The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has informed the women’s team players, who are participating in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), to be available in time for November’s South Africa tour which is clashing with the Australian T20 league. The ECB informed players and their agents about national team commitments before they participated in the WBBL draft held last weekend.
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“If a player is selected in the T20 squad, we’re expecting them into South Africa on November 17 and if they’re named in the ODI squad we’re expecting them into South Africa on the 27th,” Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women’s Cricket told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s been reflected in everyone’s availability when they’ve gone into the draft.”
The WBBL season kicks off on October 27, with 11 of the 40 regular-season matches scheduled after November 17. This timing coincides with England’s international fixtures, including the first of three T20Is against South Africa on November 24, followed by three ODIs starting December 4, and a Test match from December 15.
Seven England players were signed in the WBBL draft. Danni Wyatt-Hodge joined Hobart Hurricanes, Sophie Ecclestone was retained by Sydney Sixers, and Heather Knight was retained by Sydney Thunder, all at platinum level, earning up to 1,10,000 Australian dollar (£56,000) depending on their availability.
Alice Capsey will move to Melbourne Renegades from cross-town rivals Stars, while Amy Jones returns to Perth Scorchers, both on gold-level contracts worth $A90,000 (£46,000). Hollie Armitage and Georgia Adams, who are currently touring Ireland while England’s senior squad prepares for the upcoming T20 World Cup, signed with the Sixers and Thunder respectively in the bronze price bracket, earning $A40,000 (£20,000).
The ECB took a similar stance during last year’s WBBL when Bess Heath and Danielle Gibson missed the final to join England’s squad in Mumbai for a T20I series against India just four days later.
The WPL announced their 2024 fixtures in January, with the final scheduled for March 17, two days before England’s first T20I in New Zealand on March 19. Despite a request from the ECB, New Zealand Cricket did not adjust the tour dates. England’s captain, Heather Knight, and seam bowler Lauren Bell chose to opt out of their WPL contracts to join the New Zealand tour from the start, while Sciver-Brunt, Wyatt-Hodge, Capsey, and Ecclestone joined the squad for the final two T20Is. Armitage earned her only England cap in the third T20I before making way for the returning WPL players alongside Linsey Smith.
With the current Women’s Future Tours Program set to conclude in 2025 and work already underway on the next edition, Finch is optimistic that significant scheduling conflicts can be avoided in the future.
“Now where we’re looking at our FTP for after the next 50-over World Cup and I think everyone is sensitive to not wanting to have any clashes. Even if we don’t have the exact dates of the WBBL for instance, or the WPL, we have some indication of when they are so we can work out what that looks like,” he said.
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