50-over women's competition included in England's shortened domestic season

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Friday (July 24), confirmed that the shortened domestic season will include a 50-over competition involving the eight regional teams. The tournament, meant to be a 'special edition' will mark the launch of the new women's elite domestic structure.



The tournament will consist of two regional groups of four teams each, with the winner of each group meeting in the final. Fixtures for the tournament will be released alongside the men's domestic white ball schedule next month.



“There has been a strong determination across the game to play men’s and women’s domestic cricket his summer and the fact that we will owes to the significant work and collaboration across the county network," said ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison.



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“The efforts to deliver a new one-off men’s and women’s competition, in addition to a shortened Vitality Blast, to meet the unprecedented requirements of playing professional cricket during a pandemic have been remarkable."



“I am pleased that we have been able to schedule women’s domestic cricket and ensure competitive cricket following last month’s confirmation of the first cohort of players on Regional Retainer contracts. We will need to remain agile to the challenges that will await us during the shortened domestic season with the health and wellbeing of our players, staff, officials and fans continuing to be our first priority,” he concluded.



The staging of the tournament underlines the board's commitment to growing the women's game in the region. Following the announcement of 24 domestic retainers last month, the ECB have also confirmed that they will be hosting South Africa in a bilateral series in September.



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With a 50-over World Cup on the horizon, the ECB are committed to making sure their women's team are given the best opportunity to prepare adequately for the tournament - getting as much game time as possible. An extended 24-member squad returned to training late last month.



The domestic competitions will follow strict health and safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all those involved in the game.