The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that 19 players from the England Women’s Performance Programme have been awarded new central contracts for the 2016-2017 period.
These players will form the nucleus of the squad which will play a Royal London One-Day International at New Road against Pakistan next summer on June 22.
Amongst those awarded a new central contract is Katherine Brunt who last winter worked for the Worcestershire Cricket Board in a coaching capacity for several months.
Middlesex batsman Fran Wilson is the one addition to the list of players who formed the first group of England women’s players to win central contracts in 2014.
The 2016-2017 contracts will come into effect on 1st February 2016 and will run through until 31st January 2017, in line with the ECB’s financial year.
The full list of centrally contracted England women’s players is:
Tamsin Beaumont – Kent
Katherine Brunt – Yorkshire
Kathryn Cross – Lancashire
Charlotte Edwards – Kent
Georgia Elwiss – Sussex
Natasha Farrant – Kent
Lydia Greenway – Kent
Rebecca Grundy – Warwickshire
Jenny Gunn – Nottinghamshire
Danielle Hazell – Yorkshire
Amy Jones – Warwickshire
Heather Knight – Berkshire
Laura Marsh – Kent
Natalie Sciver – Surrey
Anya Shrubsole – Somerset
Sarah Taylor – Sussex
Lauren Winfield – Yorkshire
Fran Wilson – Somerset
Danielle Wyatt – Nottinghamshire
ECB’s Director of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “We congratulate Fran Wilson on being awarded a central contract for the first time. She scored significant runs throughout the summer and has been a dedicated member of the England Women's Performance squad during the past 18 months. She thoroughly deserves to be awarded a central contract.
“The women’s game continues to develop and move forward at an extraordinary pace and today’s announcement confirms professional cricket to be an attractive career choice for talented female athletes.
“Next year will be the busiest ever 12 months for England women under newly appointed Head Coach, Mark Robinson, with overseas tours to South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka, the ICC World Twenty20 in India, plus a home series against Pakistan. The awarding of central contracts ensures that the squad will be as best prepared and supported as possible for each of those contests.”
England women will next be in action in February 2016 when they will travel to South Africa to play a three match One-Day International series and three match Twenty20 International series. The England women’s squad for this tour will be announced early next year.
