For someone who has already achieved so much so quickly, Sophia Smale spends surprisingly little time talking about what comes next. The conversation drifts instead towards old bats stacked up at home, a childhood medal won in Newport, and a ticket from her professional debut that she still keeps tucked away years later. “I like things like that,” she says. “I like to think about the journey I was on.”
The ECB has today announced the draw for the 2025 Vitality T20 Women's County Cup, the new knock-out tournament for all three tiers of the women's domestic game. Allow me to take you through the new competition, its draw, how it's going to be structured and more deeply how it marks the new era of the women's domestic game as well as concerns raised by members of the Tier 2 playing body surrounding its scheduling.
