Cricket: Women get same billing as men at World Twenty20 in Australia

Australian Cricket captains Meg Lanning and Steve Smith pose with the ICC T20 World Cup Trophies during the ICC World T20 media opportunity. Photo / Getty Images.

In a significant coup for women's cricket, the ICC World Twenty20, to be hosted in Australia in 2020, will see the women's and men's competitions receive equal billing, with both finals to be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the venues for the men's and women's World T20 tournaments in 2020, which for the first time will be played as standalone events in the same host country. The the women's competition to run from 21 February to 8 March and the men's from 18 October to 15 November 2020.

The men's competition will feature the world's top 16 teams, while the women's event will feature the top 10 teams.

Cricket Australia is hoping that the women's final – scheduled to take place on International Women's Day (Sunday 8 March) will break the world-record attendance for a women's sporting match. The MCG can hold 100,024, while the most-attended women's sport event is the 1999 football world cup final, which drew 90,185 fans.

Locally, the record is 41,000 for a women's Australian rules football match in 1929, although that is likely to be broken in AFLW season two at the new 60,000 capacity Perth stadium.

8 host cities
World class venues
16 men’s teams
10 women’s teams
Bring it on.
See you in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣!#WT20 pic.twitter.com/aOYI6jq91m

— ICC (@ICC) January 29, 2018

Dave Richardson, the ICC chief executive, hoped records would be broken in 2020. "I'd like to thank Cricket Australia and their partners in Government at all levels for their commitment to the ICC World T20 in 2020," he said. "The ambition they have shown firstly in delivering stand-alone men's and women's events and then in the venue selection that will I hope set a record for the biggest ever attendance at a women's sporting event is exciting for the sport."

Brisbane's Allan Border Field and Adelaide's Gladys Elphick Park will host women's warm-up matches.

Canberra's Manuka Oval, Melbourne's Junction Oval and the WACA in Perth will host group stage games with the SCG to host group games and the two semi-finals.

Sydney will host both women's semi-finals while the SCG and Adelaide Oval will host the men's semi-final matches.

The women's final will be held on March 8, which is also International Women's Day.