Heather Knight welcomes first women’s five-day Test match

• Heather Knight welcomes first women’s five-day Test match.
• She was pleased to learn that Trent Bridge will host a five-day Ashes Test in 2019.
• Only six women’s Test matches have been played globally in the previous five years.

Heather Knight, the captain of the England women’s cricket team, was pleased to learn on Wednesday that Trent Bridge will host a five-day Ashes Test in 2019.

The long-standing tradition that has limited women’s Test matches to four-day affairs will be abandoned in 2023, according to an agreement between the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia.

Only six women’s Test matches have been played globally in the previous five years, all of which ended in draws when the clock ran out. However, the championship match of the multi-format series will now have three more periods to bring it to a suitable conclusion.

The action equalizes the men’s Ashes program, which was also announced at the same time.

The women’s Test, which kicks off on June 22 and is a first for England, comes two days after the men’s Edgbaston opening against Australia.

Knight provided a ringing endorsement, and his team will play T20s at the Oval, Edgbaston, and Lord’s for the first time.

She told, “I’m very delighted, I feel like I’ve been banging the drum for five days for a long time, so it’s a great moment.

“For five days and larger grounds, it feels like the appropriate time has come, and it has seemed like a long time coming. This is a really sensible move by the boards because the South Africa Test last year was well-prepared but shriveled away due to rain and wasn’t given the chance to conclude.

“I think the most of my career was spent practicing gratitude. When I first started, anything was a bonus, and you were simply pleased to be representing England in your favorite sport without receiving any compensation. However, since then, my eyes have become a little bit more open.

“You become aware of the injustices you’ve experienced without truly realizing them. A reasonable evolution is to continue on an equal basis.”

Greg Barclay, the head of the International Cricket Council, stated that he did not think Test matches were “part of the landscape” in the women’s game and did not see the format “developing” while visiting Lord’s in June.

Knight asserts that her side is dedicated to demonstrating the contrary.

After hearing those remarks, she recalled, “we discussed trying to save the format for women, to do everything we can to advance the sport, to keep Test matches going and make them exciting.”

“We want to take every step possible to advance it, increase our level of risk-taking, and make it interesting to watch. It might be a really nice occasion because it will likely draw a lot of people to a large venue like Trent Bridge.”

The English team’s 2023 schedule kicks off on June 1 with a four-day Test match against Ireland at Lord’s, followed by a five-match series against Australia that starts on June 16 and concludes on July 31. The matches will be played at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Headingley, Old Trafford, and the Oval.

Former England captain Joe Root expressed his excitement for both countries’ futures in the following statement to PA: “Each team wants the Ashes to return. Both sides should be able to capitalize on the Ashes excitement since both series are airing at the same time.

“It’s a crucial development for the women’s game.

It can be discouraging when a draw becomes the only option, so it’s sensible to try and obtain a result over five days, and I don’t see why it should be any different from men’s cricket. There are few feelings finer in cricket than crossing the finish line and winning a close Test match.

2023 timetable

Series of Men’s Ashes

• June 16–20, Edgbaston, first test
• Lord’s, June 28–July 2 Second Test
• Headingley, July 6-10, third test
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• Fourth Test: July 19–23 at Old Trafford
• Fifth Test: July 27–31 at The Oval

Series of Women’s Ashes

Trial Match

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• Trent Bridge: 22–26 June

Series IT20

• July 1st, Edgbaston
• On July 5, The Oval
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• Lord’s – 8th July

“ODI Series”

• Bristol – 12 July
• 16 July, Southampton
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• Taunton – 18 July

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