The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) came under fire as The Hundred 2024 came to an end for scheduling the league in conjunction with the Paris Olympics 2024, which hurt the show’s popularity. The domestic tournaments have been reorganised by the ECB, bringing the men’s and women’s divisions into alignment. Beginning with the 2025 season, the men’s T20 Blast and the One-Day Cup will take place concurrently with the women’s 50-over and T20 format tournament.
It’s also important to note that the new events will take the place of the women’s T20 and 50-over Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, respectively, but they will still be named after their respective names. Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey, Warwickshire, and Nottinghamshire (The Blaze) will participate in The Blast in alignment with the men’s teams. Additionally, Lancashire and Warwickshire will compete as the “Birmingham Bears” and “Lancashire Thunder,” respectively.
Director of the Women’s Professional Game Beth Barrett-Wild stated, “The next step in the growth of the women’s professional game is to produce commercially vibrant and visible teams and competitions that excite fans and continue to showcase the quality of women’s cricket.”
The semi-finals and finals of the women’s T20 Blast will take place on the same day, following the men’s format. The T20 Blast tournament will feature double-header scheduling for both the men’s and women’s divisions, just as The Hundred.
“As we have seen through The Hundred and alignment of our England Men’s and England Women’s teams, we believe that by putting our men’s and women’s competitions and players on the same platform we can exponentially increase the reach of the women’s domestic game and intensify the depth of feeling fans have for our women’s teams moving forwards,” Beth said.
All three tiers of domestic structure are changed by the ECB.
By 2027, the ECB wants to raise GBP 8 million for women’s cricket. According to ECB predictions, the reorganised actions might result in an 80% increase in the number of professional female cricketers in the nation by 2029.
“Our desire to better utilise the size and influence of men’s county cricket to boost the number of fans for our women’s teams and players has been a major motivator behind the reorganisation of women’s professional cricket. We’re thus incredibly happy to fully coordinate our men’s and women’s domestic white-ball events for the first time, looking ahead to the 2025 season,” Beth said.
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Significantly, starting in 2025, the board will introduce a knock-out cup for the extensive women’s domestic system across all three categories. The change will result in matches between various nations in major national stadiums. Additionally, this will develop their ability to transcend institutional hierarchy and refine their skills on a broader scale.
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