Australia going to be really tough for us to beat in ODIs, says Knight

Sydney, Jan 11 (IANS) Ahead of the first ODI against Australia, England captain Heather Knight said it will be “really tough” to beat the world champions in the 50-over format.

Knight feels that the drawn Ashes series in 2023 will give them a huge confidence boost to topple the hosts this time.

“They’re going to be really tough for us to beat out here in one-day cricket but we’re really confident with where we’re at. We’ve had some brilliant wins over the last year and that 2023 series will give us a lot of confidence,” Knight told reporters at North Sydney Oval on the eve of the first ODI.

“We know that the Aussies were probably a bit scarred by that and they’re going to come out really hard, and we’ve got to be prepared for that and have our plans ready to face that, and to try and counteract that ourselves,” she added.

Knight’s comments echoed those of England spinner Charlie Dean, who a day earlier stated that her team “doesn’t have as many scars” from past Ashes defeats. Last year’s draw marked a significant turnaround for England after Australia had secured back-to-back victories.

Australia captain Alyssa Healy smiled and wrinkled her nose when asked about Knight’s remarks. She was then questioned about the importance of building momentum early, especially after five consecutive ODI victories heading into the Ashes series, which begins with three ODIs, followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test.

“I think you want to throw the first punch. You want to get out there and take the first two points, that’s how it goes, and then you can hopefully settle in from there. But I don’t feel like we’ve played one another very often of late, outside of World Cup warm-up games and whatnot,” Healy said.

“So the opportunity to get out there and sort of feel each other out is an interesting concept. But at the same time, I think we know what we’re going to bring in the one-day format, and, hopefully, we just focus on ourselves tomorrow and go out there and do that,” she added.

Getting off to a fast start won’t be Australia’s only focus, as Healy also reflected on how they had placed too much emphasis on winning the Test that began the 2023 series.

“It was just the way that it petered out at the end,” Healy said. “We put a lot of work into that Test match. We hadn’t played with the Dukes ball before, and there was a lot of focus on that and we got that job done. And then we assumed that at the white-ball game, you know, we’d be okay.

“But England threw a few things at us that we hadn’t seen before, and probably took the game on a little bit more and put us on the back foot, which we’re well prepared for now, from a lot of teams right around the world. So we benefited from that experience. But I think leaving England the girls were like, ‘we don’t want that to happen again’. A draw is not a great feeling for both sides, and probably for them as well for us to keep the trophy in that regard. So we’ll hopefully get the job done outright this time.”

Knight shared a similar motivation to ensure this year’s result was settled decisively, following the events of 2023.

“I have positive memories of it but also tainted with regret and frustration that we weren’t able to do something really special and win it outright,” Knight said.

“I don’t think we’ve got a mental edge. They’re an extremely good side that we’re going to have to be at the top of our game to try and beat. They’ll certainly go in as favourites and our job will be, as it was in 2023, to go in and try and disrupt, and try and do things a little bit differently, to try and break that success and run that they’ve had,” she added.

–IANS

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