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ICC President David Morgan launched the first ever ICC Women’s World Cup in Sydney and revealed it would be the most widely viewed women’s cricket event of all time.

“At least six of the matches will be shown to a television audience divning more than 100 countries thanks to our Broadcast Partners ESPN STAR Sports and its licensees,” he said, looking ahead to next March’s event that will feature the top eight sides in the world.

“It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the best of the best at the pinnacle of the sport and it is the latest stage of what we believe will be the continuing increase in the profile of women’s cricket in the months and years to come.

“There have been other world cups before this – eight in fact and, as the women’s event was first played in 1973, that means it pre-dates the first world cup for men by two years.

“But this event, to be played at six venues over 16 days, is the first to come under the ICC’s banner and it is another brick in the wall of women’s cricket, a wall that will grow taller and taller over time.”

The tournament will feature hosts and holders Australia, as well as England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Mr Morgan said that in the three years since the ICC took control of the women’s game following its merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005, significant strides had already been made to take the game forward.

“The number of our Members with some form of organised girls or women’s activities has quadrupled in those three years,” he said.

“We have incorporated the women’s cricketer of the year award into the LG ICC Awards ceremony and two weeks ago in Mumbai we launched the Reliance Mobile ICC Women’s Player Rankings.

“And next June we have the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England, with women’s and men’s events being staged in tandem for the first time, including both semi-finals and the final on the same days at the same venues.

“Having the Women’s World Cup take place in Australia is fitting given that the host is the defending champion and has won the title five times, more than any other side.

“And the fact it is under the ICC’s banner is not only a landmark for the sport but is also entirely appropriate as 2009 is the ICC’s centenary,” he added.

Mr Morgan thanked the ICC’s commercial partners for playing a major role in assisting the growth of women’s cricket.

“I have already mentioned ESPN STAR Sports and how it and its licensees will spread the tournament throughout the world but there are also our Global Partners Reliance Communications Limited, PepsiCo and LG Electronics, our Official Partners Emirates Airlines, Reebok and Yahoo and our Local Partner for this event, Events New South Wales.

“These organisations are vital to ensuring the ICC is able to hold an event of this scale and we thank them for their contribution to the game.

“Women’s cricket and the ICC Women’s World Cup will play a major part in ensuring 2009 will be a great year for cricket and a year which will see our strong sport continue to grow stronger,” added Mr Morgan.

(Source: ICC)