Cricket

Southern Brave's title defense in the Women's Hundred has come to an end, leaving head coach Charlotte Edwards to reflect on a disappointing campaign. Despite a promising start, Brave struggled to maintain consistency, losing six of their eight matches.The season began with a narrow defeat to London Spirit, followed by a tie with Northern Superchargers. A solitary win against Oval Invincibles provided a glimmer of hope, but Brave's fortunes took a turn for the worse with a heavy loss to Welsh Fire in their final match.Edwards acknowledged the team's inconsistent performances, stating that they failed to put together a complete game. She highlighted the growing strength and depth of teams in the Hundred, emphasizing the need for Brave to improve in all aspects.While the disappointment of the failed title defense is still fresh, Edwards plans to conduct a thorough analysis of the season's shortcomings. She believes that a full review will help identify areas for improvement and guide the team's preparations for the 2025 edition of the tournament.Edwards also expressed her desire to continue as coach of Southern Brave and Mumbai Indians, despite the latter's unsuccessful WPL campaign. She emphasized the importance of franchise leagues in the growth of women's cricket and called for exclusive windows to avoid clashes with bilateral series.Edwards' comments align with those of Jhulan Goswami, her Mumbai Indians bowling coach, who has advocated for protected windows for franchise leagues. Edwards believes that three exclusive windows for the WPL, Hundred, and WBBL would allow the best players to participate in both international and franchise cricket without scheduling conflicts.

The International League T20 (ILT20) is set to face scheduling conflicts with the Big Bash League (BBL) and potentially the SA20 in 2025. The ILT20, a five-team franchise-based tournament in the UAE, has announced its schedule for 2025, running from January 11 to February 9.The BBL's dates have not been officially announced, but it is expected to run until January 26. The SA20 is likely to start shortly after the New Year's Test between Pakistan and South Africa in Cape Town, which ends on January 7.Another potential overlap is South Africa's ODI series in Pakistan, scheduled for mid-February, as preparation for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.The ILT20 may also clash with the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), although the ILT20 has been more lucrative for top players. These scheduling conflicts have led to a high turnover of players in the ILT20, with teams signing players for specific windows as they move between competitions.The BBL experienced a mass exodus of overseas players for the finals series last season when the ILT20 began on January 19. However, some overseas players were able to play most of the regular season before leaving for the UAE. This will not be the case next summer for players contracted to the ILT20.The BBL hoped to mitigate potential clashes by having Australia's Test stars available after the Sydney Test against India on January 7. However, Australia has a two-Test tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for late January to early February, and it is understood that the Test players may only be available for three BBL games, if at all, depending on rest requirements after five Tests against India in seven weeks.The scheduling conflicts highlight the challenges of coordinating international cricket calendars, particularly with the proliferation of franchise-based leagues. It remains to be seen how the ILT20, BBL, and SA20 will adjust their schedules to avoid overlaps and ensure the availability of top players.