(Cricket news) Three of England’s disability teams will return to the international stage in June when they jointly tour Australia for the International Cricket Inclusion Series. England’s Deaf, Blind and Learning Disability teams will each play five IT20s and three ODI matches against Australia in Brisbane from 1-15 June.
The series marks a long-awaited resumption to international cricket for England’s national disability squads. The England Learning Disability team, which has lost just one match since 2009, last played in 2019 when they defeated Australia 8-0. England also held the Blind Ashes and won on their last trip to Australia in 2016.
It has been 11 years since the England Deaf team toured Australia, when they were winners of an IT20 tri-series against Australia and South Africa. Ian Martin, ECB Head of Disability Cricket, said: “After the hiatus caused by the global pandemic, we very much look forward to seeing international disability cricket back in our calendar. We thank Cricket Australia for organising this opportunity for three of our international squads to contest Ashes cricket in what will be a unique celebration of the inclusive nature of our sport.”
England Learning Disability Team captain, Chris Edwards, said: “As a squad we can’t wait to get back to playing international cricket again after what has been a tough two years for all of us due to the pandemic. We haven’t played since beating the Aussies 8-0 three years ago and the opportunity to go back to meet them again is really exciting.”
England Deaf Team captain, George Greenway, said: “It’s great to have international disability cricket back and this will provide an amazing opportunity to win back the Deaf Ashes. A tour of Australia is the pinnacle for any international cricketer. We haven’t toured Australia for over a decade but we will go there confident that we can play our very best cricket.”
England Blind Team captain, Ed Hossell, said: “We can't wait to be back playing international cricket and are excited for the opportunity to compete alongside our two other touring teams. It will be a great chance to showcase our skills and we're aiming to bring back the three trophies. We're focused on the task ahead, but it will also provide the perfect preparation for us ahead of the World Championship next year.”
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