Heather Knight, captain of the England cricket team, has issued a challenge to her squad to "go out and dominate" in regional cricket this summer. She also expressed her hope that domestic players will stake strong claims for selection ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes later this year.
The 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy commences on Saturday with a full round of games. Many of England's centrally contracted players will be absent from the opening weekend to attend Tammy Beaumont's wedding. They will have the opportunity to feature for their regions ahead of England's T20I series against Pakistan, which commences on May 11.
Knight said at the ECB's launch of a national tape-ball competition:
"It's never a closed door if people are performing well. The standard of those regional games has gone through the roof in the last couple of years, so those performances are worth more. It's a really exciting time and obviously, we've got huge competition in the squad as well.”
England's T20 team is facing significant competition for places ahead of the World Cup in Bangladesh later this year. The team's recent 4-1 series win in New Zealand has provided a boost of confidence, according to Knight. She also highlighted the return of Mahika Gaur and Freya Kemp from injury as a positive development.
England were without four first-choice players for the first three T20Is in New Zealand due to their Women's Premier League commitments, which provided an opportunity to test their depth. Maia Bouchier demonstrated her potential as a key player by finishing the T20I series as the leading run-scorer with 223 in five innings, batting in the top three.
Edgbaston has already sold over 10,000 tickets for England’s opening match of their T20I series against Pakistan. According to Knight, the ECB’s joint marketing campaign with the men’s series against the same opposition can help build on the commercial success of last summer’s Ashes series.