The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has signaled it may take the unusual step of subsidizing a women’s Test match in the West Indies next year. ECB chair Richard Thompson stated the board would “look at” providing funding if necessary to secure the fixture, which is viewed as a crucial component of England’s preparations for the upcoming Ashes series against Australia. We’ve got to be playing somewhere and we’d much prefer that to be the West Indies. They have very unique challenges and I hope through the International Cricket Council and others we can find a way through this.
Scheduled for the spring of 2027, the Test is part of a planned multi-format tour that also includes three T20 internationals and three ODIs across April and May. While Cricket West Indies (CWI) has recently announced cost-cutting measures—including reductions in player contracts—there have been no formal discussions regarding the cancellation of the Test. Thompson expressed optimism that the match will proceed as planned, though he acknowledged the financial realities facing the host nation. Part of a multi-format series in the spring of 2027, was announced in 2024 and is scheduled before England’s bid to regain the Ashes from Australia, the Test in the Caribbean. We all want to see a successful West Indian nation, we all have a huge sympathy for the West Indies.
Governing bodies typically operate under reciprocal agreements where the home board covers logistical expenses like travel and accommodation. However, these costs are often inflated in the Caribbean by the necessity of inter-island flights. CWI reported that over the last 15 years, it has spent more than $80 million on domestic air travel. Thompson compared the potential intervention to the ECB’s decision to pay a touring fee to Zimbabwe when their men’s team played a Test in England last year.
For England, the fixture is a tactical priority. The squad has played only one Test—a loss to India at Lord’s—since their previous Ashes tour in 2025. With the only scheduled 2027 Ashes Test taking place at Headingley in June, the team requires high-quality red-ball match practice. England has not played a women’s Test against the West Indies since 1979, and the hosts have not played a Test format since 2004. According to we want that Test match to play out,”, Thompson. “It’s very important for us because our first women’s match in the Ashes is the Headingley Test, so we need a good red-ball warm-up. Or an opportunity for someone to think they want to play the game properly, with a hardball, it’s another stepping stone for a late developer.
Beyond the Caribbean tour, England’s preparation strategy includes a 10-day red-ball training camp in India this January. The board is also finalizing plans to replicate the 2023 strategy of organizing internal warm-up matches, potentially involving ‘A’ side fixtures or domestic players, to ensure match readiness.
Thompson’s comments came during a press event at Lord’s, where he announced new grassroots initiatives aimed at expanding cricket’s reach into state secondary schools. The programs, titled ‘Cricket for Teachers’ and ‘Secondary Countdown Cricket,’ seek to engage 1,700 schools and 3,500 teachers by the end of 2028.
The expansion is designed to address concerns regarding the sport’s accessibility. A report from the Sutton Trust earlier this year highlighted that 50% of female professional cricketers in England were privately educated. Thompson emphasized that the goal is to provide coaching for boys and girls together up to age 16, ultimately aiming to reach 1.5 million children who have had no prior exposure to the game. A report by the Sutton Trust found cricket to be one of the most elitist jobs in the country, with 59% of male professionals and 50% of women privately educated, earlier this year. According to we really want teachers to upskill and be able to coach,”, Thompson. “The second part is to be able to do something no other team sport can do, which is bring boys and girls together until the age of 16.
