Fans of cricket locally won’t now see England Women play an international at Canterbury with the scheduled game now called off.

A statement from Kent Cricket has stated the reason behind the withdrawal of the scheduled game between England Women and the Sri Lankan counterparts.

It reads:

Following a request from Sri Lanka Cricket due to the confirmation of the women’s cricket tournament at the 2023 Asian Games, the England & Wales Cricket Board have mutually agreed to a schedule change to the England Women’s white-ball home series against Sri Lanka planned for September.

The revision to the schedule for England Women’s white ball series against Sri Lanka means that The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence will no longer host a Women’s One-Day International (WODI) match in this series.

All existing England vs. Sri Lanka ODI ticket holders for the match previously scheduled at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence will be issued with a full refund automatically.

As an alternative way of showcasing women’s cricket at Canterbury this Summer, all WODI ticket purchasers will be contacted shortly with an exclusive ticket offer for a T20 double-header on Wednesday 9 June for just £15: a Charlotte Edwards Cup tie between South East Stars & Central Sparks & a Men’s T20 Vitality Blast match, Kent Spitfires vs. Essex Eagles.

This will be the first Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 fixture hosted at The Spitfire Ground in its 175-year history, with multiple cricketers boasting Kent connections available for selection for the South East Stars.

After the first T20 match at 14:00, Kent’s Men’s side will then face Essex in the Vitality Blast, with one ticket gaining entry to both matches.

Kent Cricket CEO, Simon Storey, said: “We’re obviously disappointed to not be hosting a women’s international fixture at Canterbury this year after successful matches in recent summers.

“We know that our Members and supporters enjoy watching international cricket at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

“Last year, we used our England international match to present County Caps to Kent Women stars past and present that have represented our county with distinction. We are rightly proud of our strong history of women’s and girls’ cricket in Kent.

“We hope that as many ticket holders from the England match will now come to watch not only the regional side that represents Kent, London and the South East in the South East Stars as well as the Kent Spitfires in what will be an exciting evening of T20 cricket in Canterbury.”

Tickets for all T20 matches at Canterbury this year are available to purchase now via tickets.kentcricket.co.uk.