Tournament Director | ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Beth Barrett-Wild has been at the forefront of women’s cricket in England, shaping the game both on and off the field. As Tournament Director of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 and Director of the Women’s Professional Game at the ECB, Barrett-Wild oversees the delivery of major events while expanding professional pathways for female players. She will be leaving the ECB in July, following the conclusion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. “We want to make sure that we’re really capturing fans that are coming through the gates and tuning in on broadcast to fall in love with women’s cricket,” she says, underscoring her focus on sustainable growth and long-term engagement.
Her influence spans the strategic, operational, and cultural dimensions of the sport. From leading Project Darwin, which restructured the women’s domestic game and embedded tiered professional pathways, to launching The Hundred, Barrett-Wild has been instrumental in creating opportunities that did not exist when she first fell in love with cricket. “I have a very core purpose, mission or ambition to create opportunities for women and girls to pursue a career in cricket that didn’t exist for me,” she reflects. These initiatives have strengthened governance, boosted visibility, and improved access, ensuring that women’s cricket is positioned alongside the men’s game rather than as an afterthought.
A former under-21 international in both hockey and cricket, Barrett-Wild draws on her own sporting experience. She recalls, “I first picked up bat and ball when I was 10 years old and I was the only girl at my local club.” This early exposure to inequity fuels her work to create a truly inclusive ecosystem, from grassroots leadership development to professional competition.
Her tenure at the ECB began in 2013 as Media Manager for the England women’s team. Over nearly 13 years, Barrett-Wild has held multiple leadership roles, contributing to the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, the Women’s Ashes audience strategy in 2023, and the broader professionalisation of the sport. She notes, “The 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup was the catalyst that sparked everything that’s happened since.”
Through strategy, infrastructure, and visibility, she has played a major role in ensuring that women’s cricket is competitive, celebrated, and sustainable for years to come.