Pakistan to play in Colombo when India hosts women's World Cup
Photo:
John Davidson/www.photosport.nz
Pakistan will play all their women's 50-over World Cup matches in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo when India hosts this year's tournament, the International Cricket Council said on Monday.
Politically-estranged India and Pakistan, who have not played a bilateral series since 2013, will play their matches in neutral venues when either country hosts an ICC event, the sport's global governing body announced in December.
"The venues for the knockouts are dependent on Pakistan qualifying as two alternative venues have been identified for one semi-final and the final," the ICC said.
"Colombo will be the venue for the first semi-final and the final only if Pakistan qualify for those stages."
Bengaluru, where the tournament will start with India playing in the opening match, will host the final on November 2 if Pakistan are knocked out earlier in the tournament, the ICC added.
Bengaluru will also stage the second semi-final on October 30, a day after the first semi-final in Colombo or Guwahati. Visakhapatnam and Indore are the two other host cities for the eight-team tournament.
India played all their matches in Dubai when Pakistan hosted the men's Champions Trophy this year, including the final which they won.
Both the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League were suspended last month amid clashes between the two countries following an attack targeting tourists that killed 26 people in Kashmir in April. Matches resumed after a ceasefire was announced.
The neutral venue arrangement between the countries will also be in place for the men's T20 World Cup in 2026, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka, and the women's T20 World Cup in 2028 in Pakistan.
-
Reuters

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Cricket Australia boss says tests could send nations 'bankrupt'
Harry Brook of England is caught by Steve Smith of Australia, Ashes, 2023. Photo: Matt Impey / PHOTOSPORT Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg says the traditional test format could push some cricket nations into financial ruin and the sport may be better off with fewer five-day matches. Greenberg, who replaced Nick Hockley as chied executive in March, said the future of test cricket may involve fewer nations and more investment in marquee series like the Ashes. "I don't think everyone in world cricket needs to aspire to play test cricket, and that might be OK," Greenberg told reporters on Wednesday, marking 100 days before Australia host England in the Ashes. "We're literally trying to send countries bankrupt if we force them to try to play test cricket." Greenberg, the former head of the sport's players' union, said cricket boards needed to prioritise meaningful contests over volume. "Scarcity in test cricket is our friend, not our foe," he said. "We need to make sure we invest in the right spaces to play test cricket where it means something and has jeopardy. "That's why the Ashes will be as enormous and profitable as it is, because it means something." While the five-test Ashes series starting in Perth in late-November has seen record demand for tickets, the longest format is under siege from T20 cricket. Mushrooming T20 franchise leagues offering lucrative player contracts are crowding out the global calendar and have prompted a slew of top players to give up tests and one-day internationals. Though Australia maintains a bumper schedule of tests every home summer, it was also one of the earlier movers in T20, with the Big Bash League set for its 15th season in December. CA has resisted allowing private investment in BBL teams but Greenberg signalled the policy could be coming to an end following a review by Boston Consulting Group. "It would be completely naive of us sitting here in Australia to not explore (privatisation)," he said. "I'm not suggesting there's been a decision made, and ultimately it won't just be my decision or Cricket Australia's decision. "It will be the whole of leadership of Australian cricket and it has to be beneficial for everyone." -Reuters

RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Centenary season of Plunket Shield to be celebrated
Northern Districts players celebrate winning the 2024/25 Plunket Shield. Photo: The centenary season of the Plunket Shield men's first class cricket competition will start on 18 November. The Shield was introduced in 1906 and originally competed for on a challenge basis. The inaugural season of first-class competition was 1921-22 when the historic Shield was first contested over a round-robin format by all New Zealand's first-class teams. The centenary season was officially confirmed by NZC statistician and Almanack editor Francis Payne, who noted the complex nature of defining domestic cricket seasons in Aotearoa. "The first game regarded as first-class in New Zealand was in 1863-64 and that was a retrospective ruling, as there had been inter-provincial matches before then that weren't considered to the same standard," he said in a statement from New Zealand Cricket. "The Plunket Shield was first awarded in 1906, by the Governor of New Zealand, Lord Plunket, and was given to Canterbury as the association with the best record that season. "The 1921-22 summer was the start of the men's domestic first-class competition as we know it, with the Plunket Shield competed for on a seasonal basis featuring four of today's six Major Associations, with Central Districts (1950-51) and Northern Districts (1956-57) later additions. "Fast forward to 2025 and, accounting for the five suspended seasons during World War 2 (1939-1945), the upcoming summer is the 100th season of the men's first-class competition, known as the Plunket Shield. "It's a significant milestone for the game in this country and one worth celebrating." Payne noted the competition had undergone a number of name changes during its evolution, at one stage named the Shell Trophy and later the State Championship. The short-lived Shell Conference in the late nineties was a separate first-class competition that ran parallel to the Shell Trophy. New Zealand Cricket has designed a special commemorative logo to mark the 100th season and will also unveil a Plunket Shield all-time XI as part of centenary celebrations leading into and during the coming season. In the opening round champions Northern Districts play Canterbury, Central Districts play Auckland and Wellington play Otago. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Sports News for 14 August 2025
The All Whites will play another top 40 side in the lead up to next year's football World Cup in North America. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.