Kate Cross, England’s veteran seamer, is still hopeful of making England’s T20 World Cup squad in Bangladesh this winter, though she sees the 50-over World Cup in 2025 as a more realistic goal. At 32, Cross is the most experienced seamer in England’s white-ball squad with 85 wickets in 64 ODIs. Despite limited T20I opportunities and a challenging performance against Sri Lanka, Cross aims to refine her skills in the final ODI against Pakistan at Chelmsford, especially after England’s untidy win in the series opener
Kate Cross acknowledged that England’s performance in Derby wasn’t up to their standards, citing untidy bowling and missed opportunities to pressure Pakistan. Despite their unbeaten ODI series record under coach Jon Lewis, Cross emphasized the need for consistent positive mindsets and recognizing the challenges faced by young, inexperienced players. With limited practice due to bad weather, Cross stressed the importance of mental preparation given their packed schedule, including upcoming series against New Zealand, the Hundred tournament, and future tours
“So the priority is T20 cricket at the moment for us, but for me, I’m probably thinking more about the 50-over stuff and prepping for that World Cup in 18 months’ time. That might be different for Alice Capsey and Lauren Bell, so it’s exciting that we’ve got all this stuff on in the calendar and so much to look forward to. But in terms of this series, it’s really important to be able to practice with the mindset that we want to take into that [50-over] World Cup.”
As for the T20 World Cup, Cross insists she can still be involved, and plans to use both the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Northern Superchargers’ Hundred campaign to push her case for a squad berth. But, given Bell’s pre-eminence as England’s frontline seamer, and her own failure to seize the moment last year, she accepts her place in the pecking order.
“I was in the squad for about four years without getting an opportunity, but I hold my hand up, in the Sri Lanka series I didn’t execute anything that I wanted to,” Cross said. “I know that I’ve probably lost my opportunity there. I’ve had a chat with Lewey [Jon Lewis] a few times and he just needs to see me be successful in T20 cricket.
todaymatchprediction But the way the team is balanced at the moment, we’ve got one out-and-out seamer in Lauren Bell who’s been exceptional in that format, so you’ve basically got to be knocking her out of the team.
“What Belly does brilliantly is swing the new ball and then come back and take wickets at the death to close games out. So it’s quite a nice blueprint to be able to follow and aspire to.
“But it’s just about knowing yourself as well,” she added. “Obviously, as a 32-year-old, I probably know my limitations a little bit more than some of the younger girls, but you still want to take those opportunities if you do get them. It’s a real fine balancing act. But our priority is wearing this shirt and doing the best that we can for England.