‘We all have huge sympathy’: Why Cricket England is ready to fund West Indies Test

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) logo (@ECB_cricket Twitter handle) The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could step in financially if necessary to ensure England Women play a Test in the West Indies next spring. The match is planned as part of a multi-format series and is seen as an important build-up to England’s 2027 Ashes campaign.Cricket West Indies (CWI) recently announced several cost-cutting measures, including reducing player contracts. She also canceled the planned women’s Test against Australia earlier this year, although the rest of that tour went ahead.There has been no talk of canceling the England Test and the wider tour, which includes three T20s and three ODIs, is not currently under threat.Speaking to the BBC, ECB President Richard Thompson said: “I hope not. It is not expected to be lifted. I hope it will.”He also said the ECB would “look at” providing financial assistance if the CWI faced difficulties in preparing the match.The cost of hosting visiting teams is usually met by the host cricket board. However, touring the Caribbean can be expensive as players often need to travel between different islands. CWI said it has spent more than $80 million on domestic air travel over the past 15 years.

‘It is very important to us’

Thompson said the ECB wanted the Test to go ahead because England needed more red-ball cricket ahead of the Ashes.“We want this Test match to happen,” Thompson said. “It’s very important for us because our first women’s Ashes match is the Headingley Test, so we need a good warm-up with the red ball.“We have to play somewhere and we would much prefer it to be the West Indies.England have played just one Test since their Ashes defeat at the start of 2025, losing to India at Lord’s. The West Indies have not faced off in a women’s Test since 1979, while the West Indies last played a Test in 2004.England will also hold a 10-day red-ball training camp in India in January as part of the Ashes build-up.Thompson added: “We all have 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 that.”