Meg Lanning, the captain of the Australian women's team, announced on Thursday that the team's primary objective is to win the gold medal in the women's T20 cricket competition at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, which will take place from July 29 to August 7 at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
Since the men's 50-over matches at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, cricket won't be featured at the event again until the 2022 edition. Despite the absence of men's cricket, women's matches still take place and are given T20I status. They will also be played in the T20 format.
Australia, the top-ranked women's T20I team in the world, enters the match as the current 20- and 50-over World Cup champions. "There is no question that our goal in travelling there is to win the gold. We go out there and try to win every game we can, and getting the first women's cricket medal at the Commonwealth Games is definitely something we're aiming for "According to cricket.com.au, Meg said.
Australia, which is in Group A with India, Pakistan, and Barbados, want to reach the same level of long-term consistency in T20I cricket as they have in ODIs.
"In terms of how to improve a little bit more and push the envelope a little bit farther than we have in the past, it is something we have discussed both as a group as a whole and inside our skill groups. We have a few projects that we have been working on both individually and as a team, "Meg was watching.
Australia will compete in a tri-series against the hosts Ireland and Pakistan before beginning their Commonwealth Games campaign in 2022. With Matthew Mott departing to become England men's white-ball coach, Meg is confident that the team will continue to play their brand of soccer under new interim head coach and former Australia star Shelley Nitschke.
"Shell taking over as leader instead of Motty will cause a subtle change in how it seems and feels. However, they both convey the same message about how we want to play the game, approach the game, and most definitely go out there and be aggressive and play with lots of freedom."
Meg concluded by expressing her hope that the inclusion of women's T20 cricket in the Commonwealth Games 2022 will introduce the sport to a new audience. "We really want to enjoy being a part of that larger Australian squad. A new platform for the game to be able to reach a new audience and the opportunity to represent Australia on a very large scale are both very exciting for the sport."