New era begins with Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy MVP

A new era for women’s cricket in England and Wales begins tomorrow with the start of the one-off Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, and there is a £1,000 cash prize on offer for the individual named the PCA’s Most Valuable Player at the end of the tournament.

The purpose-built MVP algorithm has tracked the performances of England Women for the past two years, but it will be the first time a cash prize has been awarded to the MVP in women’s competition of any kind, as well as the first time the PCA has kept track of the top performers in women’s domestic competition.

The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHFT), which will see 25 fixtures take place over the course of 30 days, is another step in the right direction for women’s professional domestic cricket in this country, with only centrally contracted England Women players having been paid to play the game up to this point.

Plans to award 40 full-time contracts to domestic female players were put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but 25 retainers have been given to individuals set to represent the eight new regional centres in the RHFT. 

Amongst them are 2017 World Cup winners Alex Hartley (Thunder) and Beth Langston (Northern Diamonds), who will both be looking to stamp their mark on the competition.

All 24 of the players in the current England training group will also be available for the first two rounds of the competition but, with the side’s T20I series against the West Indies beginning in just over three weeks, the opportunity lends itself for an up-and-coming player to claim the £1,000 prize after the final at Edgbaston on Sunday 27 September.

Those who are currently part of the training group but miss out on selection for the final squad for the West Indies series will be particularly keen to boost their standing by claiming the RHFT MVP in just under a month’s time.

The MVP algorithm was designed by the PCA in conjunction with the players to identify the match-winning performers in any given fixture. On top of traditional batting and bowling averages, bonus points are given for key contributions such as scoring quick runs, claiming top-order wickets and taking catches in the field.

At the conclusion of the unique and shortened 2020 English season, two MVPs will be named for women’s cricket: one T20I MVP for England Women and one for the inaugural 50-over RHFT, with a £1,000 cash prize going to the latter.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest MVP news by following the @pcaMVP on Twitter.