Fixtures in Sri Lanka Women’s white-ball visit to England this year have been rescheduled at the touring side’s request following confirmation of the women’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games.

The ECB announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to bring the tour forward slightly and changed some venues ahead of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8. The Games had been pushed back from September 2022 amid Covid-19 concerns in China.

Sri Lanka and England had been due to play three T20Is between September 2-9 followed by three ODIs from September 14-19. The series will now commence on August 31 when Hove will stage the first of the three T20Is instead of an originally scheduled ODI on September 17. T20Is will now follow at Chelmsford on September 2 and Derby on September 6.

The three-match ODI series will begin in Durham on September 9. Durham had previously been scheduled to host a T20I. Northamptonshire will host the second ODI on September 12 and the third ODI will take place in Leicester on September 14. Canterbury, which was due to hold an ODI in the original schedule, will no longer stage a women’s international this English summer with no matches in the Ashes series which precedes Sri Lanka’s visit scheduled there.

Existing ticket holders for any England Women vs Sri Lanka Women fixture will be contacted by their host venue with confirmation on how they have been impacted and Kent have already said that ticket holders for the Canterbury game would receive a full refund.

Simon Storey, Kent Cricket CEO, said: “We’re obviously disappointed to not be hosting a women’s international fixture at Canterbury this year after successful matches in recent summers.” Canterbury’s Spitfire Ground was the site of Harmanpreet Kaur‘s 143 not out in last year’s second ODI against England, which formed part of India’s 3-0 series sweep.

Revised Schedule

Vitality Women’ s T20Is

1st T20I: England v Sri Lanka, Thursday 31 August 2023, The 1st Central County Ground, Hove

2nd T20I: England v Sri Lanka, Saturday 2 September, The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford

3rd T20I: England v Sri Lanka, Wednesday 6 September, The Incora County Ground, Derby

ODI Series

1st ODI: England v Sri Lanka, Saturday 9 September, Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street

2nd ODI: England v Sri Lanka, Tuesday 12 September, The County Ground, Northampton

3rd ODI: England v Sri Lanka, Thursday 14 September, Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester

Source - ESPN Cricinfo

-Agencies