The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the national governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was formed on 1 January 1997 as a single governing body to combine the roles formerly fulfilled by the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council. In April 1998 the Women's Cricket Association was integrated into the organisation. The ECB's head offices are at Lord's Cricket Ground in north-west London.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in England, and has been played since the 16th century. Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lord's, developed the modern rules of play and conduct. The sport is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board and represented at an international level by the England men's team and England women's team. At a domestic level, teams are organised by county, competing in tournaments such as the County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup, T20 Blast and the Women's Twenty20 Cup. Recent developments include the introduction of a regional structure for women's cricket and the establishment of The Hundred for both men's and women's cricket. Recreational matches are organised on a regional basis, with the top level being the ECB Premier Leagues.
Jonathan Marc Bairstow is an English cricketer who plays internationally for England in all formats. In domestic cricket, he represents Yorkshire, and has played in multiple Twenty20 leagues, including for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Jamie Overton is an English cricketer who plays for Surrey County Cricket Club. He is a right-arm fast bowler who also bats right-handed. He made his debut for Somerset in the 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 against Surrey. He made his international debut for the England cricket team in June 2022. His twin brother, Craig, plays for Somerset.
The West Indies cricket team toured England in August and September 2017 to play three Test matches competing for the Wisden Trophy, one Twenty20 International (T20I) and five One Day Internationals (ODIs).
The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket tournament involving teams in major cities across England and Wales run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which took place for the first time in 2021.
The Australia cricket team toured England to play three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches in September 2020. The ODI matches formed part of the inaugural 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. Originally, the matches were scheduled to take place in July 2020, but were moved back to September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 14 August 2020, Cricket Australia named a touring squad of 21 players, after gaining government exemptions to travel to the United Kingdom. The T20Is were played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, the ODIs were played at Old Trafford in Manchester, with all the fixtures played behind closed doors.
The Ireland cricket team toured England in July and August 2020 to play three One Day International (ODI) matches. Originally due to take place in September 2020, the schedule for the series was rearranged due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the fixtures were played behind closed doors, at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, due to the pandemic. The teams last faced each other in a one-off ODI in Dublin in May 2019, with England winning by four wickets.
The 2020 Bob Willis Trophy was a first-class cricket tournament held in the 2020 English cricket season, and the inaugural edition of the Bob Willis Trophy. It was separate from the County Championship, which was not held in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The eighteen county cricket teams were split into three regional groups of six, with the two group winners with the most points advancing to a final held at Lord's. The maximum number of overs bowled in a day was reduced from 96 to 90, and the team's first innings could be no longer than 120 overs.
The 2020 English cricket season was originally scheduled to run between 2 April and 25 September. It was planned to have first-class, one-day and Twenty20 cricket competitions throughout England and Wales and as well as the launch of a new franchised 100 ball competition, The Hundred; it would have been the 131st year in which the County Championship has been an official competition.
In 2020 Kent County Cricket Club were scheduled to compete in Division One of the County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the 2020 t20 Blast. However, the season was heavily disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, with no county cricket fixtures played until August. For the shortened season, the majority of counties voted on 7 July to play first-class and Twenty20 cricket, with the Royal London One-Day Cup being cancelled. Instead of the County Championship this year, the 18 first-class counties competed for the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy, which consisted of three regional groups of six teams and a final at Lord's.
The Cricket Writers' Club County Championship Player of the Year is an annual cricket award, presented to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in the County Championship, England's first-class cricket competition. The award has been presented since the 2012 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the Cricket Writers' Club, an association open to "recognised correspondents of newspapers and periodicals and on radio and television". Any male player competing in the County Championship is eligible.
The 2021 County Championship was the 121st cricket County Championship season in England and Wales. For the first phase of the tournament, the teams were split into three groups of six, with each side playing ten matches. The top two teams from each group progressed into Division One for the second phase of the competition, with the other teams progressing to Divisions Two and Three. The team that finished top of Division One became the county champions; and the top two teams from Division One contested a five-day match at Lord's for the Bob Willis Trophy. On 17 December 2020, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed all the fixtures for the tournament. After completion of the group stage on 14 July 2021, the ECB confirmed the fixtures for the division stage on 22 July 2021.
The Indian cricket team toured England in August and September 2021 to play five Test matches. Prior to their matches against England, India played New Zealand in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in June 2021. The Test series were the first matches of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship.
In 2021 Kent County Cricket Club competed in the 2021 County Championship, the 2021 One-Day Cup and the 2021 T20 Blast. The season was the fifth in charge for head coach, and former player, Matthew Walker. Sam Billings retained the club captaincy that he was first awarded in 2018. Daniel Bell-Drummond was named as vice-captain, replacing Joe Denly. Jack Leaning was named as captain for the One-Day Cup.
The 2021 English cricket season began on 4 April and finished on 3 October 2021. It was the 121st season in which the County Championship has been an official competition and featured First-Class, List-A and Twenty20 cricket competitions throughout England and Wales.
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in June 2022 to play three Test matches, with the matches forming part of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship. England also played three One Day International (ODI) matches against the Netherlands in Amstelveen between the second and third Tests.
The South Africa cricket team toured England from July to September 2022 to play three Test matches, three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The Test matches formed part of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship. In addition to the matches against England, South Africa had also played two T20I matches against the Ireland cricket team in Bristol.
The 2021 season was Welsh Fire's first season of the new franchise 100 ball cricket, The Hundred.
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