Knight optimistic on England's chances at T20 World Cup
The England skipper thinks her side are in contention for a second T20 World Cup crown.
England captain Heather Knight believes many of her international teammates will enter October's ICC Women's T20 World Cup in good form following eye-catching efforts during the recent Hundred competition.
England’s domestic T20I tournament came to an end over the weekend and it was no surprise to see a host of international stars dominate as Knight's London Spirit team defeated the Welsh Fire in a tight final at Lord's.
Knight holds aloft The Hundred trophy // Getty Images
Spinner Sarah Glenn finished with the second-most wickets at the tournament with 12 scalps and is sure to be among England's squad at the T20 World Cup, while star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey and Knight herself all finished among the top five leading run-scorers.
It bodes well for England at this year's 20-over showcase and has Knight optimistic of a second T20 World Cup crown.
"I'm really pleased," Knight said.
"It's great to see the rest of the girls contributing and I'm very excited to meet up again in a couple of weeks.
"Nat [Sciver-Brunt] has been unbelievable. She's barely got out and the way she's played has been awesome. It's really pleasing going into a World Cup.
"I haven't probably had the best few Hundreds, so I was really desperate to do well this year. I was really pleased to contribute...I felt quite fresh and really wanted to show what form I'm in."
One player who could be in contention to sneak into England's squad at the T20 World Cup is all-rounder Danielle Gibson, who impressed Knight with many of her performances during The Hundred.
Gibson took eight wickets as part of London Spirit's title winning side and strengthened her credentials even further with a highly valuable 22 from just nine deliveries in the final.
All-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt starred for England at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023
While Gibson didn't make her international debut until after last year's T20 World Cup in South Africa, Knight was taken aback by the maturity shown by the 23-year-old and thinks she is in the mix to make the squad this time around.
"I forget how young she is," Knight said.
"We saw the game she played at Lord's, a reverse-sweep to go and win the game against Australia last year, and that's the sort of mindset that we want in that England side: the willingness to take risks, take the game on and express what your talent, and Dani epitomises that.
"She's a player that can impact a game in all three facets… she hasn't gone as well as she would've liked with the ball in the last couple of games, but [to have] the character to go, 'I'm going to go and win this game for us' was unbelievable. She's a great ball-striker. She's got real clarity about how she wants to play and that's exactly what we want for her. I'm delighted for her."