Products You May Like
“Some people thrive off the noise and the energy from the crowd, so [it’s about] making sure, individually, that everyone is prepared for potentially what we’re going to get. I don’t think, suddenly, there’s going to be a big rent-a-crowd. But it is what it is, and obviously safety and things like that are probably the most important things,” Knight said.
While England have spent the past 18 months planning for a tournament in Bangladesh, doubling down on a spin-heavy strategy, Knight backed the ICC’s decision to shift the venue. “It’s obviously a shame for the Bangladesh team that they’re not going to have a home World Cup,” she said. “But I think it’s probably the right decision… the conditions will be slightly different, but not hugely.”
Dubai and Sharjah have only sporadically hosted women’s T20Is: Sharjah has staged 10 – most recently in 2017 – and Dubai only five, all between UAE and Namibia a year ago. It means that England are relying on data from men’s matches in their preparation, and are wary of going into the World Cup with too many preconceived ideas about conditions.
“There’s obviously not been a huge amount of women’s cricket there, so you’re going off men’s stats,” Knight said. Lewis expects the toss to play a major role in floodlit games, as in the men’s T20 World Cup three years ago: “It will be a factor,” he said. “There are some subtle differences in terms of the wickets in Sharjah and the stadium in Dubai.”
Lewis and Knight confirmed that England would have selected the same squad even if the tournament had stayed in Bangladesh, and played down concerns that they are one seamer light. “I don’t feel like we are,” Lewis said. “The thing that may be trickier for the spin bowlers is gripping the ball with some dew… but we do know that spin is really effective in the women’s game in general.”
Lauren Filer was the only player to feature in England’s home T20Is this summer to miss out on selection, though will travel to Abu Dhabi for next month’s training camp. She was edged out by Linsey Smith, the left-arm spinner, who Lewis suggested covered more bases: “In the Powerplay, she’s a really effective bowler, and then she can bowl through the middle and the death.”
Knight described Filer as being “really unlucky to miss out” and was impressed by her performances during the Hundred, despite her only taking six wickets in eight matches. “She bowled brilliantly without taking the wickets that she deserved,” Knight said. “But the squad we’ve picked gives us the most flexibility around potential conditions that we might face.”