After registering a series win in New Zealand last month, the England women’s team believes they have much more to offer as they prepare for the multi-format clash against Pakistan.
England convincingly defeated New Zealand 4-1 in the five-match T20I leg in April, with Maia Bouchier scoring scores of 43 not out (first T20), 71 (third T20) and 91 (fourth T20) to seal their claim impressive opening batsman.
However, Heather Knight’s side struggled to score runs during the ODI leg of the tour but still managed to win the three-match series 3-1. Crucially, the tour highlighted areas for improvement and continued with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh Sky Sports – With just five months to go, England will use this series against Pakistan to hone their style before traveling to the subcontinent.
Saturday, May 11, 2:00 p.m
“If we’re honest, we didn’t play our best in that one-day series and we actually learned a lot from it,” Knight told Sky sports news.
“We had some really good performances from Amy Jones and Charlie Dean at the end and they got us out of a few tough situations. We have hardly played any one-day cricket and that has exposed us to the pace we need to maintain as a batting group.
“We are very pleased with the winter and have been able to offer some players other opportunities, with some of the girls missing out on the Women’s Premier League.”
“These players really took advantage of their opportunities, like Bouchier. She looks very natural when she’s in full swing and the same goes for her fielding. She’s a natural athlete and a natural ball striker, so I think it’s all about performing consistently for her.”
“Maia has always had the talent and now she’s starting to translate it into performances through the work she’s done, not just technically but also on her mental game and her approach to things.”
“It’s really pleasing for us. We have a lot of competition at the top and a lot of people knocking on the door, so hopefully Maia can grab this opportunity with both hands and really make this spot her own.”
Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont were both left out of England’s T20 squad ahead of the Pakistan tour. The pair had formed England’s opening partnership at the start of their New Zealand tour, but made disappointing contributions.
However, Dunkely gave a timely reminder of her abilities when she scored 130 points for the South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy on Wednesday.
Pakistan will also look to revamp their squad after suffering a 4-1 defeat to the West Indies in the T20I series at home earlier this month.
Former women’s team captain Bismah Maroof also announced her retirement from the international stage in April after playing 276 games in her 18-year career. The baton has been passed to Nida Dar, whose first challenge will be to defeat England.
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On the Sky Sports Real Talk podcast, Pakistani cricketer Bismah Maroof describes how she worked with the Pakistan cricket board to influence a brand new rule change on maternity leave
“We’re obviously going to focus on what we do best and do things our own way,” Knight said.
“It will be a really good challenge for us. Pakistan have a lot of spinners, they throw a lot of spin and their batters hit the ball in different areas.”
“I’m really excited to start the summer. I think it will be a good test and it sounds like we will have a good crowd at Edgbaston with a few Pakistani fans, so that will be an interesting dynamic.”
“With the T20 World Cup coming up, that’s a key issue for us, so we’re figuring out exactly how we want to go about it, how we’re going to play and hopefully how we’re going to entertain some people.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has already sold over 75,000 tickets for the Pakistan series and the upcoming summer tour of New Zealand, which is more than were sold this time last year – including an Ashes tour.
At the beginning of this year the The ECB announced the creation of a three-tier domestic competition structure and a shift in the ownership model that underpins professional women’s soccer.
Alongside the new structure, the ECB will invest an additional £4m to £5m per year in women’s professional football from 2025 to 2028, bringing the annual investment to up to £16m.
The plan would see the current eight women’s regional teams develop into “Tier 1 Clubs” and each “be owned, managed and operated by an individual First Class County (FCC) or Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). “.
Skipper Knight supported the move, saying it was “a really good move” for women’s football and the next stage of development.
“The clubs that have it will hopefully take advantage of having the women’s team there,” Knight added.
“Of course there is a bit of disappointment for the teams that didn’t reach first place, but overall it’s a really good step.”
Watch England Women take on Pakistan live in the T20I and ODI series Sky Sports Cricket, Starts on Saturday, May 11th, from 2 p.m.
Women’s Vitality IT20 Series fixtures against Pakistan – live on Sky Sports
May 11th: 1. Women’s IT20 – Edgbaston, Birmingham, 2.30pm
17th of May: 2. Women’s IT20 – The County Ground, Northampton, 6.30pm
May 19th: 3. Women’s IT20 – Headingley, Leeds, 1pm
Women’s Metro Bank One-Day International Series schedule against Pakistan – live on Sky Sports
23. May: 1. Women’s One-Day International – The Incora County Ground, Derby, 1:00 p.m
May 26: 2. Women’s One-Day International – The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, 11am
May 29th: 3rd Women’s One-Day International – The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford, 1pm
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