The countdown to the 2013 ICC Women's World Cup has reached the 100 day stage as Mumbai prepares to host the tournament from 31st January to 17th February.
The showpiece event in the women's game comes a matter of months after Australia beat England to lift the ICC Women's World Twenty20 title.
Australia became the first team to successfully defend the ICC Women's World Twenty20 when they beat England by four runs in a tense final at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
They have now added the 2012 ICC Women's World T20 to their 2010 prize won in the West Indies as well as their five 50-over World Cup titles.
England beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the first semi-final of the 2012 ICC Women's World T20 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
With this win, they have now qualified for the final of the tournament where they will await the winners of the second semi-final between West Indies and Australia.
England and Australia qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 with comfortable wins over India and Pakistan respectively.
The only two sides to have won the tournament to date proved too strong for their opponents, setting up a clash to decide who will finish on top of Group A.
Group A of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 is underway with wins for favourites Australia and England, beating India and Pakistan respectively.
England got their campaign off to a winning start, comfortably beating Pakistan by 43 runs while Australia beat India by eight wickets.
Sussex's Scott Styris has rewritten the history books in sensational style in winning this year's Walter Lawrence Trophy, awarded for the fastest hundred of the season, with a 37-ball century.
Styris smashed no fewer than 9 sixes and 5 fours in his unbeaten hundred against Gloucestershire in the Friends Life t20 quarter-final at Hove, making it the fastest ever century - from balls faced and non-contrived bowling - in the history of the competition.
England Women have called up Warwickshire's Amy Jones to replace Susie Rowe in their squad for the remaining three Twenty20 International matches against the West Indies and the ICC Women's World Twenty20.
Rowe suffered a displaced fracture to her left thumb during England's opening Twenty20 International against the West Indies at Old Trafford.
England Women went 2-0 up in their five-match Twenty20 International series against West Indies Women with a 28-run win in the second match at Old Trafford.
A fine innings of 53 in 37 balls from Sarah Taylor set England on their way to a score of 150 for three and in reply the West Indies reached 122 for six from their 20 overs.
England Women produced another dominant performance to beat Pakistan by 81 runs in the second and final One-Day International at Loughborough.
Danielle Wyatt top scored with 41 as England posted 162 for seven and Pakistan scored exactly half as many runs when they batted, closing on 81 for five.
Women cricketers were bowled over after taking part in a once in a lifetime coaching session with Lancashire County Cricket Club players Karl Brown and Oliver Newby plus former England Head Coach, Peter Moores at Lancashire County Cricket Club thanks to Thwaites.
The eleven participants won the Thwaites competition which involved individuals telling the Lancashire-based brewer, who are the official sponsors of Lancashire CCC with their Wainwright beer, why they deserved to win the chance to take part.
The partnership ended when De Groot skied Cullen to Cecelia Joyce at mid wicket. With just over two overs remaining the rest of the innings was rather frenetic with the final over producing four dismissals, including three run outs, one of which was when trying to complete a second run off a wide. The final tally for The Netherlands was a somewhat below-par 84.
A sunny morning and a drying wind held out hope for the afternoon match between Ireland and Scotland. Lunch was taken early and the groundstaff marked the pitch. However high winds which were reaching gale force then brought heavy rain sweeping across the ground to end all prospects of play.
The tournament opener between Ireland and Scotland at Bready turned out to be a thrilling affair with Ireland scraping home with just two wickets and three balls to spare. Chasing a target of 114 for victory, their innings had begun disastrously with four wickets falling inside the opening four overs for just 8 runs. However, the innings was pulled round by a splendid fifth wicket partnership of 75 between Kim Garth and Laura Delany.
The England selectors have named their provisional squad for the ICC Women's Twenty20, which will be held alongside the men's later this year.
The men's event kicks off in Sri Lanka on 18th September, with the women's event getting underway on 26th September. England's first match is the following day against Pakistan Women in Galle.
Thwaites, official sponsors of Lancashire CCC with their Wainwright golden ale is giving women cricketers of all abilities the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to win an exclusive coaching session with the county champions next month.
The northern-based brewer is offering eleven women the chance to receive a personal coaching session with a selection of players and head coach Peter Moores at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on 21st August.
England Women completed an impressive come-from-behind 3-2 series win over India Women by claiming a 29-run win in the fifth and final One-Day International at Wormsley.
After India recovered from 15 for four to post 152 for eight, rain stopped play with England on 124 for four in reply - 29 ahead on the Duckworth/Lewis method.
