ECB will 'look at' funding Windies Test if needed

The England and Wales Cricket Board would "look at" providing financial backing for the scheduled women’s Test in the West Indies should the need arise, ECB chair Richard Thompson told BBC Sport. The fixture, part of a multi‑format series slated for the spring of 2027, was announced in 2024 and is set to precede England’s attempt to reclaim the Ashes from Australia. Cricket West Indies recently unveiled a broad package of cost‑saving steps, including reductions to player contracts. In March a women’s Test between the West Indies and Australia was cancelled, although the white‑ball leg of that tour proceeded. Thompson said there have been no talks between the ECB and CWI about scrapping the Test. When questioned by BBC Sport whether the match was in doubt, he replied, "I hope not. That's not expected to be cancelled. I hope it will take place." He added that, if the ECB were required to supply additional funding, his organisation would "look at" the matter. Host boards normally cover the visiting side’s logistical costs – travel, accommodation and related expenses. In the Caribbean those costs can be heightened by the expense of flying squads between islands. CWI noted it has spent more than $80 million on domestic air travel over the past 15 years. Thompson cited a comparable situation when the Zimbabwe men’s team played a Test in England last year, with the ECB paying a touring fee to the visitors. "We want that Test match to play out," Thompson said. "It's really 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 continued, "We've got to be playing there and we'd much rather that be the West Indies." He also expressed solidarity, stating, "We all have a huge sympathy for the West Indies, we all want to see a thriving 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." The opening contest of the women’s Ashes series will be the solitary Test at Headingley in June – the only Test, men’s or women's, scheduled north of Nottingham next summer. England have played just one Test since losing every match on the Ashes tour of Australia in early 2025, a result of India’s decision at Lord's earlier this year. The side has not faced the West Indies in a women’s Test since 1979, while the West Indies have not contested a Test against any opponent since their tour of Pakistan in 2004. The West Indies fixture forms one element of England’s Ashes preparations. In January the squad will participate in a 10‑day red‑ball training camp in India. In 2023 England faced Australia A and Australia faced England A in warm‑up Tests; a similar arrangement could be repeated in 2027. Discussions are under way to allow domestic players to engage in some red‑ball cricket early next year. Thompson made the remarks while the ECB unveiled programmes intended to bring cricket to more than 1,700 state secondary schools and over 3,500 teachers. 'Cricket for Teachers' and 'Secondary Countdown Cricket' are components of the board’s aim to reach half of all state secondary schools in England and Wales by the end of 2028. Earlier this year a Sutton Trust study described cricket as one of the country’s most elitist occupations, finding that 59 % of male professionals and 50 % of women in the field were privately educated. "We really want teachers to upskill and be able to coach," Thompson said. "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." He added, "This adds to the pathway. It's another stepping stone for a high developer, or an opportunity for someone to think they want to play the game properly, with a hardball." He concluded, "It's meaningful in that we want to reach one and a half million children who have never played the game before. That's a significant programme and the ambition that sits behind this."