Knight believes Ashes ‘great escape’ is on as England construct momentum
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eather Knight believes England’s women and men can pull off a double Ashes “great escape” and revealed Sophia Dunkley will open the batting for the primary time in tomorrow’s ODI at Bristol.
Australia had been getting ready to retaining the Urn solely seven days in the past after profitable each the one-off Test and First T20 to guide 6-0 within the multi-format collection, however the dwelling facet have roared again with successive wins on the Oval and Lord’s to maintain the collection alive heading into the run of three ODIs.
England nonetheless haven’t any margin for error, with Australia nonetheless only one win from holding the Ashes, however Knight’s group are buoyed at having inflicted the serial world champions’ first back-to-back defeats in six years.
“In the past, we might have got a bit down and had the ‘here we go again’ thing against the Aussies but there’s a real belief in that room that we can match this cricket team,” Knight stated.
“The pressure’s all on them, they’ve only got to win one game. If we can keep doing what we’re doing, keep ramping up that pressure a little bit, we’re still the underdogs in the context of the whole series. I feel like the pressure’s not massively on us.”
This summer season’s males’s and Ashes collection are operating concurrently and Ben Stokes’s facet are in the same place, having narrowly misplaced the primary to Tests earlier than holding their hopes of a memorable comeback alive with victory at Headingley final week.
“I think they have actually been quite parallel series, they obviously lost the first two games which were very close as well,” Knight added. There’s an actual buzz across the nation, which is superior, that’s what Ashes collection can do.
“We’re just trying to keep the momentum going and if the boys can keep doing well and we can keep doing well then maybe we can both have the great escape.”
England will wait till the toss to call their group, however talking on Tuesday, Knight introduced that Dunkley will go up the order to open in a shock transfer, with the skipper taking her previous place at No3.
Emma Lamb, who had opened in all-but one in all England’s ODIs because the begin of final summer season, has been neglected of this squad, however it was assumed that both Danni Wyatt or Alice Capsey would get the nod to accomplice Tammy Beaumont.
Wyatt has huge expertise on the prime of the order, whereas England had been hoping to experiment with Capsey within the place throughout final yr’s tour of the West Indies, solely to need to shelve the plan after one match after {the teenager} suffered a damaged collarbone within the subject.
Dunkley, against this, has by no means opened in ODI cricket however averages 32 placing at above 90 since being promoted to No3 final yr and has had success opening within the T20 facet.
“She moved up to three last year and was brilliant, really successful, made a big impact,: Knight explained. “She’s a proper batter as well, she’s not just a pinch-hitter at the top. Sophia plays that role so brilliantly for us.
“She got a hundred here last year batting at No3 and naturally she scores quite quickly so she can score big runs as well. It’s for her to play her natural game, put the bad balls away and try to put pressure back on the bowler. Maybe not quite at the tempo she does in T20s but that’s the logic behind it.”
Tomorrow’s sport might additionally see seamer Lauren Filer make her ODI debut after excelling on her England bow in final month’s Test at Trent Bridge.
The 22-year-old has a popularity because the quickest bowler within the nation, topping speeds of 75mph in Nottingham and taking 4 wickets within the course of.
“She’s nonetheless fairly uncooked I feel, you noticed that within the Test match, however the best way she performed even shocked me, how she rose to the event and simply made issues occur,” Knight stated. “That was exactly the role we gave to her, to run in, bowl fast and try to make an impact. That’s the role that, if she gets in the XI, we see her making in the ODIs.”