New Delhi [India], June 16 : India's pulsating clash against arch-rival Pakistan is slated to be held on October 5 at the neutral venue of R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, according to ESPNcricinfo.
The Women's ODI World Cup is scheduled to kick off on September 30 with a mouth-watering battle between the two hosts, India and Sri Lanka, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. India's fixture against its Asian rival Bangladesh will be held on October 26 in Bengaluru.
Defending champions Australia will begin its campaign on October 1 at Indore's Holkar Stadium against New Zealand. The seven-time record champions will then travel to Colombo for their contest against Pakistan. Indore will play host to the rematch of the previous edition's final, Australia against its bitter rival England, which will be played on October 22.
Pakistan, following the agreement for a hybrid model between the BCCI and PCB, will play all of its fixtures in Colombo. It will take on Bangladesh (October 2), England (October 15), New Zealand (October 18), South Africa (October 21), and Sri Lanka (October 24).
England's other enticing fixtures include a league-stage match against South Africa in Bengaluru (October 3), against Sri Lanka (October 11), and New Zealand (October 26) at Guwahati's ACA Stadium.
Bangladesh, who will kick off their campaign against Pakistan, will play three more fixtures at Visakhapatnam's ACA-VDCA Stadium. They will also feature against Sri Lanka in Colombo (October 20). Meanwhile, South Africa will look to trounce New Zealand (October 6) and Australia (October 25) in Indore.
The 13th edition of the tournament will run from September 30 until November 2, with five venues across India and Sri Lanka selected for the eight-team marquee event. The venues include M Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru), ACA Stadium (Guwahati), Holkar Stadium (Indore), ACA-VDCA Stadium (Visakhapatnam), and R. Premdasa Stadium (Colombo).
Eight teams will compete for the coveted title in the Women's World Cup: India, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The first semi-final will be held in either Guwahati or Colombo on October 29, with the second semi-final to be played the following day, October 30, in Bengaluru. The two finalists will have at least two days to prepare for the title decider, with the competition's final will be held in Bengaluru or Colombo on November 2.
Considering the two venues selected for the knockouts, Pakistan's qualification will determine the first semi-final and final venues. Pakistan's women's team booked its berth in the marquee event by staying unbeaten in April in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup Qualifiers.
Pakistan will play all of its matches at a neutral venue instead of India due to strained political relations between the two nations. India has not toured Pakistan since 2008. Earlier this year, India played all its Champions Trophy matches in Dubai instead of travelling to Pakistan. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that Pakistan will play its matches at a neutral venue and won't travel to India for the foreseeable future.