Strong local help and parity among teams delivering 'spectacular' CWC22: Allardice
Allardice hailed the standard of play and blueprinted the future of women’s cricket through global events in a press conference at the Basin Reserve in Wellington ahead of the semi-finals.
"The competitiveness of the cricket has been a joy to watch and the strides the teams have taken forward over the last five years or so, in the standard of play and the excitement of the tournament, I think is something that needs to be commented upon.
"The number of close finishes, as cricket fans you sit there glued to your seat.
"To get down to the last ball of the group stage before the semi-finalists were confirmed, I think it is a great endorsement of the standard of play.”
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Initially postponed after concerns during the global pandemic, Allardice praised the work of New Zealand Cricket, the nation's government and the competition's Local Organising Committee for holding the tournament, even in the midst of an ever-changing Covid landscape.
"To actually reach the point of finishing the group stage and to embark on (both) the semi-finals and final over the next few days, it's very exciting for all of us involved.
"Obviously we’ve had some limitations with regards to the crowd up until last weekend and it was good to see people coming into the ground at Hagley (Oval) and the Basin (Reserve)."
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Allardice also applauded those preparing the six venues at the tournament and hopes a standard of providing world-class facilities is kept in future tournaments like the 2022 edition, hallmarked by high scoring rates.
“I think the thing for me that’s stood out is the quality of the venues and pitches. Good surfaces with a bit of bounce and pace in them help the spectacle and create more scoring opportunities.
“Depending on which country hosts, the conditions are always going to be slightly different depending on which region of the world you’re in, but I think the venues were an ideal fit for this tournament.”
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Allardice confirmed the inaugural U19 Women’s World Cup will be played in the T20 format in January 2023, and plans are in place for larger Women's Cricket World Cups in terms of the number of teams beyond 2025, with the CEO citing the performances of Pakistan and Bangladesh as proof of the collective growth.
“There’s also been upsets which is always pleasing.
“Bangladesh, in its first Cricket World Cup and the first time they've played against a lot of these teams, they acquitted themselves very well, and won their first game in a Cricket World Cup. Pakistan also winning its first game for 13 years."
Allardice looked to ICC Women's Championship league structure as a catalyst for the game's overall development, with its expansion providing substantial cricket in the periods outside of global events.
"With regards to the next cycle and looking ahead to the next World Cup we've just expanded the competition (the Women's Championship) to ten teams. That will just provide a regular diet of cricket for the top national teams during the next two to three years."
Australia take on the West Indies in the first semi-final in Wellington on Wednesday, with South Africa facing England in Christchurch on Thursday.
The final of the tournament will be held in Christchurch on 3 April, with a reserve day pencilled in for 4 April should inclement weather intervene.