24 England women players will return to their individual skill-based training on June 22.
In preparation for a potential match series against India and South Africa, England women’s national cricket team has opted to start their training on June 22. Originally, England was supposed to play against India in the month of June and against South Africa by September. However, these had been postponed amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
To date, the ECB is planning to hold the tri-series against both nations by the end of the summer to at least resume as any fixtures as they can. So far, no official schedule has been declared for the matches. Still, the resumption of the training serves as a good sign that there is a chance for women’s cricket to push through. This is despite the risk that had once been discussed by ECB’s managing director of women’s cricket Clare Connor.
Similar to the conditions of the men’s training, the women players of England will also train in bio-secure environments to ensure their safety. The training will be held in six different venues. Namely, ECB's National Performance Centre, Emerald Headingley, The Kia Oval, Bristol County Ground, 1st Central County Ground, and Chester Boughton Hall CC.
In a statement said by England women’s cricket director Jonathan Finch, he says, ‘We remain hopeful of playing cricket this summer and it's exciting for this group of players to be able to return to training. We've had great support from the first-class counties with the use of their venues, and we're grateful to them for that, and hopefully, this is one step closer towards England Women returning to the field this summer’.
Originally, England was supposed to play four ODIs against India. Meanwhile, their tour against South Africa was supposed to consist of two T20Is and four ODIs. With the upcoming changes, the ECB has decided to possibly turn both of the said series into a T20I tri-series. To further understand these cricket formats, check out Betwala.
READ MORE: A Beginner’s Guide on How to Play Cricket
