Australia's women's cricket team has been named as the country's most popular in a recent study ©Getty Images

The most popular sports team in Australia is set to take part at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games after the women's cricket squad topped a recent research study.

Australia's female cricketers finished first in the study, which ranked teams based on their "emotional connection" with fans.

It follows Australia winning the Women's T20 World Cup on home soil earlier this year.

Australia will be one of the favourites for the gold medal when women's cricket makes its Commonwealth Games debut at Birmingham 2022.

Women's T20 cricket was added to the Birmingham 2022 programme last year, a decision which the International Cricket Council later claimed represented part of a journey towards the sport potentially being included at the Olympic Games.

Australia are the most successful women's cricket nation having won six World Cups and five world T20 titles.

The top four on the emotional connection list in Australia, compiled following research by True North Research in March and April, are all women's teams.

The women's cricket side is followed by the football squad - nicknamed the Matildas - and the rugby sevens team, which won the gold medal during the sport's first Olympic appearance at Rio 2016.

Fourth place is occupied by Australia's women's netball team, which ranked ahead of the men's football side.