MacLeod appointed as head of women's cricket for the Bears

Former England women's international and current Central Sparks head of cricket Laura MacLeod will lead the new professional Bears women's team from next season.

MacLeod was capped 89 times by England between 1997 and 2007. She will oversee all squad, coaching and cricket operations.

The Bears Women are one of eight fully professional teams that will play in a new national structure from 2025 following a multi-million-pound expansion of the women's game by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

MacLeod said it was an honour to lead the team into a new era of women's cricket in Birmingham.