Heather Knight was non-committal about overseeing England’s next crack at Australia in the 2025 Women’s Ashes, admitting she is “consciously” focusing on the here and now.
Australia’s stranglehold in the multi-format series continued as they walked away with the main prize earlier this month but Knight’s side spiritedly turned a 6-0 points deficit into an 8-8 stalemate.
Even though England were unable to overcome Australia for the first time since 2013/14, the drawn series and several tense finishes backed up the suggestion the gap between the rivals is narrowing.
Outside of World Cups, England’s next chance against the benchmark in the women’s game is set to be in early 2025 in Australia although Knight, who will be 34 by then, is not thinking that far ahead.
Knight, who was appointed England captain in June 2016, told the PA news agency: “I haven’t really thought about it. It feels like quite a long way away.
“At the moment, I’m just trying to consciously not look too far ahead, I just focus on what is on the immediate future and try and get myself and the team in the best place for that. Who knows?
“Ashes series are amazing to be involved in, I love playing Ashes cricket, so we’ll see.”
The recently-concluded series was held at major venues in England and attracted around 110,000 people across seven matches, pushing the women’s game into the public’s consciousness like never before.
Knight believes the unprecedented success of this summer’s Ashes, which ran concurrently to the men’s series, owes a debt of gratitude to The Hundred, which will start its third edition on Tuesday.
While there is continued scrutiny on the future of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s 100-ball competition, it is widely-regarded for having helped the women’s game bloom, a point reinforced by Knight, who feels parts of The Hundred’s commercial operations were adopted for the Ashes.
Knight, who will juggle playing and captaincy duties for London Spirit with a commentary role on the BBC, said: “I actually think The Hundred has been a big part of what happened in the Ashes this summer.
“It probably changed perceptions at the ECB that if you market it properly then people will come and watch. I think that led to the Ashes this series being marketed how it was.
“It was probably our most visible series ever. Hopefully, both international cricket and The Hundred can feed off each other and keep getting more girls involved.
“I certainly noticed loads more young girls at our games, knowing everything about the game which is pretty awesome to see.”
The Spirit begin their campaign at Lord’s against London rivals Oval Invincibles in a men’s and women’s
double header on Wednesday, with Knight returning after missing last year’s competition through injury.
While the Ashes only wrapped up a fortnight ago, Knight is ready to go after a few days at home with friends and family.
The 32-year-old said: “I was absolutely knackered the first days afterwards, I didn’t really realise how tired I was till everything stopped and the adrenaline ran out. The schedule was pretty full on.
“But I had a good few days to recharge. I feel like I’ve had a bit of a mental refresh. I usually get bored sitting around for too long, so it’s nice to get back. I’m really excited.”
Knight will be able to call upon fast bowler Lauren Filer, who had an eye-catching international debut as she troubled Australia’s batters with her pace in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge.
Knight added: “She’s got something a bit different, she’s the quickest in the country and gets good bounce. She’s still trying to find how she works but she’s a great weapon to have as a captain.”
:: There will be 16 games in The Hundred shown live on BBC TV and iPlayer – matches are on TV every Wednesday and Saturday. Plus, every ball is available live on BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and Sounds while text commentary is on the BBC Sport website and app.
Matthews wins third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award
Hayley Matthews has been named as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April after spearheading the West Indies’ success in Pakistan across both ODI and T20I series.
Matthews celebrates her third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after previously winning in November 2021 and October 2023.
Her most recent success comes thanks to an array of eye-catching all-round performances resulting in 451 runs and 12 wickets across both shorter formats.
The West Indies began their tour of Pakistan with three ODIs, and skipper Matthews set the tone early with a dominant display in the opening encounter, blasting an unbeaten 140 from atop the order and following up with three wickets for 17.
More success followed with Matthews replicating her heroics in the third fixture, scoring 141 in 149 balls and taking two wickets for 26 in another comfortable victory to seal the ODI series sweep.
When the attention turned to the subsequent T20I series, the 26-year-old reinforced her position as the top-ranked Women’s T20I allrounder.
Back-to-back half-centuries in Karachi and six wickets at an average of 10.50 told the tale of her series, as she inspired the tourists to another emphatic 4-1 series triumph.
“I am really happy to win the award again. These performances resulted in the team’s success and that’s the most important thing for me as captain,” Matthews told ICC.
“To win in Pakistan was always a big goal. I wanted to perform well and contribute to the team’s success so to be able to have performances and get the results, that was really good and showed that the hard work and the concentration in Pakistan paid off.
“Being able to set some new records and achieve some new milestones as well was good for me so I’m extremely happy. We have confidence and we will take this with us going into the tour of Sri Lanka and look to secure more crucial points in the ICC Women’s Championship.”
Republic Bank CPL launches broadcast talent search
The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have launched a region wide talent search to find a presenter for their broadcast of the 2024 season. The CPL Talent Search is open to all Caribbean residents and the prize for the winner will be a contract to be a pitch side presenter for this year’s event.
This groundbreaking initiative will be searching for the next sports presenting super star from within the region with training on offer for the winning participant so that they can hone their talent and use this amazing opportunity as a springboard to a career in broadcasting. This is one of the many CPL initiatives that look to develop the next generation of Caribbean talent, but this is the first time that the focus will be on the CPL broadcast which was watched by 853.5million viewers in 2023.
Those wanting to submit a performance into the contest can do so by sharing them in front of the camera presenting or interviewing someone on social media with the hashtag #CPLTALENTSEARCH.
Paul Pritchett-Brown, CPL’s Head of Production, said: “We are really looking forward to seeing the submissions from the next generation of broadcasting talent from across the region. This is an amazing opportunity to showcase your skills in front of the camera and we are hopeful that we will get a lot of submissions as we search for the next on screen talent.”
Babar relieved after Fakhar and Rizwan guide Pakistan past Ireland
Babar Azam was left relieved after Pakistan made light work of chasing 194 to keep their T20I series with Ireland alive and take it to a winner-takes-all-decider.
Andy Balbirnie's 77 helped Ireland to their first victory over Pakistan in this format on Friday, but Babar's side responded in style on Sunday with their own seven-wicket triumph.
Lorcan Tucker's 51 powered Ireland to an impressive 193-7 in Dublin as Shaheen Shah Afridi registered figures of 3-49 and Abbas Afridi managed 2-33.
Yet that total was far from imposing as Pakistan chased the target down with 19 balls to spare thanks to a remarkable partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.
The pair combined for a 140-run stand off only 78 balls for the third wicket as Fakhar smashed 78 from 40, while Rizwan was unbeaten on 75 after facing just 46.
"I'm relieved, credit to all batters," Babar said after the win. "We lost a few wickets early on but we kept the momentum going.
"Fakhar is very experienced and played according to situation which demanded positive intent. It's a good side, we got positives in this match and will look to give 100 per cent in the next match."
Rizwan added: "They played really well against us. It was not an easy chase because the Ireland bowlers knew their conditions better.
"They gave us a difficult time early on, but we decided that chasing 194, we have to attack. You're always under pressure when you lose especially with World Cup around the corner."
The two sides will meet again in Dublin on Tuesday to settle the three-match T20I series.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
