Pacific Island Women Cricket Challenge (VU) 2022/23

The Pacific Island Women Cricket Challenge was a one-off tournament held in **Suva** during March 2023. It brought together five sides for a short competition organized by **Australian Defence Force (ADF) Cricket** alongside **Cricket Fiji**. The participating teams were **Fiji Women**, **Papua New Guinea Women**, **Samoa Women**, **Vanuatu Women**, and the **ANZAC Barbarians Women**. This final entry was an exhibition side representing Australian and New Zealand forces rather than a national squad.

The schedule followed a round-robin group stage before moving to knockout semi-finals, a third-place playoff, and a final. **Papua New Guinea Women** emerged as the champions after beating **Vanuatu Women** in the decisive match. The victory margin was significant, with **PNG** scoring 133 for the loss of eight wickets while restricting **Vanuatu** to 32 all out. The event was supported by the **International Cricket Council East Asia Pacific (ICC EAP)** and **Cricket Australia** as part of a broader developmental and diplomatic initiative.

This gathering was distinct from the Pacific Games Cricket Tournament, which operates under the **Pacific Games Council** and involves only national teams. No other edition of the Pacific Island Women Cricket Challenge took place under that specific name. The regional structure for women’s cricket evolved in subsequent years, with a 2024 event rebranded as the Women’s T20I Pacific Cup in **Auckland** and a further iteration held in **Port Moresby** in 2025. The primary recurring qualification path for players in the region remains the **ICC Women's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier**, which aligns with the global World Cup cycle.