England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)

The England and Wales Cricket Board is launching a new National Core Cities Tape Ball Competition as part of its ongoing efforts to make cricket the most inclusive sport.

It's a game full of excitement, suspense, passion and drama as a brand new national competition is launched to showcase the best of tapeball cricket from diverse urban communities across the country.

Ahead of the start of the men's and women's international series against Pakistan next month, England stars Adil Rashid, Dawid Malan, Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone will today help launch the inaugural National Core Cities Tape Ball Competition, part of the Core ECB Cities programme. to engage diverse communities in urban areas, break down barriers and encourage grassroots participation.

Tape ball is a variation of the game that originated in Pakistan and is now played across the country and around the world, often within South Asian communities. A tennis ball is physically taped to create swing and bounce variations in the game. No protective equipment such as helmets or pads is required as the ball remains soft and the game can be played on any surface and area, making it widely accessible and popular.

The format was identified at the Core Cities Summit in November 2023 as a key area for the game's potential growth due to the accessible nature of its informal formats. Now its profile will be raised by the annual competition, the National Core Cities Tape Ball Competition, with hosting duties shared between the Core Cities, welcoming more people to cricket.

Each of the core cities – Birmingham, Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds, Leicester, London (Middlesex, Essex and Surrey), Luton, Manchester, Sandwell, Slough and Nottingham – can have a women's and a men's team in what will be two separate competitions. The first competition will be held in Bradford Park Avenue this weekend, with the ambition to promote inclusivity and promote grassroots engagement, while also identifying and nurturing talent.

The tournament will be launched with an event held in Birmingham today, attended by England women's, men's and disabled stars Heather Knight, Adil Rashid, Sophie Ecclestone, Dawid Malan and Jamie Goodwin. This launch event will be a veritable festival of tape ball cricket, with Chance To Shine kids having a go and adult teams competing in three matches featuring celebrity and professional players, accompanied by local South Asian food and entertainment.

The event also takes place ahead of the upcoming joint England women's and men's series against Pakistan, which kicks off with the Womens T20I at Edgbaston on May 11, 2024.

Adil Rashid, England Men's World No. 1 T20 Bowler said: I used to play tapeball on the street with my brothers and it got really competitive. It's such a great format of the game, it can be played by anyone anywhere and that's what cricket should be about. It's great that there is now a national tapeball league. It's very important to give people across the country the opportunity to play.

The British-Pakistani community loves cricket, the game unites us and the upcoming series will be incredible for the players and fans who would put on a show.

ECB director of recreational play, Leshia Hawkins, said: Tapeball is such an exciting and accessible form of cricket. It was born on the streets of Karachi and is already played with passion in many communities in England and Wales. It shows that you don't need a lot of equipment or expensive grounds to play cricket.

As we continue our collective efforts to make cricket the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales, the new competition we are launching today will give players an additional opportunity to showcase and hone their skills.

And as England men and women faced their Pakistani counterparts in the white ball series next month, they looked forward to experiencing the passion of crowds and communities enjoying the matches – whether it was watching friends and family compete for the National Core Cities Tape Ball trophy, or seeing some of the world's best cricketers compete on the international stage.

For more information about tape ball cricket or the competition, visit www.ecb.co.uk/tapeball.

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