To mark International Women’s Day (IWD), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have released a special video which celebrates female participation across all levels of the game.

The four-minute video reflects on how cricket has been at the forefront of the revolution in women’s sport over the last decade – a period which has seen leading female athletes and sports teams gain greater recognition than ever before.

Speaking about the narrative behind the video, ECB’s Head of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor said: “International Women’s Day gives us all the chance to reflect on a year of immense progress for women in cricket and to celebrate what we have achieved as a sport – on and off the field. There’s so much we can take great pride in.  More girls are playing or volunteering at grassroots level than ever before and significantly, our very best women’s cricketers are now fully professional for the first time.”

“As we look ahead on International Women’s Day there is yet more exciting ambition to be realised where we can all play our parts in embedding cricket as a leading sport for women and girls in this country, on and off the pitch. Everyone at ECB is enormously proud of what the England Women’s team has achieved in recent years. They are fantastic ambassadors for cricket and they are playing a major role in inspiring thousands of girls nationwide to be physically active and enjoy the fun and camaraderie that is an integral part of competitive team sport.”

England women will next be in action in July and August, when they play on home soil against Australia in the Women’s Ashes.

The multi-format series gets underway with the three Royal London ODI matches on July 21 (Taunton), 23 (Bristol) and 26 (Worcester), followed by the Kia Women’s Test match from August 11-14 in Canterbury, and finishing with the three NatWest T20Is between the two sides on August 26 (Chelmsford), 28 (Hove) and 31 (Cardiff).

Women’s Ashes Series 2015: