The women’s cricket World Cup is a tournament recognised by the International Cricket Council and is the summit event of women’s cricket. Played in the One Day International format, each innings lasts for 50-overs.
The women’s cricket World Cup is the oldest tournament in the sport. The inaugural edition was first contested in 1973. The first two editions of the tournament did not feature a final. Teams played each other in a round-robin format and the table toppers were declared the champions. In 1982, the top two teams from the league stage played a women’s world cup final for the first time.
1997 saw eleven teams playing the women’s world cup exceed, a record back then. A women’s ICC championship was introduced in 2014, which acted as a qualifier for the World Cup. This tournament gives a chance to the associate and affiliate nations to also qualify for the World Cup.
The women’s cricket World Cup has consistently seen eight teams participate in the main event. Beginning in 2029, the tournament will house 10 teams for the main event. Teams play each other in a round-robin format and the top four teams qualify for the knockout stage.
The tournament has been dominated by Australia, who have won seven titles of the 12 editions of the event held till date. Additionally, Australia’s Debbie Hockley holds the record for scoring most runs in World Cup matches. India’s Jhulan Goswami holds the record for most wickets in cricket World Cup with 43 wickets.
