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Unfinished business for Aussies at 2021 World Cup

Just days after Australia lifted the T20 trophy at the MCG, ICC confirms schedule for next year's 50-over event in New Zealand

Australia are still celebrating their historic T20 World Cup win, but coach Matthew Mott already has his mind on some unfinished business.

On February 7 next year, Australia will begin their next 50-over World Cup campaign against reigning champions England at Auckland's Eden Park.

The ODI World Cup is a piece of silverware Mott and his players are desperate to reclaim after being knocked out by India in the semi-final of the 2017 tournament in the United Kingdom.

2017: Kaur rages then unleashes in World Cup semi

The ICC have confirmed $AUD 5.3million of prize money will be on offer, up from $3m four years ago, for the 30-day, 31-game event to be held across six different cities on both the north and south islands.

"That World Cup in New Zealand is huge for us," Mott said in the wake on Australia's thumping 85-run win over India at the MCG on Sunday.

"We didn't go out the way we wanted in the last World Cup in England and there's certainly a lot of unfinished business in the one-day game."


Australia's 2021 World Cup schedule

February 7: Australia v England at Eden Park, Auckland

February 10: Australia v TBC at Bay Oval, Tauranga

February 13: Australia v New Zealand at Basin Reserve, Wellington

February 16: Australia v TBC at Basin Reserve, Wellington

February 21: Australia v TBC at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

February 24: Australia v TBC at Seddon Park, Hamilton

March 3: Semi-final 1 v 4 at Bay Oval, Tauranga

March 4: Semi-final 2 v 3 at Seddon Park, Hamilton

March 7: Final at Hagley Oval, Christchurch


Australia headed into the last one-day World Cup as the title holders and heavy favourites, but their hopes of playing in front of a sell-out crowd at Lord's in the final were dashed when India's Harmanpreet Kaur smashed an unbeaten 171 to lead her side to an upset semi-final victory in Derby.

That defeat not only left the Australians shattered, but also prompted a complete re-think of their strategies and approach.

Since that semi-final loss, Australia have won 20 of 21 one-day internationals and are currently on an unprecedented streak of 18 consecutive 50-over victories.

"If anything, I think we're a better one-day side than we are a T20 team, and we'd like to show that in a World Cup," Mott said.

The Australian coach recently had his contract extended until the end of next year's World Cup, which will culminate in a final at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on March 7.

"After the West Indies (T20 World Cup in 2018), we always looked at these two World Cups as a pair," Mott said. "That's the next massive thing on our radar."

Champions, again! Aussies create history on home soil


Unlike this year's T20 event, the ICC have scheduled reserve days for both semi-finals as well as the decider. England were knocked out of the T20 World Cup last week when no play was possible in their semi-final against India.

Australian captain Meg Lanning will relish a return to Tauranga's Bay Oval for Australia's second game on February 10 (against a yet-to-be-determined qualifying team) where she has scored three of her 13 ODI centuries.

"New Zealand is a great place to tour, I've got a lot of good memories there as a player and as a team as well," Lanning told cricket.com.au.

"We love Mount Maunganui, that's our favourite venue, it's like our second home."

Australia will face off against hosts New Zealand in their third game on February 13 at Wellington's Basin Reserve.

"It's a match we absolutely fizz about as players – taking on the Aussies is always a huge thrill," said White Ferns captain Sophie Devine.

Unlike the T20 World Cup, the one-day edition does not have two pools, instead all eight competing teams play each other once, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals.

Qualification for the World Cup is determined by the ICC Women's ODI Championship, which sees the top eight teams earn points through bilateral one-day series across a three-year period, playing three ODIs against each of the other even sides.

Australia secured their ticket to the World Cup after winning the Championship for the second time, while New Zealand automatically qualified as hosts.

England and South Africa have also earned their places at the tournament, with the remaining four teams to be established following the completion of the Championship and a subsequent qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka in July.

West Indies, Sri Lanka and either India or Pakistan will compete at that tournament alongside seven other sides, to determine the three remaining spots.

Recent T20 World Cup first-timers Thailand along with Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea and the United States will also feature in that qualifying event.