India, Australia and Pakistan among eight countries to compete in women's T20 at 2022 CWG

India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, a country from the Caribbean region and hosts England were on Monday named as qualified teams for the women's T20 competition of the 2022 Commonwealth Games as cricket returns for the second time in the multi-sporting event.

The seven countries have secured qualification as a result of their standings in the ICC Women's T20I Team Rankings as on April 1. A yet-to-be-determine qualifier will complete the eight-team competition, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced.

Cricket is the first discipline to announce qualifying teams for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as the sport makes a landmark re-entry to the multi-sport event scheduled from July 28 to August 8 next year.

The women's gamer will feature in the CWG for the first time in 22 editions and cricket for only the second time ever, the first occasion being a men's ODI competition in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, which was won by South Africa.

"As per the qualification process, the winner of a designated Qualifying event will determine which country from the Caribbean region gets to participate as athletes will be representing their individual countries and not the West Indies as they would at ICC events," a joint statement said.

The last participating team will be decided through a Qualifying tournament to be held by January 31, 2022, details of which will be announced in due course. The Commonwealth Games cricket tournament will take place at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium, with tickets set to go on sale later this year. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said: "It's great to be confirmed a place in the Commonwealth Games.

We are raring to go, confident of doing well after having made the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia last year. "It is an awesome opportunity for both the women's game and cricket to make a mark at the prestigious multi-discipline Games and we hope to return with loads of good memories." CGF President Louise Martin said: "Cricket is a sport that is synonymous with the Commonwealth and we are so excited to have it back in the Games for the first time since the men's competition at Kuala Lumpur 1998.

"The debut of women's T20 cricket will be a historic moment for Commonwealth Sport and a wonderful showcase for women's sport across the world," she said.