Knight challenges England players and hopefuls: The skipper said domestic players can claim before the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.
England captain Heather Knight has challenged her squad to “go out and dominate” regional cricket this summer and hopes the homegrown players will make a strong case for selection ahead of the World Twenty20 and Ashes later this year.
Knight challenges England players and hopefuls, “It’s never a closed door, if people perform well,” Knight said at the ECB launch of a national tape-ball competition. “The quality of these regional games has gone through the roof over the last few years, so the value of that performance is even greater.
“You want to see England players dominate, and really get their name in the England team. It’s on an individual basis who plays… most of us will miss the first round. But I’m always interested in what’s out there, what’s out there. To do with the young talent there. can go, and watching these games this year will be no different.”
Knight challenges England players and hopefuls to ‘dominate’ the regional game .
Knight challenges England players and hopefuls: There is plenty of competition for a place in England’s T20 set-up ahead of the World Cup in Bangladesh later this year and Knight is confident from the recent 4-1 series win in New Zealand. “We’ve got Mahika Gaur [who missed the tour due to school commitments] and Freya Kemp is also back from injury,” he said. “We have a real depth of players to choose from.
“It’s very exciting. It makes selection a lot more difficult and sometimes you have more unhappy players – which is absolutely fine. It’s a really good place to be. With the World Cup in October, it’s really important that we continue… Go and Bangladesh A tough place to play, so that’s the focus of the summer: trying to get in a really good place, ready for that tournament.”
Four of England’s first-choice players were absent from the first three T20Is in New Zealand due to Women’s Premier League commitments, giving them an opportunity to test their depth. Given the opportunity to bat in the top three, Maia Bouchier was the breakout star of the tour and ended the T20I series as the leading run-scorer with 223 runs in five innings.
“He’s had a really good tour, especially on the back of a really good summer in T20s last year, It’s great to watch. Play that shot?’
“It’s great, some of the shots he’s played. Obviously he’s had a great tour, and now it’s about him building that consistency. He’ll get some runs in the team, especially the T20 opener where we’re not there. He’ll get some runs, hopefully. Kari will retain his form.
Edgbaston has already sold more than 10,000 tickets for England’s T20 series opener against Pakistan and Knight believes the ECB’s joint marketing campaign with the men’s series against the same opposition could help build on the commercial success of last summer’s Ashes series.
“It’s been a really great summer to be involved with: you feel the support and the momentum for cricket across the country, Hopefully we can put on a show.”