ACC launches new Women's U19 tournament

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has introduced the Women’s U19 T20 Asia Cup. It will work as a strong preparation for the Asian teams before the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup.

The ACC Women’s U19 T20 Asia Cup will be held biennially. On Wednesday (September 11), during the official launch of the tournament, the ACC added that it would be a key tournament before each ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup. 

Malaysia will host the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup 2025 between January 18 and February 2, 2025. It will be the second edition of the tournament, while India won its inaugural edition in South Africa in January 2023. 

Just like its inaugural edition, the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup 2025 will be played with 16 teams. 

SEE ALSO: ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 complete schedule released

The inaugural ACC Women’s U19 T20 Asia Cup is likely to be played in December 2024

Meanwhile, the ACC hasn’t produced any details yet about the first edition of the Women’s U19 T20 Asia Cup, including the hosting rights and number of participants. 

However, ESPNcricinfo reported that the ACC Women’s U19 T20 Asia Cup is likely to be played in mid-December 2024. 

The introduction of the Women’s U19 Asia Cup is a monumental achievement: ACC President Jay Shah

The ACC President Jay Shah said, “Today marks a pivotal moment for cricket in Asia. The introduction of the Women’s U19 Asia Cup is a monumental achievement, providing a much-needed platform for young women cricketers to develop their skills and showcase their talent. This initiative strengthens the future of women’s cricket in Asia, and we are proud of the lasting impact these decisions will have, not only within our member nations but across the global cricketing community.”

The ACC organises multiple international tournaments, which help the Asian cricket teams grow strongly. It also helps the Asian cricket teams to strengthen their relationships with other Asian cricket teams.

Apart from the popular men’s international level tournaments and various age-group international tournaments, the ACC also organises multiple women’s international level competitions. Before the just-launched ACC Women’s U19 T20 Asia Cup, the ACC organised the Women’s Asia Cup, Women’s Premier Cup, and Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup. 

Last July, Sri Lanka hosted the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024, where the hosts Sri Lanka Women won the trophy for the first time after beating India Women in the final of the tournament. 

On the other hand, Bangladesh has the hosting rights for the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2024, which has been scheduled for December 2024.