- Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel is streaming five-match England Women Vitality IT20 Series against West Indies, in addition to being shown on Sky Sports Cricket
- Third England Women Vitality IT20 also to be broadcast live on BBC Two
- Bob Willis Trophy final live stream to be available on Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel as well as the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer
- Bob Willis Trophy final to be staged in association with Prostate Cancer UK
England Women’s Vitality IT20 Series against West Indies and the Bob Willis Trophy final will be available online for fans to watch via England and Wales Cricket Board’s broadcast partners Sky and the BBC.
England Women’s 47-run win in Derby last night was the first of the five Vitality IT20 matches to be streamed on the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel – in addition to being broadcast on the Sky Sports Cricket channel – while the third match of the series will be shown live on BBC Two.
The enhanced live stream of the Bob Willis Trophy final will also be available via the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel, BBC Online and the ECB website.
Sky Sports will carry the five-day Lord’s final, starting on Wednesday between Somerset and Essex, on the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel, which will feature a commentary team including former England captain Michael Atherton.
The BBC will show the live stream on the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer in addition to providing radio commentary from its Test Match Special team on Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. Local commentary will also be available on BBC Radio Somerset and BBC Essex.
It comes off the back of a summer in which First-Class Counties, the eight regions in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the ECB have live-streamed a number of domestic matches.
Highlights from the England Women’s Vitality IT20 Series are also available on BBC Two while Test Match Special is providing full commentary of the whole series on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.
England Women’s captain Heather Knight said: “It’s great to hear that all five of our games will be widely available on a number of devices with Sky Sports streaming the series on their YouTube channel and the BBC showing the third Vitality IT20.
“We always want as many people to watch as possible and our broadcast partners have been incredible supporters of the women’s game for a long time. Hopefully we can put on a show on the pitch.”
The Bob Willis Trophy final will be staged in association with Prostate Cancer UK to help raise awareness and support for the charity’s significant work.
Prostate cancer will affect one in eight men in the UK at some point in their lives and is the most commonly-diagnosed cancer in the UK.
Bob Willis’ wife, Lauren Clark, and brother, David Willis, are advocates for Prostate Cancer UK with both set to attend this week’s final. Lauren is due to help present the trophy, which she helped to design, to the winning captain.
Prostate Cancer UK Chief Executive, Angela Culhane, said: “We’re proud of our continued work across sport, and after the desperately sad news about Bob’s death last year, we’re immensely grateful to Lauren Clark and David Willis for helping us to make a real mark in cricket.
“It’s an honour for us to be part of the inaugural Bob Willis Trophy final, which is a fitting tribute to a man revered so much on and off the pitch and we also thank the ECB and all the counties for supporting us. We’re also grateful to Lauren and David that royalties of the book, Bob Willis, A Cricketer and a Gentleman, continue to come to us.
“Around 400,000 men are living with or after a prostate cancer diagnosis, and that number keeps rising. Now, for the first time ever, it has become the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK.
“Most men with early prostate cancer don’t have any symptoms, so it’s important not to wait until you notice something’s wrong. If men are at increased risk because they’re over 50, if they’re black, or if their dad or brother had it, they should call their GP to ask about the pros and cons of a PSA blood test. We’re also encouraging everyone to share our 30-second online risk checker.”
Fans can text BOB to 70004 to donate £10 to Prostate Cancer UK or visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bobwillis
