Top three teams from Dublin to qualify for ICC World Twenty20

Dubai: The ICC on Tuesday announced a revised schedule for the Women`s World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dublin this year which will now see top three teams from the event advancing to next year`s World Twenty20 in Bangladesh instead of one.

Following an ICC Board decision during the ICC annual conference week in London in June, three sides from the eight-team qualifiers, to be held from July 23-31, will book their tickets to Bangladesh. As a result, it is not just the tournament winner, but also the runner-up and the winner of the third-fourth place play-off that will progress to the World Twenty20. To reflect the changed qualification structure, the tournament schedule has also been amended, with the primary change being the replacement of the Super Four stage with two semi-finals. The three qualifying teams will join Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies in the 2014 tournament, which will be staged from March 16 to April 6. The event will now be a 10-team tournament and will again be held alongside the men`s event. The teams participating in the Dublin tournament are Canada, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Zimbabwe. The decision to expand the qualification process for the ICC World Twenty20 is part of the continued promotion and support for women`s cricket, with the recently announced event cycle including four ICC World Twenty20 events and two World Cups between 2015 and 2023. Tournament schedule Group A - Pakistan, Netherlands, Thailand and Zimbabwe Group B - Sri Lanka, Ireland, Canada and Japan. PTI