The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has today confirmed that the seven England women’s players who have been contracted to play in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia this winter, will be available for the duration of the competition.
Charlotte Edwards and Katherine Brunt (Perth Scorchers), Heather Knight (Hobart Hurricanes), Kate Cross and Lauren Winfield (Brisbane Heat), Sarah Taylor (Adelaide Strikers) and Danielle Wyatt (Melbourne Renegades) will now participate in the WBBL for as long as their team is involved in the competition – potentially through to the final on Sunday 24th January 2016.
England women’s cricketers playing in the WBBL this winter were due to return to the United Kingdom in January before the completion of the competition, to allow them to take part in squad preparations for England women’s tour to South Africa in February. Further to ongoing discussions with Cricket Australia, this tour preparation block will now run from the end of January at the High Performance Institute of Sport in Potchefstroom, South Africa, ensuring that all seven players are available to feature in the WBBL in its entirety and also take full part in England tour preparations.
ECB’s Director of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “I’m really pleased that we have been able to devise a plan that enables all of the England women’s players to be available for the entirety of the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) this winter.”
“For England women to be successful on the international stage, we need to ensure that the players are continually being challenged and exposed to high pressure situations. The WBBL has the potential to provide this environment, presenting an exciting opportunity for the likes of Kate Cross, Lauren Winfield and Danielle Wyatt to really test their skills and be match-winners for their teams. ”
“It is therefore important to strike the balance between creating these opportunities and ensuring that all of the players are fully prepared as a squad for the One Day International and Twenty20 International series against South Africa in February. The training camp in Potchefstroom for the South African touring squad provides the perfect solution here.”
Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Operations Mike McKenna said: “We’d like to thank the ECB for supporting Australian cricket with the introduction of the WBBL, which is an important development for cricket in Australia and the ongoing professionalisation of the women’s game. The WBBL is about inspiring girls to play cricket and these world-class players will play a vital role in realising this.”
The first season of the WBBL will see eight clubs – aligned with the eight KFC Big Bash League clubs – take part in a T20 competition comprising of 59 matches in 51 days, culminating in the final on Sunday 24th January 2016.
England women’s tour to South Africa 2016 schedule in full:
| Date | Format | Venue |
| 7.2.16 | 1st ODI * | Sahara Willowmoore Park, Benoni |
| 12.2.16 | 2nd ODI * | SuperSport Park, Centurion |
| 14.2.16 | 3rd ODI * | Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 18.2.16 | 1st T20I | Boland Park, Paarl |
| 19.2.16 | 2nd T20I + | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town |
| 21.2.16 | 3rd T20I + | Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
* ICC Women’s Championship fixture
+ Double-header with men’s T20I (South Africa v England)
