England Women will play a day/night match at Chelmsford as they step up their preparations for the 2017/18 Ashes Series.
The match will see England Women play an inter-team game at The Cloudfm County Ground from Tuesday 19th – Thursday 21st September and will be a chance to see the World Cup winners in action at Chelmsford in front of another bumper crowd.
The last time Heather Knight and her teammates were in action, it was in front of a sell-out crowd at Lord’s as they clinched the ICC Women’s World Cup and this warm-up game provides a chance to see the full squad in action ahead of a key Ashes Series, which takes place in Australia during October & November this year.
The format of the game will mirror the England Men’s day/night Test match against West Indies, with play during the three-day game set to begin at 2pm and a pink ball in use. England Women will take part in their first day/night Test during the Ashes, at the North Sydney Oval.
The teams will be made up of the England Women squad plus representatives from the Essex Performance Programme squad and will again showcase women’s sport in the region.
Essex Cricket Chief Executive, Derek Bowden expressed the Club’s excitement at hosting England Women this season; “The opportunity to welcome Mark Robinson and his England Women’s side is always a date that the Club look forward to. This fixture will certainly generate excitement, not only around the Club and supporters, but also appeal to the region’s sports fans who have watched the team’s success this year”.
“We pride ourselves in supporting Women’s cricket in Essex and the surrounding counties, which has also seen the Essex Women’s side gaining winning promotion this season. This special fixture will once again be a chance for supporters to come watch the England stars perform at The Cloudfm County Ground and I’m sure they will put on a show across the three days.”
Clare Connor, Director of England Women’s cricket at the ECB, said: “We’re all looking forward to playing our first day/night match at Chelmsford.
“This match is important for us for two reasons. Firstly, it provides us with the chance to give some focus to the multi-day game ahead of the multi-format Women’s Ashes in Australia. Secondly, it will give us some exposure to day/night conditions with a pink ball ahead of the first ever day/night Women’s Test Match at Sydney. I’m sure it will provide a great learning experience.”
Entry to the game will be by donation upon arrival to the Essex Cricket Foundation. The Pavilion, Tom Pearce and Foundation Stands will be open to all spectators over the three days with gates open from 1pm and play scheduled to begin at 2pm.
The match is not ticketed, therefore tickets are not available in advance. For full details about the game please contact Essex Cricket via 01245 254010 or questions@https://https://essexcricket.org.uk/.
