Women's Cricket Explained: Formats, Tournaments and Leagues

A fan's guide to women's cricket: how the game is played, the ICC Women's World Cup and T20 World Cup, the major leagues like the WBBL and WPL, and how rankings work.

Women's cricket follows the same Laws of Cricket and the same Test, ODI and T20I formats as the men's game. Its main events are the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup and franchise leagues such as the WBBL and WPL.

The same game, played at the top level

Women's cricket is played under the Laws of Cricket and uses the same formats as the men's game: Test matches, One Day Internationals (50 overs a side) and Twenty20 Internationals (20 overs a side). The women's ball is slightly lighter under the Laws, but the pitch length, stumps and scoring are the same.

Women's Test matches are played much less often than limited-overs matches and have usually been scheduled over four days rather than five.

A long history

International women's cricket dates back to 1934, when England and Australia played the first women's Test. The first Women's Cricket World Cup was held in England in 1973, two years before the first men's World Cup. The International Women's Cricket Council merged into the ICC in 2005, bringing the women's game under one governing body.

Major tournaments

The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is played in the 50-over ODI format. The ICC Women's T20 World Cup, first played in 2009, uses 20 overs a side. Women's cricket was part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the sport's inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic programme covers both men's and women's T20 events.

The Women's Ashes between England and Australia combines Test, ODI and T20I matches into one series, with points awarded across all three.

Franchise and domestic leagues

The Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia started in the 2015-16 season. The Women's Premier League (WPL) in India began in 2023. The Hundred has a women's competition played alongside the men's, and England also has domestic women's competitions including the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. New Zealand's Super Smash also has a women's competition.

Rankings and statistics

The ICC publishes women's team rankings for ODI and T20I cricket, along with player rankings. Women's Tests are too infrequent to rank in the same way. WicketOut includes women's teams, women's rankings and women's players with career stats, so you can follow them alongside the men's game.

Frequently asked questions

Do women play the same cricket formats as men?

Yes. Women play Test matches, ODIs and T20Is under the same Laws of Cricket, although women's Tests are fewer and usually last four days.

When was the first Women's Cricket World Cup?

The first Women's Cricket World Cup was played in England in 1973, before the first men's World Cup in 1975.

What is the WPL?

The Women's Premier League is a women's T20 franchise league in India that began in 2023.