BBC to deliver every ball of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup across radio and digital platforms

From fearless batting to fiery bowling, the BBC will bring every moment of the Women’s T20 World Cup live to fans across the UK with comprehensive audio coverage, live text commentary, podcasts and digital clips, as well as special content across The One Show, Morning Live, CBeebies Bedtime Stories, Bargain Hunt, Blue Peter, The Archers and more.

Live from 12 June until 5 July, the women’s cricket tournament will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, delivering ball-by-ball action straight from the pitch to listeners nationwide.

Audiences can also stay connected wherever they are through live text commentary and digital clips on the BBC Sport website and app and the best of the action across the BBC Sport social media channels. There will be regular in-depth analysis and storytelling via the Test Match Special (TMS) podcast, with some episodes due to be visualised for fans to enjoy.

Brand new for the tournament, there will be BBC iPlayer and YouTube specials where audiences can learn more about England stars like Lauren Bell and Sophia Dunkley.

This extensive offering ensures fans can follow the drama, excitement and defining moments of the Women’s T20 World Cup live, on-demand or on the go.

Some of the biggest cricket stars will be part of the coverage, including World Cup winners Alex Hartley, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Ebony Rainford-Brent and Amanda-Jade Wellington plus former Ireland women’s coach Ed Joyce.

They are joined by acclaimed broadcasters Eleanor Oldroyd, Alison Mitchell, Henry Moeran, Annesha Ghosh, Firdose Moonda, Melissa Story and Aatif Nawaz, whose expertise and authority will guide audiences from the opening ball to the final showdown.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport said: “The T20 World Cup marks another brilliant occasion to champion women’s sport across the BBC as the summer of sport gets firmly underway. BBC Radio 5 Live will bring live radio commentary as fast-paced as the action on the pitch and teamed with our TMS podcast, digital clips on BBC Sport website and app, and wider special BBC programming, fans are sure to be bowled over.”

Elsewhere on the BBC, The One Show will show Ebony Rainford-Brent meeting members of the England cricket team as they prepare for the Women's T20 Cricket World Cup and she will join them on a trip to meet the next generation of young hopefuls from a school cricket academy.

The coveted Women’s T20 World Cup trophy will be in the Morning Live studio on 26 June as the presenters chat about the tournament to date.

CBeebies Bedtime Stories will have English cricketers Katherine and Nat Sciver-Brunt reading ‘The Perfect Fit’, a story about a triangle trying to fit in, on 12 June to mark the start of the tournament. Scottish cricketer Abtaha Maqzood will also read ‘Not Now Noor!’, a story about a little girl who wonders why her grownups around her are wearing hijabs, on 3 July. Both stories will be available on BBC iPlayer.

Blue Peter will celebrate the Women’s T20 World Cup by taking on a cricket challenge with the England team. Presenter Shini will head to training to shadow the England squad before testing her skills against the very best: batting against world number one Sophie Ecclestone and bowling to New Zealand Captain Sophie Devine. Shini’s turn on the pitch will air on 12 June.

Over on BBC Bitesize, teenager and English Cricketer Tilly Corteen-Coleman will chat about juggling her studies with her sport, what it’s taken to play in her first T20 World Cup at such a young age and will offer advice to other young people who are dealing with conflicting workloads.

BBC Bitesize will also follow an England cricket social media manager for behind-the-scenes insight into what it takes to cover a high-profile event and how she builds relationships with cricketers to get the best stories. To round off the offering, BBC Bitesize will talk to mother and daughter umpiring duo, Anna Harris and her mum Yolanda, to hear about their inspiring story working in cricket.

To celebrate an exciting summer of women in sport, Christina Trevanion presents a Bargain Hunt Women’s Cricket v Tennis Special, which will be broadcast on Monday 15 June at 12.15pm on BBC One. The red and blue teams are made up of four formidable players and commentators.

Team Tennis are former British number ones Jo Durie and Samantha Smith and they will take on Team Cricket: trailblazing broadcaster Alison Mitchell and cricketing all-rounder and commentator Melissa Story. Coached by antiques experts Ben Cooper and Danny Sebastian, the sporting duos race around the stalls at Shepton Mallet fair in Somerset in search of profitable items to sell at auction in Wiltshire - but which of these big hitting pairs will clinch victory?

In a special episode of The Archers, a group of Ambridge residents are eagerly anticipating a trip to the England v Sri Lanka fixture at the Women’s T20 World Cup on 12 June. On the morning of the match, there’s a tricky moment with logistics as the excited group of fans gather outside the village pub. With the trip on the line, tension mounts until it becomes clear that initiative and goodwill might well win the day.

The atmosphere at the ground crackles as the friends look forward to this highlight of their sporting calendar, before spotting that one of their group has become distracted. The mystery is soon solved as their companion reveals that one long-standing village resident has some huge news, helping to make this cricket outing their most memorable for some time.

The Women’s T20 World Cup will take centre stage on Woman’s Hour this summer. The BBC Radio 4 programme will interview England Head Coach Charlotte Edwards alongside Clare Connor, the outgoing ECB Managing Director of England Women, who is stepping down after a trailblazing career - making this her final tournament in the role.

ZB

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