The England and Wales Cricket Board could help fund England Women’s scheduled Test against West Indies in 2027 if financial support is required to ensure the match goes ahead, as the tourists look to secure valuable red-ball preparation before the Women’s Ashes.
The Test is part of a multi-format Caribbean tour scheduled for April and May that also includes three ODIs and three T20Is. No discussions have taken place between the ECB and Cricket West Indies over cancelling the Test, despite the financial pressures currently facing the Caribbean governing body.
Asked about the prospect of the match being cancelled, ECB Chair Richard Thompson told BBC Sport: “I hope not. That’s not expected to be cancelled. I hope it will take place.”
ECB prepared to consider funding Test
The importance of the fixture extends beyond the Caribbean tour itself. England’s first match of the subsequent multi-format Ashes against Australia will be the Test at Headingley in June, making the West Indies fixture a key opportunity for the team to play red-ball cricket beforehand.
The ECB has previously provided direct financial assistance to help facilitate an international fixture. Zimbabwe received a touring fee from the governing body for its men’s Test in England, providing a potential precedent if support is eventually required for the Caribbean match.
Speaking to reporters at Lord’s, Thompson said: “We will definitely look at it. Look what we did with Zimbabwe two years ago.”
England have limited opportunities to prepare for Test cricket before facing Australia, increasing the value of keeping the Caribbean fixture on the schedule.
Thompson added: “Look, it will be awful for the West Indies. 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 match. So we need a good red-ball warm-up. We’ve got to be playing somewhere, and I think we’d much prefer to be playing in the West Indies.”
There is currently no agreement for the ECB to provide funding, and any potential financial intervention would depend on whether the issue arises as preparations for the tour progress.
“We might have that conversation as and when,” Thompson said.
CWI financial pressures create challenging backdrop
CWI has recently introduced a series of measures aimed at reducing costs. These include a 25% reduction in player retainer fees and the suspension of the men’s Super50 tournament and Women’s T20 Blaze.
The governing body is also working with a US$16 million loan from the International Cricket Council, which is being made available in three tranches beginning this month. Repayment arrangements require CWI to meet specified performance measures.
The geography of Caribbean cricket creates an additional financial burden. CWI has said that domestic air travel has cost it more than US$80 million over the past 15 years as teams and players move between islands.
Women’s Test cricket has already been affected by the financial realities of staging matches in the region. A Test between West Indies and Australia scheduled for March 2026 was cancelled, although the white-ball matches on the tour went ahead.
Thompson told BBC Sport: “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.”
England expands red-ball preparation before Ashes
The scheduled Test would be a rare red-ball fixture for both teams. England have played only one Test since their 2025 Ashes campaign in Australia, losing to India at Lord’s earlier this year, while West Indies Women have not contested a Test since touring Pakistan in 2004. The two sides have not met in the format since 1979.
England’s Ashes planning extends beyond the proposed Caribbean Test. According to BBC Sport, the squad will hold a 10-day red-ball training camp in India in January, while an England A-Australia A warm-up arrangement similar to the one staged in 2023 could be used again in 2027. Plans are also being finalised to create early-season red-ball opportunities for domestic players.
Exact dates and venues for England’s tour of the Caribbean have not yet been announced, although the wider multi-format series is not currently considered at risk. With the Headingley Test opening England’s Ashes campaign in June, preserving the West Indies fixture would give the team a competitive red-ball match immediately before its attempt to regain the Ashes from Australia.
