England women cancel West Indies Test and switch to red-ball work at home

England women have cancelled the Test they were due to play in the West Indies in April. Instead, they will prepare for the Women's Ashes with red-ball cricket in the UK, according to BBC Sport.

Red-ball cricket is the traditional longer form of the game. It is played over several days with a red ball, and it tests patience as much as skill. A Test is the sport's longest version.

England's revised tour of the West Indies now has just six matches: three T20s and three one-day internationals. A T20 is a short match where each side bats for 20 overs. A one-day international gives each side 50.

The Women's Ashes Test against Australia will be held at Headingley in Leeds from 24 to 27 June. The match is worth four points in the multi-format series, which also includes white-ball games.

England's preparation will include four red-ball matches. The first is a three-day fixture against Australia A. After that come three intra-squad matches, which the team has named "best v best". These are games between squad members, split into sides, so the selectors can see players in match conditions. England also plan a dedicated red-ball training camp in Bangalore in January.

England expect to use between 26 and 27 players across the camps and matches. That number is useful for a squad that will need enough cricketers to cover every session without wearing anyone down.

The background is a tough one for England in the longest format. Their last four-day match against Australia was in Melbourne in January 2025, and they lost it by an innings. An innings defeat means one side batted once and still fell short of the other side's total. Since then, England have played one Test, a defeat by India at Lord's.

West Indies have not played a Test since 2004. Their Test cricket has been rare for two decades, so the cancelled April match would have been a notable fixture for their home supporters. For England, the trade-off is more time in red-ball conditions before the Headingley Test.

For fans, the next few months will be about how England rebuild their red-ball rhythm. The Australia A match and the internal games will give the first clear picture of who is ready for the five-day grind.