Kate Cross on England women v Pakistan women third ODI. England lead 1-0 after second ODI was rained off
28/05/2024
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford, UK
28/05/2024
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford, UK
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00:00 What's next, Ed?
00:02 Sanya?
00:04 Hi Kate.
00:06 Hi Sanya.
00:08 I was just wondering, obviously it's so difficult with all the rain around, how that's sort of disrupting your preparations.
00:14 Yeah, not been ideal today. I think a couple of the batters managed to get indoors, but it was very, very wet here at Chelmsford.
00:21 But I did just, I just saw someone outside and they said we'd rather it be dry tomorrow than today.
00:26 So at least, you know, hopefully they'll be get a game in tomorrow.
00:30 But it's always frustrating. But I guess we've played enough cricket, you know, we've got enough cricket under our belts to know that it's probably more about the mental preparation when you're in the middle of a series.
00:39 So, yeah, fingers crossed we'll be OK tomorrow.
00:44 And obviously you were called up for the ODI squad.
00:47 How has the sort of change between formats because you guys seem to do it quite a lot.
00:52 Are you focusing more on ODI cricket or are you balancing that with T20?
00:58 Yeah, I'm still trying to balance it. Actually, obviously, I'm still trying to put my name forward for that T20 squad.
01:03 I spoke to Louis and he said that it's not out of the question for me playing T20 cricket for England again.
01:08 So I've still got aspirations to do that.
01:11 I guess for me, it's more coming from the Thunder environment.
01:14 We had one Charlotte Edwards game that I was able to play in and then moved into the 50 over stuff.
01:18 So I think I'm so comfortable with the 50 over format now that actually it's quite nice and comforting to come back into this format.
01:28 It's probably the T20 stuff that I get a bit more, put a bit more pressure on myself with because obviously I'm trying to put my name back in the hat for selection.
01:35 So I think we've got used to it as a squad now, especially in the multi-format series that we play where, you know, you're going from test cricket to T20s and then ODIs and stuff.
01:46 So I think, you know, it probably says more about the skill level of the group that we're able to split between those formats quite quickly.
01:55 And how important are these ODIs?
01:57 Because I know it feels far away given that there's a T20 World Cup round the corner, but there is a World Cup next year as well.
02:03 Yeah, it's really important. And I was just actually saying this in an interview I've just done, but there's always something around the corner.
02:09 And, you know, we've got South Africa this winter.
02:12 We've got an Ashes just after January and then we've got the 50 over World Cup next year as well.
02:15 So you always feel like you're constantly building for something.
02:19 And underlying all of that is our, you know, basic skills that we're trying to top up all the time.
02:24 So the priority is T20 cricket at the moment for us.
02:30 And that's obviously what we're speaking quite a lot about.
02:32 But then, like I said, in the back of your mind, you're always thinking about what's around the corner.
02:35 And for me, probably thinking more about the 50 over stuff and prepping for that World Cup in 18 months' time,
02:41 then, you know, that might be different for an Alex Capsy or a Lauren Bell, etc.
02:46 So it's exciting. I think it's great that we've got all this stuff in the calendar and so much to look forward to.
02:52 But in terms of this series, it's obviously still really important to be able to practice with the mindset that we want to take into that World Cup in 18 months' time.
03:01 And finally, from me, you mentioned the series in South Africa, the Ashes, the T20 World Cup.
03:06 Have you ever had a busier sort of period of cricket starting from, well, even going back to the Tour of India in the winter, it feels like it's been very full on.
03:15 Yeah, it really is. And that's just what the calendar's starting to look like now.
03:18 I think we're going to have to really get used to that.
03:20 And, you know, those pockets of time that you get at home or away or you get a tiny glimpse of a holiday,
03:27 then they're really important to kind of rest and recuperate.
03:30 But, you know, then you add into that the WPL and the Big Bash, then there's something going on.
03:35 Basically, every month of our winter now. So it's great. It's great to get opportunities.
03:40 Obviously, I know I didn't get to play in the WPL, but that was a great opportunity for me to, again, keep kind of my name in the ring for the T20 stuff.
03:48 So I think that we're getting these opportunities around the world now. It's just brilliant.
03:53 And is there any concern over managing sort of your workload?
03:56 Like you can't just sort of say yes to everything, potentially as much as you would have done a couple of years ago when the calendar was a bit barer.
04:02 Yeah, I think that's what we're learning now as a group and the communications that we have with Louis and our management and the science and medicine team is really important.
04:10 And we're starting to have those more regularly now because the calendar is getting fuller.
04:14 But, yeah, it's just about knowing yourself as well.
04:17 Obviously, as a 32 year old, I probably know my limitations are going to be a little bit more than some of the younger girls.
04:23 But you still obviously want to take those opportunities if you do get them.
04:26 So it is a real fine balancing act. But, you know, we all know that our priority is wearing this shirt and doing the best that we can for England.
04:34 Thanks. Good luck tomorrow. Thank you.
04:38 Thanks, Sonia. Any other questions?
04:43 Yes, please. Hi. I can't find the hand, but there you go.
04:48 Kate, you talk about your T20 aspirations. What do you have to do with your game personally?
04:55 What adjustments do you have to make to make a real good case of it for yourself?
05:01 You're number three in the ODI, so I'm just interested as to how you tweak things to make yourself an equal force in the shorter format.
05:08 Yeah, I think, you know, those the ODI international, the ICC rankings, I think can sometimes obviously give you a lot of confidence
05:17 knowing that you've been successful for a period of time.
05:19 But I think that's probably just where I've not had the opportunity in T20 cricket, especially obviously in an England shirt.
05:25 And that's where those rankings come from. So, you know, I've had a chat with Louis a few times about this.
05:31 And for him, he just needs to see me be successful in T20 cricket.
05:35 He hasn't seen that since I've come in.
05:38 And, you know, I was I was in the squads for probably about four years without getting an opportunity and then played last summer.
05:45 And, you know, I hold my hands up in that Sri Lanka series.
05:48 I didn't execute anything that I wanted to. So I know that I probably lost my opportunity there.
05:55 So for me, the Charlotte Edwards Cup is going to be a really important competition to be playing in as well as the 100.
06:02 And like I said, if you get those opportunities in WPL or WBBL, then you want to take them and do that.
06:08 But I think the way that the T20 team is balanced at the moment, you know, we've got one out and out seamer.
06:14 And that's Lauren Bell, who's been exceptional in that format.
06:17 So you've basically got to be knocking her out of the team.
06:21 So it's how you do that. And, you know, what Belly does brilliantly is swing the ball up front and then comes back and takes wickets at the death and closes games out.
06:29 So it's quite a nice blueprint to be able to follow and aspire to.
06:34 Heather spoke before the weekend about trying to find that perfect performance in this current series against Pakistan,
06:42 whether permitting, is that the team goal, just to put everything together?
06:48 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think we're searching for that every time we play.
06:52 I think how we played in Derby probably wasn't how we would like to play the game.
06:58 I think, you know, we're a little bit untidy with the ball and probably not our best in the field and equally probably didn't put as much pressure on the Pakistan bowling attack as we would like.
07:07 So those kind of areas and all facets that we'd want to improve on.
07:11 And we know on our best day we can, you know, we can beat any team.
07:14 We saw that in the Ashes last year with Australia. We really were able to put them under pressure in real key moments.
07:19 So I think what we sometimes forget with this team, though, is that we're asking some really young, inexperienced players to be perfect.
07:28 And the group is trying to learn and improve whilst we're playing international cricket.
07:34 And that's a really difficult place to be.
07:36 You know, we've not got these windows now where you've got eight weeks at your region or eight weeks in Loughborough training and purposely just working on one thing.
07:45 So I think sometimes that gets lost a little bit because you're in an England shirt.
07:49 You're expected to be absolutely perfect all the time.
07:51 But that's something that we're trying to make sure that we measure ourselves on correctly.
07:57 So, you know, as much as we don't want to be bowling 40 yards in a game, we know that that's a big area to improve in the next game.
08:03 But obviously we don't do anything like that on purpose.
08:07 Thank you. Best of luck. Thank you.
08:10 Thank you, Mark. Joe. Hi there, Kate.
08:17 I just wanted to go back to the aspects around sort of the fixtures sort of throughout the rest of this year and in the winter as well.
08:27 Squad depth would, of course, be sort of key to managing that. As one of the sort of senior players in the squad,
08:33 who sort of impressed you the most over this Pakistan series in terms of maybe the less experienced players, maybe some people coming through?
08:42 Yeah, obviously we've got a lot of youngsters coming through now.
08:45 I think the way Danny Gibson stepped up in that T20 series, you know, opening the bowling and coming in and playing the role of number seven that we'd want in that T20 series
08:56 was really impressive. And she's worked really hard on her all-round game as well.
09:01 You know, when you've got someone like a Nat Sivabrundt as your blueprint to follow for the world's best all-rounder,
09:08 then it's quite nice to be able to have someone to role model that.
09:11 But I already mentioned it, but I think the way Lauren Bell's been really working hard on being a better bowler in terms of trying to swing the ball both ways now,
09:20 not just be an in-swing bowler and being, you know, that's obviously going to reduce her predictability for the power play bowling and stuff.
09:29 But the way she's gone out there and tried to do that in games, I think is a really brave thing to do.
09:34 And then we've got the likes of like Bess Heath and Lindsay Smith, who have had limited opportunities this winter.
09:40 But, you know, those people being around the squad just really excites me for what's to come this winter.
09:46 And we've already spoke about the calendar being absolutely packed, but you are going to need to rely on those people at some point.
09:52 So, yeah, it's a really exciting time for us as a group.
09:59 And we mentioned about the sort of preparations for the two World Cups, the ODI and the T20 as well, from a sort of individual and a collective level.
10:09 I just wondered what your sort of thoughts were on lessons and learnings from the previous tournaments for the ODI and the T20 World Cup,
10:17 and maybe any sort of things that John Lewis is trying to sort of instil into you guys as a group in terms of things to work on in the build up to both of those tournaments.
10:27 Yeah, I think the thing that Louis has maintained since he came in, so that the T20 World Cup in South Africa was his first real...
10:34 I think we went to the West Indies in December, but it was his first big global tournament with us.
10:40 And he's always maintained that our skill level is there, but it's how we play the game.
10:45 It's how we think about the game and how just our mindset, really.
10:50 And I think that's something that we're still trying to really work hard on is, you know, people are in this squad for a reason.
10:56 They're very good at cricket. But how do we get the best out of ourselves?
11:00 A) when we're under pressure, and B) when those really key moments come around.
11:07 How do you be ruthless in those moments? And I think that's something that we really saw glimpses of in the ashes.
11:13 And obviously to go toe to toe with the best team in the world for the last 10 years and actually beat them in two White Ball series was an incredible achievement.
11:22 And I think I'm right in thinking that we actually haven't lost an ODI series under John Lewis.
11:28 So I think we've only lost two games or something under him.
11:31 So, you know, it goes to show we're doing a lot of really good things, but it's how do we keep that mindset positive all the time?
11:38 And that's something that I think we were probably disappointed with ourselves from Derby, that we could have been a little bit more ruthless in some of those moments.
11:50 That's great. Thank you, Kate. And best of luck. Thank you.
11:53 Thanks, everyone. Thanks, guys. Thanks.
11:56 Oh, someone's in the waiting room. Oh, missed it.
12:05 Thanks, guys. What I'll do is I will send the file around to you as normal if that's all right, guys.
12:10 I'll send that to Michelle. Thank you.
12:14 Thank you.