All you need to know about venues of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023

The highly-anticipated Women’s T20 World Cup is all set to commence with its eighth edition on Friday, February 10 in South Africa. This marks the first time that the showpiece event will be held on African soil and also marks the first senior ICC World Cup hosted in the nation since 2007. 

As many as 10 teams will fight it out for the prestigious trophy across the span of 15 days which will conclude with the summit clash being played on February 26. The teams participating have been split into two groups as Group A consists of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh whereas Group B will feature England, India, Pakistan, West Indies, and Ireland.

The format of the competition is such that each team plays every other team once in their respective groups and the top two teams from the group will progress to the semi-finals. Australia are the defending champions and are also the current No.1 side in the Women's T20I Team Rankings. 

Considering their performances lately, the side has been touted to defent the title when they begin their campaign on 11 February against New Zealand. Meanwhile, team India led by Harmanpreet Kaur play Pakistan in a high-octane clash on 12 February. 

On the eve of the Women’s T20 World Cup, we take a look at the three venues for the marquee event announced by the ICC.

Here’s everything you need to know about all the venues of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023-

3. Boland Park, Paarl

Given the ambience, Paarl's Boland Park is one of the world's most picturesque grounds, and any contest played here is undoubtedly exciting to watch. The ground, however, is the shortest among the three host venues with a seating capacity of 10,000. Furthermore, the smaller boundaries coupled with the fast outfield can assist the batters and teams can expect a run-fest on the venue. Speaking about the marquee event, Paarl will host six group stage games, the second most among the three venues. 

2. St George's Park Cricket Ground, Gqeberha

Home to one of the oldest cricket clubs in South Africa- Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, the St George's Park Cricket Ground in Gqeberha is situated within the view of the coast. With a seating capacity of 19,000, fans will witness as many as five matches of the marquee event being played on the ground. The surface provides ample amount of bounce and bowlers will look to use this to their advantage going forward in the tournament. 

1. Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town

The ground in Cape Town will host 12 matches which includes the two semi-finals and the final. It is regarded as one of the most scenic cricket grounds in the world due to its proximity to Devil's Peak and Table Mountain, which are both observable from the venue. The ground, which was established in 1888 and has a capacity of 25,000 people, will likely be packed with spectators throughout the intense knockout matches. The 22-yard strip offers equal assistance to the bowlers as well as the batters. Fans will get to see a great competition between the bat and ball throughout the competition at this venue.