Heather Knight: England have point to prove against Australia in Women’s Cricket World Cup

The captain also accepts it is “unlikely” the upcoming Women’s Cricket World Cup will be Covid-free

Heather Knight is pleased with the way her players have moved on from their Ashes defeat (PA Archive)

Captain Heather Knight believes England Women have a point to prove to Australia when they open the defence of their World Cup title against their Ashes conquerors next week.

Knight’s side were humbled in the multi-format series Down Under, failing to win a game as they lost the only completed Twenty20 and three one-day internationals while drawing a thrilling Test in Canberra.

Focus now turns to the 50-over game and while England arrive in New Zealand as world champions, Australia look favourites to lift the trophy, having lost just one ODI since 2018, when they surrendered a 26-match unbeaten run to India in September.

But Knight, while admitting Meg Lanning’s side would be most people’s pick to win a seventh title, insists her team’s victory in 2017 can help them in their defence.

“We’ve got Australia first and it’s clear that we’ve got a bit of a point to prove as a side,” she said.

“Australia are going to go in as favourites with the Ashes series we’ve just had against them but I think it should give us a lot of experience of what it takes to be successful in these events.

“Sometimes it’s just about getting over the line and I think that’s what we did so well in 2017. We just were able to win those games that were really tight, we were able to keep our composure in the big moments and deal with everything else that comes with a World Cup.

“Five years is quite a long time and Australia have been the outstanding team within that period so rightfully I think they deserve that favourites tag but I certainly believe as a side on our day we can beat them.”

I think it's really important that we're able to park that and also realise that we haven't become a bad side overnight and we're still a very good ODI team

Heather Knight

Knight admits the mental exertions of that drawn Test – where England needed 45 runs off the final 60 balls with seven wickets in hand but ended up having to see out the final 13 balls nine down – played a part in the three ODI defeats that followed.

Since then the team have seen their 10-day quarantine in New Zealand cut to seven and, after some downtime in Queenstown, Knight is confident they will be able to put the Ashes disappointment behind them and focus on the task at hand.

“I think it’s really important that we’re able to park that and also realise that we haven’t become a bad side overnight and we’re still a very good ODI team,” she said.

“I think the girls have actually digested and parked the Ashes quite well, we’ve had a bit of time off to get some headspace. We’ve got our first proper training session in Christchurch tomorrow and I’m sure the girls will be raring to go. There’ll be good energy around the group I’m sure and completely looking forward to that first World Cup game.”

While England’s preparations have so far gone to plan with Knight revealing quarantine was “OK”, the spectre of Covid-19 will still hang over the World Cup, with the ICC announcing that teams can fulfil matches with nine fit players and use two female members of support staff as substitute fielders.

“It’s unlikely it’s going to be a Covid-free World Cup, although obviously that’s the hope, I guess it’s in place in case something does go wrong and hopefully it doesn’t,” said Knight.

“We’re here now, we’ve done the quarantine, albeit it’s never ideal to have to quarantine but it’s been done. We’ve got to a place where the restrictions that we’re living under are completely manageable with a little bit of help from FICA (Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations), the PCA (Professional Cricketers’ Association) and various boards around the country.

“For players here, we want to compete, we want to be successful in a World Cup and that’s going to be our primary focus.”