Hosts and defending champions Bangladesh will kick off the 2022 Women's T20 Asia Cup against Thailand on October 1, with India taking on Sri Lanka in the second match of the day, in Sylhet on October 1, Jay Shah, the president of ACC, announced on Twitter on Tuesday. The semi-finals will be played on October 13, with the title clash scheduled for October 15. Pakistan will open their campaign against Malaysia on October 2 and will meet India on October 7.
As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the T20 tournament will be played among seven teams with UAE making their debut in the competition. The fourth edition of competition will be played in a round-robin format, with each team playing six matches and the top four sides advancing to the semi-finals. The last two editions saw the teams finishing in the top two in the league stage play the final.
This is also the longest Asia Cup for women, with seven teams - India, the most successful team in the history of the competition, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and UAE apart from the hosts Bangladesh - taking part in it. All the matches will be held at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium and Sylhet Outer Cricket Stadium, with the first match beginning at 9am and the second at 1.30pm local time.
No women's international games have been held in the country since Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh in October 2018. The 2022 Asia Cup will also be the first time since the 2014 T20 World Cup that Sylhet will host any women's international fixtures.
The Women's Asia Cup has been played in the T20 format since 2012. In 2018, perennial underdogs Bangladesh emerged victorious in a final-ball thriller over six-time winners India in Kuala Lumpur, winning a major title for the first time. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition, which was slated in Bangladesh and later postponed to 2021, was eventually cancelled.
UAE and Malaysia booked their berths through the qualifying route after entering the final of the 10-team ACC Women's T20 Championship that took place in June. UAE, undefeated and eventual champions in that competition, defeated the hosts Malaysia in the final by five wickets.