It is gearing up to be a monumental summer for Charlotte Edwards and England’s Women’s cricket side.
Games are coming thick and fast ahead of this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be played on home soil for the first time since 2009.
This year’s hosts will play multiple limited-overs warm-up series against New Zealand and India ahead of the World Cup, with Sky Sports set to broadcast all of England’s group-stage matches without a subscription on the Sky Sports App.
But there’s more. After the World Cup, England will finally play their first-ever Test match at Lord’s, in what is set to be a historic moment for the sport.
What makes this summer so special for England? Who are they playing? And where is the World Cup being held?
Charlotte Edwards made a number of difficult decisions when selecting her T20 World Cup squad
Lord’s breaks record attendance for first England women’s Test
Nat Sciver-Brunt and her team will face India in a Test match at the Home of Cricket on July 10, five days after the Women’s T20 World Cup final, which will also be played at Lord’s.
England have played 17 Women’s ODI matches and three T20 games in the past at Lord’s, and excitement is building to see Edwards’ side take centre stage at the iconic ground.
This summer, Lord’s is set to host 21 women’s matches, from international cricket to domestic competitions, and four World Cup matches.
Now, with less than 10 weeks to go, the Marylebone Cricket Club announced that 23,207 tickets have already been sold for England’s Test match against India, exceeding the highest attendance record for a women’s Test in England.
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Charlotte Edwards reflects on the ‘tough decision’ to not select Tammy Beaumont in England’s T20 World Cup squad, but insists there is still more to come in her international career
“We’re thrilled to have already broken this significant record within women’s cricket,” chief executive and secretary of the MCC, Robert Lawson, said.
“Lord’s is such a special place and to be hosting our first ever women’s Test is truly exciting – for us as a club, for the players and for the record crowds that will witness history in the making.
“With the match not starting until July 10 and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup just before it, we’re sure that ticket sales will continue to surge. There’s nothing like a Lord’s Test, and we want to make this first-ever women’s Test at the Home of Cricket a momentous occasion for all involved.”
Speaking in 2024 when the news was first announced, former England player and ex-MCC Chair of Cricket, Claire Taylor, said: “I’m delighted at this news and most importantly for the players who’ll make history playing in this fixture in 2026.
“Young girls playing up and down the country can now aspire to play Test match cricket at the home of cricket. It is a clear demonstration that cricket is a game for all.”
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Danielle Gibson and Tilly Corteen-Coleman react to their major Hundred deals
England haven’t lifted the Women’s T20 World Cup in 17 years… could this be the year?
After the disappointment of being knocked out in the group stage of the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Edwards and her team have the chance to bounce back and are perfectly placed to do so.
The England Women’s head coach named her squads for their upcoming World Cup last week, and it features a raft of star players, including Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and emerging star Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
Edwards was part of the England squad that last won a women’s T20 World Cup back in 2009. That tournament was hosted on home soil, but since then, the team has finished as runners-up three times.
“It’s so special,” Edwards told the ECB, speaking on what it was like to win the World Cup at home.
“It’s even more special to do it at home. And at the home of cricket. July 5 [T20 World Cup final date] has been on my calendar for a while, and I really hope we can do something special and lift a World Cup at home.”
Who are the favourites to win the Women’s T20 World Cup?
Alongside Australia and India, England are favourites to win this summer’s Women’s T20 World Cup.
A win, Edwards believes, would provide another platform for women’s cricket in the country, increase participation among women and girls and help to push the sport on to achieve great things.
“I just think it would be an amazing achievement for the group,” Edwards said. “I just think it would be an amazing achievement for the group and a real game-changer for the sport.
“We’ve seen the impact winning a massive trophy has had for other teams, like the Lionesses and the Red Roses, and we just want to emulate what they’ve done and provide that platform for women’s cricket.
“We want to provide that platform for women’s cricket. It’s in an amazing place at the moment but we can really springboard it onto bigger and better things.”
England suffered heartache at the 2022 ODI World Cup, where Australia beat Heather Knight’s side by 71 runs in the final.
Having not won the T20 World Cup in so long, a victory in the annual showpiece, particularly at home, would be massive for England and women’s cricket.
“I think we’re a very different team,” Edwards said, reflecting on England’s woes in 2022 and 2024. “We’re coming here to win it. We know it’s going to be really hard.
“There are some wonderful teams out there. But to be able to think that we can play in a World Cup final at Lord’s is motivating us every day.”
Who can impress for England’s Women this summer?
Tilly Corteen-Coleman, England Women cricket, Team Heyhoe Flint vs Team Brittin
England were dealt a tough blow on the eve of their ODI series against New Zealand, with captain Sciver-Brunt set to miss the opening three matches of the summer due to a minor left calf tear.
Her omission is thought to be a precautionary measure, with Dean set to captain the team, while Maia Bouchier has also been drafted into the squad for batting cover.
Lauren Bell has emerged as one of the best fast bowlers in women’s cricket following her breakout season in 2021.
She has featured in three World Cups and two Ashes series since then, and taken 50 wickets for an economy of 7.14 across 36 Women’s T20I matches.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge is another player to keep an eye on this summer, following her epic performances in the Big Bash League over the winter, with the Surrey batter having finished third in the batters’ standings, amassing 432 runs which included four half-centuries.
Uncapped 18-year-old Corteen-Coleman is also likely to make her debut at some stage this summer, with the Surrey left-arm spinner having enjoyed a meteoric rise to the England side since debuting in The Hundred in 2024.
Will England be feeling the pressure?
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It’s 50 days until the Women’s World T20 and Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton says home side England are definitely in the shake up for success
Sky Sports Cricket analyst Michael Atherton delivered his verdict on England’s chances of winning this summer:
“It’s a long time ago, but the last time the Women’s T20 World Cup was held on home soil, England won it, so there’s that natural home advantage, but with it being at home comes a little bit of added scrutiny and pressure as well, inevitably.
“But England have terrific players. They’re under new management, new captain, and a new coach.
“Charlotte Edwards will have them well drilled, I have no doubt about that.
“They’ve got plenty of strength in depth and some top-class players, so they should be in the shake-up.
“I mean, it’s a hard tournament to call. There are some very good teams. I think the standard across the board is improving all the time, so it’s getting more competitive.
“Obviously, Australia are going to be a very tough team to beat.
“But England, with home advantage and some good players, should be in the shake-up.”
Knight: ‘It’s a chance to leave a legacy’
Heather Knight
England batter Heather Knight told Sky Sports:
“The focus now is women’s cricket at the World Cup, so it’s really exciting, not too far away now and a chance for us to do something really special as a side.
“Home support was huge for us in 2017, the way the crowds built and the final at Lord’s, it’s super special.
“It’s a chance to have a real impact on the sport in your country and leave a legacy. If we do our job right and have success this summer, we can leave a real legacy on the sport of women’s cricket in this country.
“It took a little bit of time for that success to see changes and I think the landscape is very different now and, particularly in women’s cricket, there’s the structure beneath the game, the domestic game’s professional. It’s a lot more normal to be a women’s cricketer; there’s a lot more visibility.
“You’d hope now if we have that success and things go well for us, the structures are in place to make the most of it and really make it a huge moment. We’ve seen what the Lionesses and Red Roses have done. I’ve followed those very closely and know some of the players.
“We want to do something similar and hopefully inspire kids to make girls in cricket really normal and really great.”
England’s summer schedule
Cricket is coming thick and fast this summer, with England Women’s first set to face off against New Zealand on Sunday in a three-match ODI series, before they face the White Ferns in a T20 series.
Here’s England Women’s summer fixtures:
England’s players stands for national anthem during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match between England and New Zealand in 2025
England women v New Zealand
May 10: 1st Metro Bank ODI – Banks Homes Riverside, Durham, 11am
May 13: 2nd Metro Bank ODI – The County Ground, Northampton, 1pm
May 16: 3rd Metro Bank ODI – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 11am
May 20: 1st Vitality IT20 – The Central Co-op County Ground, Derby, 6:30pm
May 23: 2nd Vitality IT20 – The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury, 2:30pm
May 25: 3rd Vitality IT20 – The 1st Central County Ground, Hove, tbc
England Women v India
May 28: 1st Vitality IT20 – Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford, 6:30pm
May 30: 2nd Vitality IT20 – Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol, tbc
June 2: 3rd Vitality IT20 – The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, 6:30pm
July 10: 1st Rothesay Test – Lord’s, London, 11am
England Women v Ireland
September 1: 1st Metro Bank ODI – The Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester, 1pm
September 3: 2nd Metro Bank ODI – The Central Co-op County Ground, Derby, 1pm
September 6: 3rd Metro Bank ODI – Visit Worcestershire New Road, Worcester, 11am
England Women T20 World Cup fixtures
June 12: England v Sri Lanka – Edgbaston, Birmingham, 6.30pm
June 16: England v Ireland – Utilita Bowl, Southampton, 6.30pm
June 20: England v Scotland – Headingley, Leeds, 6.30pm
June 24: England v West Indies – Lord’s, London, 6.30pm
June 27: England v New Zealand – The Kia Oval, London, 6.30pm
Watch England Women’s first ODI match against New Zealand this Sunday at from 10.30am, live on Sky Sports Cricket. Watch the Women’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports with selected games streamed for free via the Sky Sports App. Not got Sky? Stream cricket contract-free on NOW.
