The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) may provide financial support to Cricket West Indies (CWI) to ensure England’s women’s Test match proceeds as planned next spring. The Test is part of a multi-format series in the Caribbean and is seen as important preparation for England’s 2027 Ashes campaign.
CWI recently announced cost-cutting measures, including reductions in player contracts, and cancelled a women’s Test against Australia earlier this year amid financial pressures. Despite this, there have been no discussions about cancelling the upcoming Test against England, which will also feature three T20s and three ODIs. The wider tour remains scheduled and is not currently under threat.
ECB chair Richard Thompson told the BBC he hopes the Test will go ahead as expected and said the ECB would consider providing financial help if CWI faces difficulties hosting the match. "I hope not. That's not expected to be cancelled. I hope it will take place," Thompson said. He acknowledged that hosting in the Caribbean is expensive due to travel between islands, with CWI spending more than $80 million on domestic air travel over 15 years.
Thompson stressed the importance of the Test for England’s red-ball preparations. "We want that Test match to play out. 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," he said. England have played only one Test since their Ashes loss in early 2025, when they were beaten by India at Lord’s. They have not faced West Indies in a women’s Test since 1979, and West Indies last played a women’s Test in 2004.
Alongside the Caribbean tour, England will hold a 10-day red-ball training camp in India in January to prepare for the Ashes.
Thompson expressed sympathy for West Indies cricket’s unique challenges. "We all have a huge sympathy for the West Indies, we all want to see a successful West Indian nation. They have very unique challenges and I hope through the International Cricket Council and others we can find a way through this," he added.
The ECB’s potential financial involvement would be unusual, as normally the host board covers hosting costs. But concerns over the financial viability of staging women’s Tests in the Caribbean have increased following CWI’s recent cutbacks and the earlier cancellation of the Australia Test.
No official confirmation has been made about the exact level of ECB support, but Thompson’s comments signal a willingness to step in if necessary to preserve the fixture and maintain England’s preparation schedule for the Ashes. The multi-format series in the West Indies remains scheduled to proceed as planned.
According to Yahoo Sports.