Cape Town - The Drakenstein Municipality, covering the areas of Paarl, Wellington, Mbekweni, Gouda, Saron, Hermon and Simondium, will play host to six games of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 Women’s World Cup early next year.
The ICC and Cricket South Africa (CSA) unveiled the trophy and announced the fixture list and ticket details at a ceremony in Newlands, Cape Town this week.
The tournament kicks off in Cape Town on February 10 2023 with a game between hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka at Newlands, followed by a double-header between the West Indies and England, and Australia versus New Zealand at Paarl’s Boland Park Stadium on 11 February 2023.
Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape will also host matches, with the knockout matches set to be played in Cape Town.
Drakenstein Mayor Conrad Poole said being selected as a World Cup host was a huge achievement for the municipality.
“We have reason to be proud, as we have beaten much larger cities and municipalities to be bestowed this honour. The eyes of the world will be on Drakenstein and Paarl in particular, and I am confident that we will be ready to welcome visitors from all over the world,” said Poole.
Drakenstein mayco member for Sports, Arts Culture and Recreation Lorenzo Arendse said: “The tournament will give our tourism industry a major boost and we want to thank Cricket Boland and Cricket SA for entrusting us with this great task.”
James Fortuin, chief executive of Cricket Boland, agreed.
“Just to be mentioned in the conversation about host cities was significant for us. If we run this tournament successfully – and I have no doubt in my mind that with the co-operation of our partners we will – Paarl and Drakenstein will be in the running for future mega events and tournaments. We have amazing supporters of cricket in Drakenstein; I am sure they will fill up our stadium and make an incredible impression on the cricketing world.”
Ilhaam Groenewald said on behalf of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) that the ICC Women’s T20 WC will be a momentous occasion for the South African cricket fraternity, government and corporate partners, and sport at large, to showcase what the country has achieved and what it has on offer.
Tickets prices start at R60, with scholars and pensioners qualifying for discounts. Families can make the most of the action with kids under six entering for free across all the venues.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit: womens.t20worldcup.com/tickets.
Cape Times