Birmingham cricket fans invited to ‘Catch the Spirit’ ahead of Women’s T20 World Cup

A new global marketing campaign – Catch the Spirit – has launched to ignite excitement ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup which will take place on home soil next summer, including the opening England vs Sri Lanka fixture at Edgbaston Stadium.

Featuring world-class stars Ellyse Perry (Australia), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Lauren Bell (England) and Richa Ghosh (India) — with a special cameo from cricket legend Andrew Flintoff — the campaign showcases the infectious energy a country feels when a World Cup comes to town.

The tournament is set to offer hundreds of thousands of fans the chance to see the world’s best cricketers in action at world-class venues up and down the country, including Edgbaston, and is a huge opportunity to propel women’s cricket firmly into the mainstream. 

As one of the host stadiums of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and venue for the opening fixture, Edgbaston is also set to host England v India on Friday 12 June, a double header featuring two qualifiers and India v Pakistan on Sunday 14 June and South Africa v Pakistan on Wednesday 17 June.

Adam Lowe, commercial director at Edgbaston Stadium, said: “It’s an honour to be hosting the opening fixture of the Women’s T20 World Cup next year. We're excited to support this new campaign, encouraging fans of all ages and backgrounds to ‘Catch the Spirit’, and get involved with the incredible activities set to be rolled out across our region. 

“The support for women’s cricket in England has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and we’re looking forward to again delivering the unique Edgbaston atmosphere in 2026.

“Since hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 we’ve broken multiple records for Women’s cricket both at the 2023 Ashes and in welcoming new, diverse audiences to the stadium in 2024 and 2025 – we can’t wait to give more fans an amazing experience next year!”