Greg Barclay, the independent chair of the International Cricket Council, has warned fans to brace for a reduction in the amount of Test cricket over the next few years – and said women’s Tests will not be “part of the landscape moving forward to any real extent”.
A total of 143 women’s Tests have been played in the format’s 88-year history but only five since 2015, and only once since 2007 has a team other than England, India and Australia competed in one. With the sport’s focus increasingly trained on shorter formats, Barclay does not expect a scheduling surge.
