Women’s T20 WC: We have prepared the best we can, says Heather Knight

New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) England captain Heather Knight said her team has absolute clarity over how they want to perform in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup, adding that they feel about being in a great spot after preparing in the best way possible.

England, the inaugural tournament winners in 2009, are in Group B of the competition to be held in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3-20. Alongside them in Group B are 2016 champions West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh and Scotland.

“We are clear about how we want to do things and how we want to play. We have prepared the best we can and feel in a great spot. It’s important not to change how we play because it’s the World Cup with added pressure and added external expectation to be successful. It’s about doing the best we can and approaching it with a one game at a time mentality.

“T20 can be the most volatile and unpredictable of the formats so we need to get our mindset right, don’t change things too much because it’s a World Cup and we’ll see how we go. We know there are top quality sides who will all offer different challenges, and we are looking forward to getting started and making some memories,” wrote Heather in her column for ICC on Sunday.

England come into the World Cup on the back of beating Pakistan 3-0 and thrashing New Zealand 5-0 at home. Their meticulous preparation also incudes an ongoing training camp in Abu Dhabi, which Heather thinks should keep England in good stead, ahead of their tournament opener against Bangladesh on October 5.

“It’s been a great set up out here that has allowed us to get used to the heat and conditions we will face. We have been building towards this World Cup over the last 18 months or so and have built a lot of confidence from the way we’ve been playing. We want to continue to play the sort of cricket we have been playing and bring our best in the big moments. Everyone in the squad will have a big role to play.

“There hasn’t been a lot of women’s’ cricket in the UAE to date so the sample size for Women’s T20 matches in the region is small. We know the stadiums have quality facilities. We’ve been preparing for Bangladesh for a long time, getting players ready for those conditions, but despite the shift to the UAE I don’t think our plans change too much,” added Heather.

England have retained 11 members, including Heather, from the squad who reached semi-finals of the 2023 tournament in South Africa. The newbies in the team are Freya Kemp, Bess Heath, Danielle Gibson, and Linsey Smith.

“It’s an honour to lead the England team into another World Cup. World Cups are always special events to be involved in as a player and create lasting memories. There’s nothing that quite compares to having all the best teams in the world competing to win that trophy and you always feel honoured to be a part of it.

“We’ve got a lovely mix of experience and youth, with players who’ve been there and done it before, but we’ve also got a few players who are taking part in a World Cup for the first time which is really exciting. My message to them is to enjoy each moment and embrace the challenge.

“I’m really excited by the squad we have selected for the tournament in the UAE. We’ve got a lot of bases covered and over the last year, everyone in the squad has stepped up at some point to put in brilliant performances to help the team win games of cricket. We want to make great memories both on and off the pitch and everyone is excited for the month ahead,” concluded Heather.

–IANS

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