ICC Women's World Cup
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Format | ODI |
| First tournament | England 1973 |
| Number of teams | (see list below) |
| Current champion |
 England (4th title) |
| Most successful |
 Australia (6 titles) |
| Most runs |
 Debbie Hockley (1,501) |
| Most wickets |
Lyn Fullston (39) |
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is the oldest and most prestigious international women's cricket tournament.
The Women's World Cup is currently organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Until 2005, when the two organisations merged, it was administered by a separate body, the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC). The first World Cup was held in England in 1973, two years before the inaugural men's tournament. The event's early years were marked by funding difficulties, which meant several teams had to decline invitations to compete and caused gaps of up to six years between tournaments. However, since 2005 World Cups have been hosted at regular four-year intervals.
The eleven World Cups played to date have been held in five different countries, with India and England having hosted the event three times. The number of teams has been fixed at eight since the 2000 event, with the preceding tournament in 1997 having been contested by a record eleven teams, the most to date. Australia are the most successful team, having won six titles and failed to make the final on only three occasions. England (four titles) and New Zealand (one title) are the only other teams to have won the event, while India (twice) and the West Indies (once) have each reached the final without going on to win.
Women's international cricket was first played in 1934, when a party from England toured Australia and New Zealand. The first Test match was played on 28–31 December 1934, and was won by England. The first Test against New Zealand followed early the following year. These three nations remained the only Test playing teams in women's cricket until 1960, when South Africa played a number of matches against England.Limited overs cricket was first played by first-class teams in England in 1962. Nine years later, the first international one day match was played in men's cricket, when England took on Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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