England Women to begin home international summer with Test match against India in June; Heather Knight's side will also face India in ODI and T20 series in June and July before 20-over and 50-over games against New Zealand in September after The Hundred
Tuesday 13 April 2021 10:13, UK
England Women will kick off their bumper summer of home international cricket with a Test match against India in Bristol.
Heather Knight's side will face India across all three formats in June and July before returning to action in September for T20 and ODI series against New Zealand, with all games live on Sky Sports.
The Test, from June 16-19, will mark England's first red-ball game since the 2019 Ashes and India's first since facing South Africa in November 2014.
The LV= Insurance Test match between England and India will be followed by three Royal London one-day internationals and as many Vitality IT20s.
The ODIs take place on June 27 (Bristol), June 30 (Taunton) and July 3 (Worcester), with the T20 fixtures then being played on July 9 (Northampton), July 11 (Hove) and July 15 (Chelmsford).
Women's international cricket will then pause for the ECB's new 100-ball competition The Hundred, which begins on July 21 with a women's game between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals at The Kia Oval.
England will return to action from September 1 with the first T20 international against New Zealand at Chelmsford, followed by further short-form games at Hove on September 4 and Taunton on September 9.
A five-match ODI series against the White Ferns will start on September 16 in Bristol, followed by games on September 19 (Worcester), September 21 (Leicester), September 23 (Derby) and September 26 (Canterbury).
England will be looking to back up their successful winter programme in New Zealand, during which they recorded a 2-1 ODI series victory over the White Ferns before sweeping them 3-0 in the T20 series.
England will travel to Pakistan for the first time in October for two T20 internationals and five one-day internationals, while a busy 2022 calendar includes the Women's Ashes in Australia, the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Captain Knight said: "Knowing we have got such a packed schedule is amazing. Last year [with coronavirus impacting the game] was quite tough, not knowing what we were preparing for and what we had coming up.
"So to have two big international tours from India and New Zealand, The Hundred, a trip to Pakistan and then a massive year next year [is great] - this year is going to be massive in our preparations for 2022."
ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said: "We're really looking forward to a busy summer in what is a huge year for our England Women's team, and we're very excited about hosting India and New Zealand.
"The series will sit either side of The Hundred, and with the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the new Regional T20 competition running throughout the summer, it's a fixture list that offers a lot for both our players and our fans.
"With the 2022 ICC Women's World Cup around the corner it is of paramount importance that our England team is able to prepare accordingly, and with the team also due to travel to Pakistan in October we can look forward to an exciting 12 months of international women's cricket."
June 16-19: Test match (Bristol)
June 27: 1st ODI (Bristol)
June 30: 2nd ODI (Taunton)
July 3: 3rd ODI (Worcester)
July 9: 1st IT20 (Northampton)
July 11: 2nd IT20 (Hove)
July 15: 3rd IT20 (Chelmsford)
September 1: 1st IT20 (Chelmsford)
September 4: 2nd IT20 (Hove)
September 9: 3rd IT20 (Taunton)
September 16: 1st ODI (Bristol)
September 19: 2nd ODI (Worcester)
September 21: 3rd ODI (Leicester)
September 23: 4th ODI (Derby)
September 26: 5th ODI (Canterbury)
