Sky Sports has announced that it will broadcast live coverage of every ball of the new-look Women’s Ashes for the first time in the summer of 2015.
The series will be the third time that the Women’s Ashes have been contested across all three formats of the game with its unique points system, with England winning 12-4 on home soil in 2013 and 10-8 away in Australia at the start of this year.
Next year’s schedule features one Test to be played from August 11-14 at Kent, which will be preceded by three Royal London one-day internationals and followed a trio of Twenty20 internationals.
After talks between the England and Wales Cricket Broad (ECB) and Cricket Australia, the number of points awarded for winning Test will be reduced from six to four, with two points apiece for a draw, while the ODIs and T20 internationals will still be worth two points each for a win.
It is the first time that Sky Sports has committed to screening an entire Women’s Ashes series live and next year’s Test in Kent will be the first to women’s Test match to be broadcast live by any UK broadcaster, while BBC Sport will again provide live ball-by-ball radio commentary of the whole series.
England will be hoping to emulate their performances against Australia from the first two multi-format Women’s Ashes contests in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
The two sides having competed for the Women’s Ashes in different guises on 20 occasions since the 1930s, with Australia claiming seven series victories, England six, in addition to seven drawn contests.
Commenting on the new deal, ECB’s Head of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “It has already been a remarkable year of firsts for England women’s cricket – the first crop of 18 players to receive professional contracts, alongside the first standalone commercial sponsorship deal with Kia.
“We are now delighted to report that Sky Sports will provide live coverage of every ball of the multi-format Women’s Ashes next year and in so doing, will cover a women’s Test match for the very first time.
“The level of broadcast coverage that the England women’s team now gets is exceptional, and I am thrilled that the ECB, in partnership with Sky Sports and BBC Radio, continues to lead the way in this respect within international women’s team sport.
Connor, herself a former England Women’s captain, added: “It is this level of exposure and support that will ensure that the women’s game continues to grow, and that will inspire the next generation of England women’s cricketers.
“It is also wonderful that Charlotte Edwards will have the opportunity to lead the England team in the Women’s Ashes Kia Test match in front of a home Kent crowd during an extended Canterbury Cricket Week in August.
“The Test will be played in the middle of the multi-format Series for the first time. These are moves to help improve the balance of the competition and to ensure maximum interest across the three formats throughout the summer.”
Sky Sports has broadcast live England Women’s cricket every summer since the mid-1990’s, with coverage focussed solely to the limited overs contests, including T20 internationals and occasional 50-over internationals.
Bryan Henderson, Executive Producer of Sky Sports Cricket, added: “Sky Sports has supported women’s cricket for over 18 years, and we look forward to taking our coverage to the next level as we show a women’s Test match for the first time.
“Our viewers will be able to enjoy every ball and every minute of action as England women compete to retain the Ashes next summer.
“We have a strong and successful partnership with the ECB and are proud to have played our small part in the growth of the women’s game over the last two decades.”
The Women’s Ashes will run alongside Sky Sports’ exclusively live coverage of the men’s Ashes next summer as England look to regain the famous urn across five Test matches next July and August.
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WOMEN’S ASHES SERIES 2015
| TUESDAY 21st JULY |
| England v Australia 1st Royal London ODI (Taunton) |
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| THURSDAY 23rd JULY |
| England v Australia 2nd Royal London ODI (Bristol) |
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| SUNDAY 26th JULY |
| England v Australia 3rd Royal London ODI (Worcester) |
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| AUGUST 11-14 |
| England v Australia Kia Women’s Test (Kent) |
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| WEDNESDAY 26th AUGUST |
| England v Australia 1st NatWest T20 International (Chelmsford) |
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| FRIDAY 28th AUGUST |
| England v Australia 2nd NatWest T20 International (Hove) |
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| MONDAY 31st AUGUST |
| England v Australia 3rd NatWest T20 International (Cardiff) |
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