Lauren Winfield-Hill set to sign long term contract with Yorkshire

“My intention is to stick around and commit to Yorkshire,” Winfield-Hill said. “I haven’t officially signed a contract or anything, but that’s what I’m looking to do. What that looks like with loans or opportunities to play Tier 1 cricket is something that we’ll explore, but if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.

“I’m pretty loyal… I’ve always been really keen to finish where I started and [Yorkshire] is a place that’s really close to my heart. It’s where my friends and family get to come and watch me… those sorts of things are massively important to me.”

Winfield-Hill seriously considered a permanent move away but when the ECB confirmed that Yorkshire would only have to spend one year outside of the top tier, she decided to stay. “It made the decision a little bit easier. If it had been two years, it might’ve looked slightly different, but I’m not that old – I can hang on for a year or so.”

But she will investigate the possibility of a loan deal for some or all of the 2025 season, which would enable her to play in the top tier of domestic cricket. “We’re just working through it all now,” she said. “There’s lots of things that are quite unknown with what Tier 2 and Tier 1 looks like, what the crossover is and all the rest of it.

“I don’t really want a year of not playing top-flight cricket domestically in England but what that looks like, I’m unsure of now. That’s the truth. We’re trying to get the best of both worlds in terms of being around for Yorkshire stuff, developing that, and making sure that in 18 months or two years’ time, we’re ready to hit the ground running and compete in Tier 1.

“But equally, from an individual point of view, it’s important that I’m still playing to the highest standard I can. Whatever that mix looks like is what we’ll try and pursue.”

Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98