Three England internationals to feature in Women’s T20 Challenge in India
- Planet Sport writer
- 16 May 2022
Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross and Sophia Dunkley have all been confirmed as overseas players for an upcoming Women’s T20 tournament in India.
The England trio will be part of the three-team competition, which is set to run from May 23 to 28 in Pune.
The tournament is considered to be a bridging event for the planned women's Indian Premier League next year.
Ecclestone, who is the world's number one bowler in the short format of the sport, has been drafted by the Supernovas.
Fast bowler Cross will represent Velocity, while batter Dunkley will compete for the Trailblazers.
The fourth season of the T20 Challenge will see a single round-robin phase, which will include three matches. That will be followed by a final between the two top sides.
All games, including the showpiece, will be held at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
All three players are also expected to feature for England when the international campaign resumes in June.
South African will their first opponents as the two teams battle across one Test, three ODIs and three T20 matches.
Comparisons need to stop
While the women's Indian Premier League is certainly an exciting proposition, England international Tammy Beaumont has warned that the women's game should not be compared to the men's if it is to grow.
She told Sky Sports: "The biggest thing that sometimes holds it back is the comparison to the men's game - people saying 'women don't bowl 90mph, don't hit sixes, don't hit the ball as hard'. It can kill the game.
"You need to see it for what it is, see that it is different, judge it for what it is. It should still be critiqued when it falls short as we need that if we want to improve.
"But it doesn't help if people say, 'she wouldn't do very well against Jofra Archer, would she?' Those sorts of things really aren't helpful."
