ECB in talks with BCCI, CSA for women’s tri-series

ECB CEO Tom Harrison says women’s limited-overs cricket could be played late in the summer in the U.K.

The Women’s T20 World Cup was the last women’s international cricket event to be played before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is currently in talks with its Indian and South African counterparts to host a tri-series later this year.

The Indian women’s team was scheduled to play a bilateral series comprising three One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals against England, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains postponed. The women’s T20 World Cup in Australia was the last big-ticket event to be held before the pandemic brought all sporting activities to a halt in March.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison hopes there will be some international women’s cricket this year if everything goes as planned.

“Ultimately, we will get some international cricket, all being well. The plan is to get some international cricket for the England team later this summer. We’re talking to the BCCI and Cricket South Africa about bringing their women’s teams over to play a tri-series,” Harrison said during BBC ’s Tuffers and Vaughan podcast.

“So we’ve something to celebrate with the women’s game, in September this year. We’re desperate to continue the momentum, the growth in the women’s game which has been so astonishing in the last few years,” he said.

The virus factor

However, Harrison said a decision on inviting India for the tri-series will depend on how India combats the contagious disease. “There’s a huge amount of work going on but we’re not controlling every part of this decision. One of the things that has become clear about this crisis is when you’re dealing with international teams, you’re dealing with the COVID environment here and overseas as well,” he said.

U.K. has so far seen over 2,85,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than 40,000 deaths.

“If we were in the eye of the storm a few weeks ago, in this country, it very much now looks like that has moved to the subcontinent where they’re experiencing their very tough moment with this pandemic. And hopefully, they can get over that quickly which will enable us to bring the team over,” he said.

“Hopefully we continue to make progress in defeating this virus and we can have a good tri-series with India and South Africa towards the end of the summer.”

Over 2,70,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus in India with over 7,700 deaths reported so far.