Inaugural ICC Women's Championship announced, to start from August

The Australian women’s cricket team celebrating after winning the 2013 World Cup

Dubai, July 4 (IANS) The inaugural ICC Women's Championship starts in August and will see the top-8 sides lock horns in a bilateral qualifying competition over three years for the World Cup.

Developed in order to create a more extensive and meaningful bilateral playing programme for women's cricket, the championship will see the eight sides play one another in three One-Day Internationals (ODI), either at home or away, between 2014-16, said an ICC statement.

Points will be awarded for each game with the top-four gaining automatic qualification to the 2017 World Cup in England.

The bottom four sides will have a second chance of qualifying through the 2017 World Cup Qualifier, details of which will be announced in due course. Joined by six regional qualifiers, the bottom four will face off for the final four positions at the World Cup.

The first round of the Women's Championship will see reigning World Champions Australia begin their title defence against Pakistan on home soil while three-time winners England will host India, Sri Lanka will host South Africa and the West Indies will host New Zealand. The dates and venues for the first round will be announced shortly.