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With a match between the final stages of the Women’s
Premier League (WPL) in India and a bilateral T20I series in New Zealand
approaching, England’s women will have to decide between club and country.
The first of five women’s T20Is is scheduled to be
played in the afternoon on March 19 in Dunedin, while the BCCI confirmed this
week that the WPL final will take place in the evening on March 17 in Delhi.
Players could not possibly be involved in both matches logistically.
The players in the WPL have been informed by the ECB
that they will not be selected for the first three Twenty20 Internationals
(T20Is) in New Zealand if they remain in India till the tournament is over.
Next week, they should announce the tour teams.
WPL 2024 is expected to feature seven English players:
Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt (UP Warriorz), Kate Cross, Heather Knight (all
Royal Challengers Bangalore), Issy Wong, Nat Sciver-Brunt (both Mumbai
Indians), and Alice Capsey (Delhi Capitals). Jon Lewis, the head coach of
England, has the same position at UP Warriorz.
It is believed that each of the players considered a
number of variables before making their choice. Their WPL salaries range from
INR 30 lakh (about £30,000) to INR 3.2 crore (approximately £320,000). While
certain players are lock to start for both their teams and England, others have
had to weigh their chances of being selected for either side.
The recent steep increase in match payments for
England’s women, which was equal to that of the men’s team last year, and the
impending T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year further complicate the
decision-making process. It is thought that Knight made herself accessible for
the whole New Zealand tour in her capacity as captain.
When a similar dispute emerged in December, the ECB
adopted a firm stance with the players. Though neither player played in the
first T20I, Bess Heath and Danielle Gibson skipped the WBBL final in Australia
to join the England squad in Mumbai in advance of the T20I series, which began
four days later.
In contrast, Amelia Kerr was permitted to miss a
Twenty20 International match against Pakistan in order to play in the WBBL
final by New Zealand Cricket. Along with Sophie Devine (RCB), Kerr (Mumbai
Indians) is one of two New Zealand players participating in the WPL this year.