The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 was launched in stunning fashion on Sunday as London’s famous Waterloo Bridge was transformed into a massive cricket pitch for the first time.

All 12 captains were in attendance at the famous London landmark ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in England and Wales, which begins June 12, with the world’s best players taking part in the Captains’ Carnival high above the River Thames.

It was the first public gathering of all 12 captains ahead of the T20 World Cup and served as a powerful symbol of the global growth, visibility and appeal of women’s cricket in front of well-known London landmarks that included Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Eye.

The famous Waterloo Bridge was turned into a vibrant celebration of cricket and culture as anticipation builds for the upcoming event that promises to redefine what is possible for women’s cricket on the global stage. 

 

All captains came together for the ultimate fan experience at the Women’s #T20WorldCup Captain’s Carnival 

Grab your tournament tickets now https://t.co/8kyuNOXKdL pic.twitter.com/TQCXpgvYjv
— ICC (@ICC) June 7, 2026

 ALSO READ: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Dates, venues, squads, groups, format, prize money – all you need to know

ICC Chairman Hails Landmark Moment 

“This is a landmark moment for women’s Cricket and a fitting way to launch what we believe will be the most exciting and ambitious ICC Women’s T20 World Cup ever staged,” ICC Chairman Jay Shah said.

“This will help elevate the buzz and excitement around the event, providing the final boost to the anticipation for the tournament before the first ball is bowled on June 12 in Birmingham. 

This event is another expression of the ICC’s commitment and belief linked to the agenda of building a more inclusive, global game,” he added. 

With ticket sales already around 200,000 – a record-breaking figure achieved before the tournament has even begun and comfortably eclipsing previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cup benchmarks – even more records are set to be smashed when the action gets underway in less than a week.

“Seeing these 12 captains playing cricket in a global first on an iconic London stage is a sign of how far the women’s game has come and where it’s headed,” ICC Director and England Cricket Board Chair Richard Thompson said. 

“With just five days to go until the opening game, this landmark captain’s event sets the scene for what promises to be the most attended and most widely covered Women’s World Cup ever,” he added.

Cricket Carnival In England 

This summer, England and Wales will host the best cricketers on the planet as teams from across the globe compete for the ultimate prize. From the opening match at Edgbaston (Birmingham) to the final at Lord’s Cricket Ground (London), matches will be played across host cities including Old Trafford (Manchester), Headingley (Leeds), Hampshire Bowl (Southampton), Bristol County Ground (Bristol) and The Oval (London). 

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 promises fierce rivalries, memorable moments and a festival atmosphere at every venue. 

The 12 competing teams are England, India, Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. 

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has been elected president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, promising greater transparency, improved facilities and a restoration of Bangladesh cricket’s reputation after a turbulent period for the sport in the country. 

The 36-year-old-the only candidate in Sunday’s elections in Dhaka-will serve a four-year term, having already spent the last two months running the board’s interim committee.

Tamim, after being elected, insisted it was a huge responsibility rather than an personal honour. “There is no extra feeling that I have become something really big. It is a massive responsibility. I have spoken about so many things about the cricket board for the last few years, so now I feel that this is the time when I have to prove myself to everyone.”

The elections were held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, following the Bangladesh government’s decision in April to dissolve the previous board run by Aminul Islam and hold fresh polls under the interim administration. In total, 23 directors were elected via physical and electronic voting under three categories and two representatives, appointed by the government, later joined the board to make it a 25-member governing body. Tamim was one of 12 directors who got elected in the Dhaka clubs category before being unanimously picked to serve as board president by the new council. One of the vice-presidents is Fahim Sinha and the second is yet to be named. Among the top priorities for Tamim is a modern High Performance Centre, which the new BCB president called his biggest aspiration.

“The High Performance Center is probably my biggest dream,” Tamim said. “I hope that I can fulfill this dream. We will need big support from the government. Initially the BCB can fund this center. We have asked the company that designed the existing centre for a re-design. “We hope that we can start the center in Purbachal. As you can imagine, such a large-scale project requires a lot of money. We will definitely seek the government’s support in that regard. I have met the country’s finance minister about it, he was very positive about the project so now we have to apply to the government.” The center would represent a massive upgrade on the existing High Performance Centre which is situated at the Shere Bangla National Stadium complex, but is considered limited.

Tamim also vowed to restore the country’s cricketing image following a turbulent period involving controversial decisions which led to the national team not participating in the T20 World Cup, and disputes involving the media. “The players need to be respected as much as possible – not just current cricketers, but former cricketers too,” Tamim said. “Every stakeholder in Bangladesh cricket will be respected. It was maybe lacking in the BCB in the last one and a half years. We have to come together and fix this damaged reputation of Bangladesh cricket.”

Tamim also addressed the issue of transparency and accountability, acknowledging the recent scrutiny of the BCB administration. “I want to ensure maximum transparency. I am sure that all of us at the board are not going to do anything controversial. We want to work with full honesty. “I am sure we will make mistakes, but I look forward to seeing how quickly we rectify those mistakes.”

Tamim is widely regarded as one of Bangladesh’s all-time greatest players, having played 391 international matches for his country and scored over 15,000 international runs across all three formats of the game. He captained the Bangladesh team 38 times and guided them to 21 wins, most notably an historic ODI series victory against South Africa in 2022.

Tamim continued to play domestic cricket after retiring from international cricket at the beginning of 2025, before he suffered a heart attack during a Dhaka Premier League match which marked an end to his playing career 

Alexander Zverev realised a lifelong dream and finally won his maiden Grand Slam title in his fourth final as he defeated first-time Slam finalist Flavio Cobolli in a dramatic French Open 2026 final in Paris on Sunday, May 7.

Zverev overcame Cobolli 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 to become first male German player to win the title since Henner Henkel in 1937.

Notably, Zverev emerged as the clear favourite to win the Roland Garros title after world No. 1 Sinner showed signs of vulnerability during the first week’s heatwave, while 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic had already been knocked out.

More to follow…