South Africa turn down ECB’s tour invitation in major blow for England Women

England had been training up in Derby preparing for the series which was due to take place in the next few weeks

Heather Knight of England (EPA)

Cricket South Africa has informed the England and Wales Cricket Board that they will not be able to accept the invitation to tour the UK in September 2020.

The decision comes as a blow to England Women, who had been training up in Derby preparing for the series which was due to take place in the next few weeks. The decision was taken due to the current international travel regulations in place for South African national teams.

The ECB are understood to be in talks with the West Indies and hope they will answer the call to fill in at the last minute. They would follow the men’s side touring last month for a behind-closed-doors Test series held at the Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford.

So far there has been no international women’s cricket in England this summer after India were unable to tour for a limited-overs series because of the escalation of the Covid-19 situation in India. As a result, the Indian Premier League, the world’s biggest Twenty20 competition, is due to be held in the United Arab Emirates next month.

A statement released by the ECB stated they are able to host international women’s cricket in a bio-secure environment and are continuing to have “multiple discussions with a number of international boards about potential women’s tours”.

ECB Managing Director of Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor said: ‘’We are immensely disappointed that we are not yet able to confirm fixtures for England Women this summer due to India and South Africa being unable to travel.

‘’We have been committed from the outset to deliver the same bio-secure standards for both men’s and women’s international cricket, an investment that included exclusive hotel use for teams, chartered flights and medical provisions.

“An ECB team, with support from the Incora County Ground, Derby, has created a dedicated behind closed doors environment to host all of our women’s internationals.

‘’Women’s and girls’ cricket is a huge part of the ECB strategy and despite the devastating impact of COVID-19, this ambition has not waned. We continue to explore all options to see England Women play competitively this summer.’’