Cricket in England

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Cricket is one of the most popular sports in England, having been played since the 16th century. Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, developed the modern rules of play and conduct and the sport is now administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board. English cricket is represented at the international level by the various England men's teams and England women's teams. At the domestic level teams are mostly organised by county, competing in tournaments such as the County Championship, Metro Bank One-Day Cup, T20 Blast, the Women's Twenty20 Cup, The Hundred for both men and women, as well as within a regional structure for women's cricket. Recreational matches are organised on a regional basis, with the top level being the ECB Premier Leagues.

Quick facts Country, Governing body ...
Cricket in England
Lord's Cricket Ground in London, the spiritual home of cricket and one of the premier cricket grounds in England and Wales
CountryEngland
Governing bodyEngland and Wales Cricket Board
National teamsEngland Men's
England Women's
England U-19 Men
England U-19 Women
England Lions
England A women
National competitions
International competitions
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History

Organisation

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales, and hence governs the various England cricket teams.[1][2] The ECB was created on 1 January 1997 and combines the roles of the now superseded Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), National Cricket Association (NCA), and the Cricket Council.[3][4][5]

The ECB has been a full member of the international governing body for world cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), since 1909,[6] and is a member of ICC Europe.

International cricket

Quick facts National teams of England, England Men ...
National teams of England
England Men England Women
England U-19 Men England U-19 Women
England Lions England A Women
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The various men's and women's England cricket teams represent England and Wales in three forms of international cricket: Test, One Day International, and Twenty20.

Test is the oldest form of cricket played at international level,[7] and is played by teams representing full member nations of the ICC.[8][9] A Test is scheduled to take place over a period of up to five days,[10] although until the 1930s timeless Tests – i.e. without a time limit – were played.[11][12]

One Day International (ODI) is a form of cricket played between two teams with international status in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with games lasting up to 7 hours.

Twenty20 International (T20 International) is a form of cricket played between two teams with international status in which each team plays a single innings against their opponent, facing a maximum of twenty overs.

International cricket in England follows a fixed pattern whereby English teams schedule tours in other countries during the winter and play at home against visiting teams during the summer.

Men's teams

As of December 2024 the England men's team had played more Test matches than any other team, winning 400 of their 1083 games, drawing 355, and losing 328.[13] With 36.9 per cent of their matches won, England were then the third most successful team in the history of Test cricket after Australia on 47.8 per cent and South Africa on 38.9 per cent.[13]

The England men's team played their first ODI in 1971 against Australia and reached the finals of the ODI Cricket World Cup in 1987 and 1992. They won their first title in 2019, beating New Zealand in the final in England.[14]

The England men's team played their first T20 International in 2005 against Australia in May 2010, winning their first-ever ICC Men's T20 World Cup the same year by beating arch-rivals Australia by 7 wickets in the final in England. They also won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022, defeating Pakistan in the final.[15][16][17]

More information Tournament, Appearance in finals ...
Tournament Appearance in finals Last
appearance
Best
performance
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup4 out of 132023Champions (2019)
ICC Men's T20 World Cup3 out of 92024Champions (2010, 2022)
Olympics1 out of 11900Gold Medal (1900)
ICC Champions Trophy2 out of 82017Runners-up (2004, 2013)
ICC World Test Championship0 out of 32023–254th (2019–21, 2021–23)
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Women's teams

The England women's cricket team represents England and Wales in international women's cricket matches and has been participating in international cricket since 1909. They made their debut in Tests in 1934 against Australia, with their greatest Test rivalry still being against Australia in what is called the Women's Ashes.

The England women's team played their first ODI in 1973 against the International XI women's cricket team. They have been participating in the ODI Women's Cricket World Cup since it was first held in 1973, when they won by beating Australia in the points table. Winning again in 1993, 2009, and 2017, they have won the second-most Women's Cricket World Cup titles after Australia,[citation needed] and in 2017 they won the trophy by beating India by 9 runs in the final.[18]

The England women's team played in the first ever Twenty20 International for either men or women, against New Zealand at Hove, and also won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2009, beating New Zealand by 6 wickets in the final in England. Since then they have consistently reached the finals but have failed to clinch the title on multiple occasions, recording their worst performance in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup.[19][20]

More information Tournament, Appearance in finals ...
Tournament Appearance in finals Last
appearance
Best
performance
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup8 out of 122022Champions (1973, 1993, 2009, 2017)
ICC Women's T20 World Cup4 out of 92024Champions (2009)
Commonwealth Games0 out of 120224th (2022)
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Under-19 men's teams

More information Tournament, Appearance in finals ...
Tournament Appearance in finals Last
appearance
Best
performance
ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup2 out of 152024Champions (1998)
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Under-19 women's teams

More information Tournament, Appearance in finals ...
Tournament Appearance in finals Last
appearance
Best
performance
Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup1 out of 12023
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Domestic cricket

At a domestic level there are eighteen professional county cricket clubs,[21] seventeen of them in England and one in Wales, all named after and originally representative of historic counties. These clubs are heavily dependent on subsidies from the ECB, which earns revenue from television coverage, endorsement contracts, and attendances at international matches.

The English cricket season traditionally starts at the beginning of April and runs through to the second half of September, although in recent years counties have played pre-season friendly matches at the very end of March.[22]

In the county cricket competition, the following games are considered derbies:

  • Roses Match – Yorkshire v Lancashire
  • Battle of London (Cross-Thames Derby) – Middlesex v Surrey
  • Battle of the Bridge – Essex v Kent
  • South Coast Special (El Clasicoast) – Hampshire v Sussex
  • West Midlands Derby – Warwickshire v Worcestershire
  • West Country Derby – Somerset v Gloucestershire
  • East Midlands Derby – Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire
  • North Derby – Yorkshire v Durham

Men's first-class competitions

The County Championship is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales, and is organised by the ECB as a two-league system involving all 18 of the men's cricket teams representing the historic counties of England and Wales. The County Championship was constituted on 16 December 1889 when secretaries of the major clubs gathered at Lord's to decide the following season's fixtures, while at the same time representatives of the eight leading counties met privately to determine how teams would be ranked.[23] The new competition began in the 1890 season and at first involved just the eight leading clubs: Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex, and Yorkshire. The championship has since been expanded to 18 clubs by the addition at various times of Derbyshire, Durham, Essex, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. Counties without first-class status compete in the National Counties Cricket Championship.

The Champion County match is traditionally played between the winner of the previous season's County Championship and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The match was played at Lord's Cricket Ground for many seasons, but from 2010 to 2017 it took place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The 2018 match was played at the Kensington Oval ground in Bridgetown, Barbados.[24]

Men's limited-overs competition

Yorkshire v Surrey at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds in 2005

The One-Day Cup is a 50-overs-per-side competition for the English and Welsh first-class counties, and began in 2014 as a replacement for the ECB 40 tournament held from 2010 to 2013. In contrast to its 40-over predecessor, the number of overs per innings was set at 50 to bring the competition in line with One-Day Internationals. The competition begins with a round-robin tournament featuring two groups of nine. The groups were originally organised geographically with a North group and a South group, but since 2021 the groups have been decided by a draw. As of 2024 the top three teams in each group progress to the knock-out stage of the competition. The final was held at Lord's until 2020, when it was moved to Trent Bridge.[citation needed]

Men's Twenty20 competition

The T20 Blast is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales, established by the ECB in 2003 and the oldest domestic T20 league in the world. The T20 Blast comprises 18 teams – 17 in England and 1 in Wales – and is one of the top-level Twenty20 leagues in the world.[citation needed]

Women's limited-over competition

The Women's County Championship was a one-day competition competed for by counties which ended in 2019.[25] The introduction of a new regional domestic structure for women's cricket in 2020 resulted in the establishment of the Women's One-Day Cup, a professional county league of 50-over matches between eight teams each representing a region of England and Wales [26][27] and competing for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy from 2020 to 2024.[28]

Women's Twenty20 competitions

The Women's Cricket Super League was established as a Twenty20 competition with six franchise teams, but was succeeded by the Women's Twenty20 Cup in 2020 when the new regional domestic structure for women's cricket was introduced.[26] From 2009 to the end of the 2019 season, teams in the Women's Twenty20 Cup were organised in tiered divisions, with a national winner. But following the 2020 reorganisation, the 35 teams – that mostly represent counties – now compete for the Charlotte Edwards Cup.[29]

The Women's T20 Blast is a knockout Twenty20 competition organised by the ECB.

100-ball competitions

The Hundred is a professional league with both men's and women's competitions, and is the only prominent cricket league in the world that plays the 100-ball format. It is held annually in July and August. The Hundred involves eight non-county teams, with seven in England and one in Wales: Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets, and Welsh Fire.

University cricket

University first-class matches

Oxford and Cambridge universities played their first match against each other in 1827, with the combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities team played 18 first class matches against touring sides from 1839 to 1992, including two before official first class status started. After the advent of first class cricket in 1895, matches between Oxford and Cambridge – or between either of those universities and another first class side – were considered first class matches, with that status also applied retroactively to earlier matches.

First class counties started playing matches at other universities in the 1980s, beginning with Nottinghamshire vs Durham University at The Racecourse in 1981, but these were not granted first class status.[30] The Combined Universities team ("British Universities" from 1995), which was originally formed from Oxford and Cambridge but from 1987 including other universities, played in the limited overs Benson & Hedges Cup from 1975 to 1998 and played 13 first class matches against touring sides from 1993 to 2006.[31][32] The MCC Universities (MCCU) team played various matches from 2007 to 2017, including in the Second XI Championship from 2009 to 2017.[33]

University Centres of Cricketing Excellence

The first University Centre of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE) was established at Durham University by Graeme Fowler in 1996.[34][35] The success of the Durham centre led to it being adopted as a national model by the ECB in October 2000, with the establishment of six UCCE sides: Durham and Loughborough each based around a single university, and four more teams bringing together players from multiple institutions. Starting in 2001, the UCCE sides played in a two-day match competition with a final at Lord's. After 2001, when the Oxford and Cambridge matches against the counties were no longer considered first class games, each UCCE played three early-season matches against county sides. These acted as pre-season warm-ups for the counties,[36][37] and were also considered first class matches for Oxford, Cambridge, and Durham UCCEs, with matches between counties and Loughborough UCCE also considered first class from 2003.[38]

The MCC took over funding of the UCCE scheme from 2005, and from 2010 the UCCEs were rebranded as MCC University (MCCU) teams.[39] A further re-arrangement in 2012 granted first-class status to all six MCCUs, but only for two of the three matches against county sides each season.[40] The MCC ceased funding the programme in 2020 and the organisation transferred back to the ECB.[39] The matches between the MCCUs and counties, and the annual University Match between Oxford and Cambridge, were no longer considered first class matches after 2020.[41] No MCCU matches were played in 2020 due to COVID,[42] although the last first class Oxford-Cambridge match was played that September.

"English University Matches"

As of 2022, pre-season matches with first class counties are played under the name of English University Matches according to the ECB website, although Wisden Cricketers' Almanack uses the term ECB University Matches, and Exeter has been added to the universities participating.[43][44] Both the ECB and Wisden list the university teams participating in these pre-season matches as MCCUs, but they compete in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) limited-over matches as UCCEs.[45] As of 2022, inter-university matches outside of BUCS and the Oxford-Cambridge match have not resumed after COVID. The 2023 and 2024 County versus UCCE Matches continued to include Exeter, but Cambridge UCCE did not participate and have not played any matches as Cambridge UCCE since 2022, either against counties or in BUCS competitions.[46][47][48] From the 2022 season onwards the Oxford UCCE men's team was replaced in BUCS by the single-institution Oxford Brookes UCCE.[49]

University first-class teams

The university teams that have played first-class cricket are listed below, together with the dates when they held that status, the universities they represented, and the number of first class matches they played:[50]

Teams representing a single university

a Date of earliest first class match listed on the Cricket Archive; formal first class status from 1895.
b Includes matches prior to 1895 regarded as first class by the Cricket Archive; see First-class cricket § Retrospective classification of matches played before the definitions.

Teams representing multiple universities

a Date of earliest first class match listed on the Cricket Archive; formal first class status from 1895.
b Includes two matches prior to 1895 regarded as first class by the Cricket Archive; see First-class cricket § Retrospective classification of matches played before the definitions.

Recreational club competitions

The ECB runs a national club knock-out competition, the ECB National Club Cricket Championship, and has in place a regional Premier League pyramid system for recreational club cricket in England and Wales.[citation needed]

Stadiums

The largest English cricket ground is Lord's in London, internationally regarded as the "home of cricket".[51] Test matches have been played at 24 grounds across the country, with five of these grounds having hosted both men's and women's Tests: The Oval (South London), Old Trafford (Manchester), Trent Bridge (Nottingham), Headingley (Leeds) and Edgbaston (Birmingham).[52][53] The other grounds to have hosted a Test match since 2010 are Sir Paul Getty's Ground (Wormsley Park), St Lawrence Ground (Canterbury), County Ground, Taunton, Bristol County Ground, Sophia Gardens (Cardiff), the Rose Bowl (Southampton) and Riverside Ground (Chester-le-Street).[52][53]

The cricket grounds of England and Wales are smaller than the largest in some other countries, especially India and Australia. However, the best of them have been modernised to a high standard, and two new international grounds have been built in recent years.[51]

Popularity

Cricket is one of the most popular participation sports in England after football, rugby, and tennis, with most villages fielding a side every Sunday through the season, and towns fielding two, three, four, and occasionally five sides for Saturday league matches, and one or two sides on a Sunday. According to the mid-year 2020-21 Active Sport England survey, an estimated 181,500 people played cricket at least twice a month, representing a 0.4% decrease compared to the previous year.[54]

Around 65% of the population of England follow cricket,[55][56][57][58][59] and in 2005 the ECB concluded a commercial arrangement with BSkyB granting Sky exclusive television broadcast rights for live Test cricket in England for the four years of the 2006 to 2009 seasons. This deal took live Test cricket for home England matches away from terrestrial television for the first time and was criticised by many England cricket supporters and others, even though it generated substantial future revenues for English cricket.[60][61][62][63]

The Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year is an annual award voted by the Cricket Writers' Club for the best young cricket player in England and Wales, and has been awarded since 1950.[citation needed]

Attendances

In 2023 the average attendance at top-flight league matches was 9,750, and the cricket club with the highest average attendance was London Spirit, with 14,267.

International competitions hosted

Competition Edition Winner Runners-up England's position Venues Final venue
Men's senior competitions
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 1975 Cricket World Cup  West Indies  Australia Semi-finals 6 ( in 5 cities) Lord's
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 1979 Cricket World Cup  West Indies  England Runners-up 6 ( in 5 cities) Lord's
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 1983 Cricket World Cup  India  West Indies Semi-finals 15 ( in 14 cities) Lord's
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 1999 Cricket World Cup  Australia  Pakistan Group Stage 19 ( in 3 countries) Lord's
ICC Champions Trophy 2004 ICC Champions Trophy  West Indies  England Runners-up 3 (in 3 cities) The Oval
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2009 ICC World Twenty20  Pakistan  Sri Lanka Super 8 3 (in 2 cities) Lord's
ICC Champions Trophy 2013 ICC Champions Trophy  India  England Runners-up 3 (in 3 cities) Edgbaston
ICC Champions Trophy 2017 ICC Champions Trophy  Pakistan  India Semi-finals 3 (in 3 cities) The Oval
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 Cricket World Cup  England  New Zealand Champions 11 ( in 10 cities) Lord's
ICC World Test Championship 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship  New Zealand  India 4th 1 (in 1 city) (final) Rose Bowl
ICC World Test Championship 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship  Australia  India 4th 1 (in 1 city) (final) The Oval
ICC World Test Championship 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship  South Africa  Australia 5th 1 (in 1 city) (final) Lord's
Women's senior competitions
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 1973 Women's Cricket World Cup  England  Australia Champions 21 (in 20 cities) Edgbaston
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup  England  New Zealand Champions 25 (in 16 cities) Lord's
ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20  New Zealand  England Runners-up 4 (in 3 cities) Lord's
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup  England  India Champions 5 (in 5 cities) Lord's
Commonwealth Games Cricket at the 2022 Commonwealth Games  Australia  West Indies 4th 1 (in 1 city) Edgbaston
ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup  Australia  England Runners-up 7 (in 6 cities) Lord's

Performance in international competitions

A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within England

Key
Champions
Runners-up
Semi-finals

Men's team

ICC World Test Championship

More information Year, League stage ...
ICC World Test Championship record
Year League stage Final host Final Final position
PosMatchesDedPCPtsPCT
PWLDT
2019–21[64]4/92111730072044261.4Rose Bowl, EnglandDNQLeague Stage
2021–23[65]4/922108401226412447The Oval, EnglandDNQLeague Stage
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ICC Cricket World Cup

More information World Cup record, Year ...
World Cup record
Year Round Position GP W L T NR Win %
England 1975Semi-final3/84310075.00
England 1979Runners-up2/85410080.00
England Wales 1983Semi-final3/87520071.43
India Pakistan 1987Runners-up2/88530062.50
Australia New Zealand 19922/910630166.67
India Pakistan Sri Lanka 1996Quarter-final8/126240033.33
England Wales Scotland Republic of Ireland Netherlands 1999Group Stage5320060.00
South Africa Zimbabwe Kenya 2003Group Stage9/146330050.00
Cricket West Indies 2007Super 85/169540055.55
India Sri Lanka Bangladesh 2011Quarter-final7/147331050.00
Australia New Zealand 2015Group Stage10/146240033.33
England Wales 2019Champions1/1011830068.18
India 2023Group Stage7/109360033.33
South Africa Zimbabwe Namibia 2027TBD
India Bangladesh 2031
Total1 title13/139352391156.45
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*The win percentage excludes no results and counts ties as half a win.

ICC T20 World Cup

More information T20 World Cup record, Year ...
T20 World Cup record
Year Round Position GP W L T NR Win %
South Africa 2007Super 87/125140020.00
England Wales 20096/125230040.00
Cricket West Indies 2010Champions1/127510183.33
Sri Lanka 2012Super 86/125230040.00
Bangladesh 2014Super 107/164130025.00
India 2016Runners-up2/166420066.67
United Arab Emirates Oman 2021Semi-final4/166420066.67
Australia 2022Champions1/167510183.33
United StatesCricket West Indies 2024Semi-final4/208430157.14
India Sri Lanka 2026Qualified
Australia New Zealand 2028

TBD

England Wales Republic of Ireland Scotland 2030Qualified as co-hosts
Total2 titles9/95630230353.57
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*The win percentage excludes no results and counts ties as half a win.

ICC Champions Trophy

More information Champions Trophy record, Year ...
Champions Trophy record
Year Round Position GP W L T NR Win %
Bangladesh 1998Quarter-final5/9101000.00
Kenya 20007/11101000.00
Sri Lanka 2002Pool stage6/122110050.00
England Wales 2004Runners-up2/124310075.00
India 2006Pool stage7/103120033.33
South Africa 2009Semi-final4/84220050.00
England Wales 2013Runners-up2/85320060.00
England Wales 2017Semi-final3/84310075.00
Pakistan United Arab Emirates 2025Qualified
Total0 titles8/82413110054.17
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*The win percentage excludes no results and counts ties as half a win.

Summer Olympics

More information Summer Olympics record, Year ...
Summer Olympics record
Year Round Position GP W L T NR Win %
France 1900Champions1/211000100.00
Total1 title1/111000100.00
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*The Summer Olympics Gold medal was won by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers representing Great Britain.
*The win percentage excludes no results and counts ties as half a win.

Women's team

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup

More information World Cup record, Year ...
World Cup record
YearRoundPositionPlayedWonLostTieNR
England 1973Champions1/765100
India 1978Runners-up2/432100
New Zealand 1982Runners-up2/5137420
Australia 1988Runners-up2/596300
England 1993Champions1/887100
India 1997Semi-finals3/1175200
New Zealand 2000Group Stage5/873400
South Africa 2005Semi-finals4/883302
Australia 2009Champions1/898100
India 2013Semi-finals3/885300
England 2017Champions1/898100
New Zealand 2022Runners-up2/895400
India 2025
Total4 Title-96642822
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ICC Women's T20 World Cup

More information T20 World Cup record, Year ...
T20 World Cup record
YearRoundPositionPlayedWonLostTieNR
England 2009 Champions1/855000
Cricket West Indies 2010Group Stage5/831200
Sri Lanka 2012[66]Runners-up2/854100
Bangladesh 2014Runners-up2/864200
India 2016Group Stage4/1054100
United Arab Emirates 2018Runners-up2/1063300
Australia 2020Semi-finals4/1053101
South Africa 2023Semi-finals3/1054100
United Arab Emirates 2024Group Stage6/1043100
England 2026
Total1 Title-44311201
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Commonwealth Games

More information Commonwealth Games record, Year ...
Commonwealth Games record
Year Round Position GP W L T NR
England 2022Medal round4/853200
Total0 Title-53200
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Men's U-19 team

U-19 World Cup

More information India U19 Cricket World Cup record, Year ...
India U19 Cricket World Cup record
Year Result Pos Pld W L T NR
Australia 1988 Semi-final 4th 8 8 4 4 0 0
South Africa 1998 Champions 1st 16 7 5 2 0 0
Sri Lanka 2000 Group Stage 6th 16 6 3 3 0 0
New Zealand 2002 Group Stage 7th 16 6 2 4 0 0
Bangladesh 2004 Semi-finals 4th 16 7 5 2 0 0
Sri Lanka 2006 Semi-finals 4th 16 5 3 2 0 0
Malaysia 2008 Quarter-finals 5th 16 6 3 2 0 1
New Zealand 2010 Quarter-finals 8th 16 6 3 3 0 0
Australia 2012 Quarter-finals 5th 16 6 4 2 0 0
United Arab Emirates 2014 Semi-finals 3rd 16 6 4 2 0 0
Bangladesh 2016 Quarter-finals 6th 16 6 4 2 0 0
New Zealand 2018 Quarter-finals 7th 16 5 3 2 0 0
South Africa 2020 Group Stage 9th 16 6 4 2 0 0
Cricket West Indies 2022 Runners-up 2nd 16 5 4 1 0 0
South Africa 2024 Super 6 6th 16 7 4 3 0 0
Total 1 titles 92 55 36 0 1
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Women's U-19 team

Under-19 Women's World Cup

More information England U19 T20 World Cup record, Year ...
England U19 T20 World Cup record
Year Result Pos Pld W L T NR
South Africa 2023 Runner-up 2nd 16 7 6 1 0 0
Total 1 title 16 7 6 1 0 0
Close

Bibliography

  • Malcolm, Dominic (2013). Globalizing Cricket Codification, Colonization and Contemporary Identities. Bloomsbury USA Academic. ISBN 978-1849665278.

See also

References

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