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Women’s team to tour England

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: The Indian women’s cricket team is looking forward to playing against England and Australia ahead of the ICC women’s World Cup in Australia in March 2009.

India will first take part in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in April/May and thereafter play in a five-match away series against England in August.

The BCCI’s women’s committee has also proposed a one-day series in Australia in November.

The women’s committee, whose chairman is the BCCI President-elect Shashank Manohar, is scheduled to meet in Pune on March 23 to consider the domestic and international programme.

Twenty20

Establishing an inter-companies tournament in order to generate employment and a Twenty20 competition to prepare the Indian team for the ICC Women’s20 event, likely to be held in England in 2009, are two of the few proposals to be made to the BCCI at the working committee meeting in Chennai on March 25.

“The level of cricket and grounds are better now. International tours are increasing. “Everybody is happy playing cricket under the BCCI. Initially there were hiccups, but things gradually improved and after Jhulan Goswami won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the year award, the BCCI changed its views on women’s cricket.

“Our target is the World Cup next year. We have also impressed upon the BCCI that India must play against the best, nd on a reciprocal basis,” said Diana Edulji, member of the women’s committee, BCCI.

The BCCI has encouraged women’s cricket since 2006 making available better infrastructure, prize money for all tournaments (bringing women’s cricket under the BCCI’s Rs. 4.2 crore prizemoney scheme) and also disbursing a daily allowance of $50 per day to each player for all overseas tours (same as men).

The players also received Rs. 1 lakh each for winning the Asia Cup last year in India and another Rs. 1 lakh for winning the Test series against England in England.

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