Postponement of The Hundred is going to "prove to be a problem", says Charlotte Edwards

Charlotte Edwards, former England captain, feels women's game will be negatively impacted by the postponement of The Hundred. The tournament, which was scheduled to begin in July, has been postponed due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The repercussions of the delay have particularly come as a jolt to the women's game with no other domestic competitions scheduled for the season.



That women's cricket in England was heading in the right direction became clear when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced equal prize money for both the men's and women's competitions. Although the lowest men's contract (£30,000) in The Hundred was double the highest women's contract (£15,000), for some, it was to be the only source of income for the summer.



ALSO READ: ECB postpones The Hundred 



Edwards, who signed up as a head coach of Southern Brave, told BBC World Service: "A lot of people are out of work. A lot of players were hoping to have contracts for the Hundred, which were quite lucrative for some of them, and everyone’s going to miss out which is so unfortunate and at such an important time for women’s cricket."



"For the players, it’s a worrying time. But we have been guaranteed that the ECB will still go ahead with their £20m investment into the women’s game, which is something that is obviously keeping us all going at the moment."



"This year was going to be hugely exciting for the game and important, and it’s good that it will go ahead – but being delayed is going to prove to be a problem for some of the players. It’s not ideal, but everyone’s health and well-being is more important at this time," she concluded.



Edwards' statement comes after Katie Levick, Yorkshire leg-spinner, showcased her disappointment on social media, making clear to the general public how much the women stood to lose following the postponement.



https://twitter.com/Katie_Lev/status/1255859801243910146?s=20