ECB will 'look at' funding women's Windies Test if needed

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would "look at" the unusual step of funding a women's Test in the West Indies next year in order to aid England's Ashes preparations.

The Test in the Caribbean, part of a multi-format series in the spring of 2027, was announced in 2024 and is scheduled before England's bid to regain the Ashes from Australia.

Last week, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a wide range of money-saving measures, including cuts to player contracts.

In March, a women's Test that West Indies were due to host against Australia was cancelled, though the white-ball element of that tour went ahead.

There have been no discussions between the ECB and CWI about cancelling the Test.

The tour as a whole – including three T20s and three one-day internationals in April and May of next year – is not under threat, though exact dates and venues are still to be confirmed.

Asked by BBC Sport if the Test was in doubt, ECB chair Richard Thompson said: "I hope not. That's not expected to be cancelled. I hope it will take place."

However, when it was put to Thompson that the ECB may need to provide some funding for the Test to take place, he said his organisation would "look at" the situation should it arise.

Governing bodies usually have reciprocal arrangements for the home board to pick up the logistical expenses of the visiting team, including things like travel and accommodation.

In the West Indies, these can be inflated by the cost of flying West Indies and visiting players between islands. Last week, CWI said it has spent more than $80m on domestic air travel in the past 15 years.

Thompson pointed to a similarly unusual situation when the Zimbabwe men's team played a Test in England last year, with the ECB paying the visitors a touring fee.

"We want that Test match to play out," said Thompson. "It's very important for us because our first women's match in the Ashes is the Headingley Test, so we need a good red-ball warm-up.

"We've got to be playing somewhere and we'd much prefer that to be the West Indies.

"We all have a huge sympathy for the West Indies, we all want to see a successful West Indian nation. They have very unique challenges and I hope through the International Cricket Council and others we can find a way through this."

The first match of the multi-format women's Ashes series is the sole Test at Headingley in June – the only Test, men's or women's, staged north of Nottingham next summer.

England have played one Test since they lost every game on the Ashes tour of Australia in early 2025 – a defeat by India at Lord's earlier this year.

They have not played West Indies in a women's Test since 1979, while West Indies have not played a Test against anyone since a trip to Pakistan in 2004.

The Test in West Indies is one part of England's Ashes Test preparations. In January, the squad will take part in a 10-day red-ball training camp in India.

In 2023, England played Australia A and Australia played England A as Test warm-up matches and that arrangement could be replicated in 2027. Plans for domestic players to potentially be involved in some red-ball cricket in the early part of next season are also being finalised.

Thompson was speaking at Lord's as the ECB launched initiatives to take cricket to more than 1,700 state secondary schools and more than 3,500 teachers.

'Cricket for Teachers' and 'Secondary Countdown Cricket' are part of the ECB's aim to reach half of all state secondary schools in England and Wales by the end of 2028.

Earlier this year, a report by the Sutton Trust found cricket to be one of the most elitist jobs in the country, with 59% of male professionals and 50% of women privately educated.

"We really want teachers to upskill and be able to coach," said Thompson. "The second part is to be able to do something no other team sport can do, which is bring boys and girls together until the age of 16.

"This adds to the pathway. It's another stepping stone for a late developer, or an opportunity for someone to think they want to play the game properly, with a hardball.

"It's meaningful in that we want to reach one and a half million children who have never played the game before. That's a significant programme and the ambition that sits behind this."