England women try Twenty20
Source -
The England Women's cricket team will break new ground in August by playing the first international Twenty20 match.
The England Women's cricket team will break new ground in August by playing the
first international Twenty20 match. They will face New Zealand using the same
format as the Twenty20 Cup, which was launched successfully in county cricket
last summer. The venue and date have yet to be confirmed, but it will form part
of the NatWest Women's Series. "The girls are very excited - we saw the impact
it had on the men's game last season," said Charlotte Edwards.
Twenty20 cricket has yet to find a place in the men's international calendar International
Cricket Council spokesman Brendan McClements said last year: "There is no
suggestion that there will be an international version of Twenty20." But
he acknowledged: "In development areas, a third generation game could attract
new participants."
For the England and Wales Cricket Board, however, it offers another opportunity
to raise the profile of the women's team. One round of the annual Super Fours
tournament will be played under Twenty20 rules to enable the players to familiarise
themselves with the format prior to taking on the White Ferns.
And Edwards, for one, cannot wait. "It's going to be exciting to go in the
nets and practice shots you wouldn't normally play. I imagine there'll be a lot
pressure on you as well, you've got to go out there and play your shots and be
prepared to give your wicket up as well. It will definitely help improve our fielding
and in the bowling, you're going to have be bowling pretty good lines to keep
the runs down," she told the BBC. I enjoyed every minute of it last season
watching the men's stuff and I'm very excited about playing it."
More than 250,000 spectators watched the various Twenty20 Cup games and Edwards
is aware it offers the potential to attract a larger audience to the women's game.
We just need to get people along watching us and then maybe following us through
to the 50 overs stuff. I think it's a fantastic idea and something that, I think,
the other countries will probably envy. The ECB are doing all they can to help
raise the profile and things like this are a great way of doing it."
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