England women scrap West Indies Test to prioritise Ashes preparation
England head coach Charlotte Edwards and Alice Capsey spare time during training • ECB via Getty Images
England's planned Women's Test against West Indies in the Caribbean has been scrapped to accommodate the tourists' red-ball preparations on home soil ahead of the Ashes.
The West Indies fixtures, listed on the ICC's Future Tours Programme for April and May, will now feature only three T20Is and three ODIs with dates and venues to be confirmed by Cricket West Indies in due course. Those matches are expected to take place following the opening round of domestic One-Day Cup matches, which will involve all England players.
The ECB laid out detailed plans on Wednesday for their targeted assault on the 2027 Ashes Test. Those plans include a three-day game against Australia A and three red-ball best vs best matches during which time players will have a chance to vie for Ashes selection in English conditions.
The schedule means England Women will play four red-ball matches in addition to their previously announced 10-day red-ball training camp in Bangalore in January before meeting Australia at Headingley in June for the opening match of the multi-format Ashes series.
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With victory worth four points, compared to two for each of the subsequent white-ball matches, England head coach Charlotte Edwards has highlighted the Test as a priority. England lost the previous Ashes Test at the MCG by an innings and 122 runs under her predecessor, Jon Lewis, and, with Edwards in charge this year, were defeated by India in the first Women's Test to be held at Lord's by 270 runs.
The move comes with the current domestic structure unable to afford many opportunities for players to experience multi-day red-ball cricket but, somewhat ironically, at the expense of a Test match in the Caribbean.
"Accommodating this thorough programme of preparation in home conditions has necessitated revising the schedule of matches for England Women's tour to West Indies in April, which is due to take place once the English domestic season is already under way," the ECB announcement stated.
"The ECB is grateful to Cricket West Indies for agreeing to its request, and for the understanding and collaborative approach taken in these discussions."
The decision to abandon the Test comes against a backdrop of financial difficulty engulfing West Indies Cricket. In September, Cricket West Indies announced a cut in players' retainer fees as well as the suspension of the men's Super50 tournament and the women's T20 Blaze for this year chiefly due to operational costs.
Last month, ECB chair Richard Thompson said his board could be prepared to step in and fund the Women's Test in the Caribbean to protect England's Ashes preparations. However, it is understood that England's red-ball schedule was designed not with financial considerations in mind but performance-based factors centred on playing a number of games in a condensed period of time in home conditions.
Richard Gould, the ECB Chief Executive, said on Wednesday that the latest plan would give Edwards and her team "the appropriate game time to be ready" for the challenge of an Ashes Test.
"Best versus best in English conditions provides a valuable opportunity for the team," Gould said. "It also allows us to assess our strength in depth, give opportunities to more players and get a number of competitive multi-day cricket matches across a longer period into the wider group.
"We appreciate the constructive conversations with Cricket West Indies that have enabled us to look forward to an exciting tour of the Caribbean before focusing our attentions back on our home summer."
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women's cricket, at Cricinfo
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