Women’s Ashes: Knight backs England’s T20 strength to give them fighting chance
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Heather Knight said that England’s strength in the T20 format will give them the best chance of rescuing their Ashes chances with their series hopes hanging by a thread after three straight ODI defeats. England need to win all three T20s, which begin on Monday in Sydney, to stand any chance of regaining the Ashes, but their captain is confident they England can pull off the feat.
“In the 2023 Ashes series we were in exactly the same position,” Knight said, a reference to England’s dramatic comeback from 6-0 down to level the series 8-8. “We focused on the moment and trying to win the next game. “The format change will suit us. T20 is a real strength of ours. The blueprint that we have in T20 cricket is really clear, and how we’ve played in T20 has been really dominant for the last couple of years.”.
Knight confirmed that Sophia Dunkley and Sarah Glenn will both come into the XI for the T20s, with Dunkley batting at No 3, likely in place of Alice Capsey. All-rounders Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp are both fit for selection, having recovered from injuries earlier in the winter, but look to be fighting it out for the No 7 role, with Knight strongly hinting that Kemp would be preferred due to the variety offered by the left-hander. “Those girls are desperate to bring a lot to the team and bring that energy,” Knight said.
By the time they take to the field at the SCG on Monday evening, England will have had just three days to throw off their disappointment at going 6-0 down in the series, and one player in particular seems set to feel the brunt off the hectic schedule - seamer Lauren Bell. Bell was one of a handful of players selected in all three Ashes squads (ODI, T20 and Test) and was expected to be rested for at least one of the T20s. However, her success in the ODI format has been such that Knight hopes to select her in every match of the series - despite the compressed schedule.
