Photo Credit: NAPARAZZI is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has informed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that they will not be able to accept the invitation to tour the UK in September 2020. This decision was taken due to the current international travel regulations in place for South African national teams.
Throughout this period ECB has had discussions with a number of boards about the possibility of playing cricket in a bio-secure environment using the model developed for men’s international cricket this summer.
Unfortunately, India and South Africa have been unable to accept the invitation to tour but ECB remains committed to hosting women’s international cricket this summer.
Everything is in place for ECB to be able to host international women’s cricket in a bio-secure environment and we continue to have multiple discussions with a number of international boards about potential women’s tours.
ECB Managing Director of Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor said:
‘’We are immensely disappointed that we are not yet able to confirm fixtures for England Women this summer due to India and South Africa being unable to travel.
‘’We have been committed from the outset to deliver the same bio-secure standards for both men’s and women’s international cricket, an investment that included exclusive hotel use for teams, chartered flights and medical provisions.
“An ECB team, with support from the Incora County Ground, Derby, has created a dedicated behind closed doors environment to host all of our women’s internationals.
‘’Women’s and girls’ cricket is a huge part of the ECB strategy and despite the devastating impact of COVID-19, this ambition has not waned. We continue to explore all options to see England Women play competitively this summer.’’
Name of Author: ECB
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the national governing body for cricket in England and Wales, formed on January 1, 1997. It combines roles from the Test and County Cricket Board, National Cricket Association, and Cricket Council, and integrated the Women’s Cricket Association in 1998. Based at Lord’s Cricket Ground, the ECB oversees all levels of cricket, including national teams for men, women, and various disability categories.