Cricket: White Ferns to play West Indies at Tauranga in World Cup opener

The International Cricket Council has released the official schedule for the Women's ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year.

The White Ferns will begin their quest to win the Cup on home soil against West Indies at Tauranga's Bay Oval on March 4 in the competition's opening match.

The hosts then face Bangladesh at Dunedin's Universal Oval on March 7, before heading to Hamilton to play India on March 10, Wellington's Basin Reserve to meet Australia on March 13, then back to Seddon Park to square off with South Africa on March 17.

They'll travel to Auckland to take on England on March 20, before rounding out pool play against Pakistan at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on March 26.

The first semi-final will be held at the Basin Reserve on March 30, while Hagley Oval will host the second on March 31 and the final on April 3.

Australia, England, South Africa and India qualified for the event through the ICC Women's Championship 2017-20, while New Zealand automatically qualified as hosts.

Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies were the last three teams to qualify, sealing their spots on the basis of rankings, after a qualifying tournament was abandoned due to travel bans prompted by the discovery of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The full schedule for the tournament can be found here.

White Ferns World Cup schedule:

March 4 - v West Indies at Bay Oval, Tauranga

March 7 - v Bangladesh at University Oval, Dunedin

March 10 - v India at Seddon Park, Hamilton

March 13 - v Australia at Basin Reserve, Wellington

March 17 - v South Africa at Seddon Park, Hamilton

March 20 - v England at Eden Park, Auckland

March 26 - v Pakistan at Hagely Oval, Christchurch

Reuters/Newshub.