The development of women’s cricket into a fully-fledged professional sport took another step when English officials announced plans for a new Twenty20 Super League.

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The six-team tournament will begin in 2016. The England and Wales Cricket Board are set to pump in £3 million (Dhs17m) over the next four years with prize money on offer for the first time in the domestic women’s game.

The competition will initially run alongside the existing county one-day and Twenty20 tournaments, but from 2017 onwards the Super League will incorporate both one-day formats in the hope of encouraging increased competition for international places.

Clare Connor, the ECB director of England women’s cricket, said the new tournament was “the next stage in the evolution of women’s cricket in this country”.

The former England captain added: “Last year brought the introduction of central contracts for 18 England women’s players and a significant commercial deal with Kia Motors.

“Now, through the Women’s Cricket Super League, we will create high-performance training and competition environments which will constantly challenge our very best players and drive the sustained success of our England team.

“We also have the chance to invite the world’s finest players into the Women’s Cricket Super League to drive ever higher standards,” said Connor.

The participating teams and precise format of the new competition will be announced at a later date.