The announcement of the new eight-team men's and women's tournament series in 2019 was not without controversy, with the likes of Virat Kohli criticising the England and Wales Cricket Board for pursuing a shift away from Test cricket,[2] while others argued the format should have followed the established and successful Twenty20 format.

In July 2019, the side announced that former Australian batsman Andrew McDonald would be the men's team's first coach.

[3] McDonald will be assisted by Daniel Vettori, Jim Troughton, and Alex Gidman.

They were joined by England internationals Kirstie Gordon and Moeen Ali and Worcestershire's Pat Brown.

The women's side had been due to play at the home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, New Road, Worcester but both teams were brought together at the same ground as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.