The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup is set to return for its second edition, with the tournament set to be played in January 2025 in Malaysia.
Like the first edition which was held in South Africa in 2023, 16 teams will battle it out to be crowned the champion and follow India in etching its name on the trophy.
The reigning champion, as well as the other teams to make the top four in 2023, England, Australia and New Zealand, are set to be among the frontrunners.
Four teams will make their debut, including host Malaysia, which will stage a major cricket tournament for the first time since 2008 when it hosted the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
It will be joined by newcomers Nepal, Nigeria and Samoa, with the latter’s first international match coming in the East Asia-Pacific Qualifiers that secured it its place in this World Cup.
The tournament begins on 18 January, with 12 teams in action across three groups before the host and the rest of Group A begin their campaign a day later.
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Teams have been drawn into four pools of four, with each team playing the other three teams in its group. That will decide which 12 teams advance to the Super 6 stage, with the four teams who finish bottom of their respective pools playing off to decide the standings from 13th to 16th.
Scotland and the United States are the two returning teams which failed to make it to the Super 6s last time, so will be hoping to fare better in Malaysia.
The Super 6 stage, made up of two groups of six, will see sides play those they have yet to face in the tournament, with those results added to their initial group stage standings. The top two teams in each Super 6 pool will then advance to the semifinals, which are to be played on 31 January, with the final following two days later.
In 2023, in South Africa, India and England went undefeated on their way to the final, with the latter recording a thrilling three-ball victory over Australia in the semifinal.
The tournament is to be played across four venues with Pandamaran’s Bayuemas Oval to be the base for Group A, while Johor Cricket Academy Oval hosts Group B.
The UKM-YSD Cricket Oval in Bangi stages the Group C fixtures, while Borneo Cricket Ground in Sarawak plays host to Group D games.
All the grounds then host Super 6 and play-off matches before everyone moves to Pandamaran for the final stages at the 3,000-capacity stadium.
