ICC Women's Cricket Challenge begins in Potchefstroom on Wednesday
The ICC Women's Cricket Challenge begins on Wednesday in Potchefstroom, South Africa bringing together teams ranked between fifth and 10th places in the world to compete in a series of One-Day International (ODI), which will be followed by a series of Twenty20 matches.
The ODI event will run from 6-12 October while the T20 matches will be played from 14-16 October and teams competing in the tournament include the host nation, South Africa, event favourites West Indies, as well as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland and Netherlands.
The results of the ODI event will determine the new women's ODI team rankings, behind the top four of England, New Zealand, India and Australia.
The tournament, which is being held in association with Cricket South Africa (CSA), will bring about a greater focus on women's cricket within South Africa and the world of cricket at large.
The event will also see a shake-up in the Reliance Mobile ICC Women's Player Rankings for ODI batters, bowlers and all-rounders.
Currently in the Reliance Mobile ICC Women's Player Rankings for ODI batters, the highest-ranked competitors in the ICC Women's Cricket Challenge come from South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka.
South Africa captain Cri-Zelda Brits (ninth), West Indies Stafanie Taylor (10th) and Sri Lanka all-rounder Shashikala Siriwardana (20th) will be hoping strong performances with the bat during the event will push them up the rankings, which is currently topped by India's Mithali Raj with Australia's Shelley Nitschke, ICC Women's Player of the Year nominee, in second place.
Cecilia Joyce of Ireland also has the potential to move up the Reliance Mobile ICC Women's rankings for ODI batters. The 26-year-old from Wicklow, whose sister and three brothers have also played senior cricket for Ireland, currently sits 30th in the rankings and is the highest-ranked Irish batter.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Women's Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Pakistan captain Sana Mir and Sri Lanka's Siriwardena will be hoping to break into the top ten. Sana currently sits in 16th place while Siriwardena is in 18th position.
Stafanie Taylor will also be hoping to return to the top five of the all-rounders list with the ICC Women's Player of the Year nominee currently sitting in sixth place. The list is headed by Shelley Nitschke of Australia.
The tournament begins tomorrow with the opener between Pakistan and Ireland at the North Western University 1 Cricket Ground.
Schedule
ODIs
6 Oct - Pakistan v Ireland (NWU 1); West Indies v Netherlands (Witrand); South Africa v Sri Lanka (NWU2)
7 Oct - Netherlands v Sri Lanka (NWU 1); Ireland v West Indies (NWU 2); Pakistan v South Africa (Witrand)
8 Oct - Rest/Reserve Day
9 Oct - West Indies v Sri Lanka (NWU 1); Netherlands v Pakistan (NWU 2); Ireland v South Africa (Witrand)
10 Oct - South Africa v West Indies (NWU 2); Sri Lanka v Pakistan (Witrand CC); Ireland v Netherlands (NWU1)
11 Oct - Rest/Reserve Day
12 Oct - South Africa v Netherlands (NWU 2); Sri Lanka v Ireland (Witrand CC); West Indies v Pakistan (NWU1)
T20Is
T20 Group A: West Indies (fifth), South Africa (seventh), Netherlands 10th
T20 Group B: Pakistan (sixth), Sri Lanka (eighth), Ireland (ninth)
14 Oct - West Indies v South Africa (NWU 1); Pakistan v Sri Lanka (NWU 2)
14 Oct - South Africa v Netherlands (NWU 1); Sri Lanka v Ireland (NWU 2)
15 Oct - Rest/Reserve Day
16 Oct - Netherlands v West Indies (NWU 1); Ireland v Pakistan (NWU 2)
16 Oct - A1 v B1 (NWU 1); A2 v B2 (NWU 2); A3 v B3 (Witrand CC)