On The Commonwealth 2022 Cricket Games
A Quick Overview Of The 2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket
The historical city of Birmingham in England was selected as the next host of the Commonwealth Games on 21 December 2017, marking England’s third time as hosts of the major multi sport event. The Birmingham Games will run from 28 July to 8 August 2022, with 4,500 athletes participating.
According to the Comm Games rules set by the Commonwealth Games Federation, all core Commonwealth sport games must be hosted, but the local Commonwealth Games Association may add additional sports. In November 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made a joint bid for the inclusion of a women’s Twenty20 tournament.
The bid was ultimately successful, with the Commonwealth Games Federation announcing in August 2019 that a successful vote meant womens cricket would be incorporated into the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games programme, along with beach volleyball and para table tennis.
This will be the first time cricket features in the Games since the men’s competition in Kuala Lampur.
Team England womens cricket captain Heather Knight believes the decision presents an opportunity to showcase women’s T20 cricket, with India captain Harmanpreet Kaur agreeing.
Fun fact: Harmanpreet Kaur became the first woman in India to score a century in a Women’s T20 cricket International match in 2018.
The tournament will be played in a Twenty20 format, with the iconic Edgbaston stadium serving as the venue for the eight qualifying teams.
Interestingly, the England women’s cricket team beat Australia to win the first Women’s World Cup at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium in 1973. Will hosts England be able to do it again? We’ll have to wait and see.
2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket Qualifying Teams
As hosts England automatically qualifies, along with the six highest-ranked sides as of 1 April 2021. These teams are Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Barbados, representing the West Indies. One final place was awarded to Sri Lanka as the Commonwealth Games Qualifier tournament winner.
(This is only the second time cricket will feature in Commonwealth sport.
The first time was in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur when South Africa beat Australia by four wickets.
It was an intense match. South African cricket captain Shaun Pollock, aided by one of South Africa’s best-ever batters Jacques Kallis, beat Australia’s Steve Waugh, winning South Africa the gold medal by four wickets.
Although Shaun Pollock is widely considered one of the greatest bowlers and all-rounders ever, taking the win from Australia was still a significant accomplishment. Australia’s captain Steve Waugh led his team to victory in the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
Fun fact: Jacques Kallis is often compared to India’s Sachin Tendulkar, and the two are widely regarded as some of the best cricketers of all time. Where Jacques Kallis excelled at batting, Sachin Tendulkar is regarded as one of cricket’s best batters.)
Commonwealth Games 2022 Cricket Schedule
The 8 teams are split into Group A and Group B. The groups will alternate playing until just two teams are left, with the first womens game taking place on 29 July.
Here is the schedule for the upcoming women’s T20 cricket games.
Group A
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 29 July | Australia vs India | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 29 July | Barbados vs Pakistan | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 31 July | India vs Pakistan | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 31 July | Australia vs Barbados | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 3 August | Australia vs Pakistan | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 3 August | Barbados vs India | Edgbaston cricket ground |
Group B
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 30 July, 11:00 AM | New Zealand vs South Africa | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 30 July, 6:00 PM | England vs Sri Lanka | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 2 August, 11:00 AM | England vs South Africa | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 2 August, 6:00 PM | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 4 August, 11: 00 AM | South Africa vs Sri Lanka | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 4 August, 6:00 PM | England vs New Zealand | Edgbaston cricket ground |
Semifinals and finals
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 6 August, 11:00 AM | 1st semifinals | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 6 August, 6:00 PM | 2nd semifinals | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 7 August, 10:00 AM | Bronze medal match | Edgbaston cricket ground |
| 7 August, 5:00 PM | Gold medal match | Edgbaston cricket ground |
It should be an exciting opener as Australia and India are the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup finalists.
Cricket Australia has named the same 15-player women team that won the World Cup. Cricket Australia head coach, Matthew Mott has left to coach the England men’s one-day squad. Under Matthew Mott, the womens game has improved considerably and are now a force to be reckoned with. Shelley Nitschke will serve as head coach at the Birmingham Games, with Meg Lanning as captain.
Meg Lanning has led her team to win two Women’s Cricket World Cup titles. Plus, Australia won the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Sri Lanka, so they’ll be looking to defend their crown.
Other FAQs On The Commonwealth 2022 Cricket Games
Here are the answers to a few other cricket-related questions you may have:
1. What Happened in the 2022 Commonwealth Games Qualifier?
The qualifying tournament was held in a round-robin league format, with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Scotland, Malaysia, and Kenya vying for a spot in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
All matches were held at the Kinrara Oval in Malaysia and played in a T20 format.
Sri Lanka women beat Scotland, Kenya, and Malaysia in their first three games, while Bangladesh won their matches against Malaysia, Scotland, and Kenya.
Sri Lanka and Malaysia then competed head to head for a spot in the Birmingham Commonwealth games. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu set the bar high, scoring 48 runs to carry them to 136/6, winning by 22 runs.
In 2017, Chamari Athapaththu was named Women’s Cricketer of the Year at the annual Sri Lanka Cricket Awards.
With no Northern Ireland or Welsh teams, it’s up to team England to represent the UK in the upcoming women’s T20 cricket.
2. What’s a Basic Overview of How Cricket Works?
According to the guidelines set by the International Cricket Council, a cricket game includes two teams of 11 players. The fielding team always has 11 players on the field, with one player acting as the bowler. The batting team has two batters on the field.
Each team takes a turn batting, called an ‘inning’. In a T20 game, the innings comprise 20 ‘overs’, which sees the ball bowled six times. A T20 format is the quickest format, ensuring non-stop action from the start of the Comm Games to the end.
It’s the bowler’s job to bowl the ball towards the batter, who needs to score as many runs without getting ‘out’.
The batter scores by running back and forth between the wickets before the opposing team can return the ball to the bowler. Batters may also score an immediate four runs if the ball reaches the field boundary or six runs if the ball passes the boundary without touching the ground.
A batter is out if the bowler managers to strike the wickets, if a fielder can catch the ball without it bouncing, or if the batter doesn’t make it to the wicket before the fielders return the ball.
The team with the most runs wins.