Sarawak: Sarawak will host the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament from Jan 18 to 28.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysian Cricket Association patron Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar announced that this tournament marks the second World Cup event to be hosted in the state, following the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Kuching. The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup qualifying rounds in Kuching will see participation from teams representing New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, and Samoa.

Tunku Imran stated that Sarawak will host 10 out of the 42 matches, all of which will be broadcast live to over 180 countries via Star Sports and ICC’s official platforms and applications. He noted that, despite cricket being a minority sport in Sarawak, the Sarawak Cricket Association has been actively promoting its development.

This effort was demonstrated by the Sarawak women’s cricket team’s recent victory in the MCA Women’s T20 Interstate 2025, where they defeated Selangor by 44 runs in the final. The Sarawak Cricket Association, with support from the Sarawak State Sports Council and the Sarawak Sports Corporation, aims to further extend cricket’s popularity across Sarawak’s divisions, Tunku Imran added.

Additionally, the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup trophy will be on display exclusively tomorrow at Wisma Bapa Malaysia starting at 8 am and at Plaza Merdeka Mall beginning at noon. For further match information, the public is encouraged to visit the official website at https://www.icc-cricket.com/.