|| Desk Report ||

The England and Wales Cricket Board [ECB] has announced that up to 24 women’s domestic cricketers will receive a regional retainer starting on June 1 to support them financially during this coronavirus pandemic situation.

The ECB's managing director of women's cricket Clare Connor said that they will continue to support their players to the best of their ability and promised to provide a gender-balanced sport. 

"As the effects of Covid-19 on the rest of the summer and beyond become more apparent, we will continue to support our players to the best of our ability," Clare Connor said to a leading English portal.

"We promise them that our drive for a more gender-balanced sport remains vitally important. The momentum behind the women's game has been staggering in the last few years and it is still firmly our ambition to build on that.

"As we emerge from this pandemic, we believe even more strongly that cricket will be a sport that throws its arms around everyone - truly inclusive, diverse and a sport for modern Britain to be proud of," he added.

The ECB had planned to introduce 40 professional contracts to the domestic players this summer to those players who are involved in a 50-over competition between eight new regional teams in September. With a two-year action plan to transform women's cricket but this has been pushed back due to the public health crisis.

A retainer system will start to work from 1 June, with the eight regions tasked with choosing players, who will follow a strength and conditioning routine as well as educational courses such as anti-doping and anti-corruption.

The decision of the postponement of The Hundred was a big blow to the domestic women's game.

Connor also said that this year was supposed to be the most exciting year in the history of their domestic players. But the situation turned the table but the board will try to support as much as they can.