Kate Cross is about to release the angst of a calm English summer
When England’s ODI series with India begins on Sunday at Hove, Kate Cross is set to unleash the frustration of a sleepy English summer.
The encounter will be Kate Cross’s first in an England shirt in two months, as the seamer, who turns 31 next month, has only played three times for her country this summer.
She grabbed 4 for 63 and 2 for 56 in the drawn Test against South Africa that kicked off the home international season, although she was bowled out in both ODIs against the same opposition.
“You just want to play as much cricket as you can, and I’ve probably been a little light on cricket this summer,” Kate Cross explained. “I’ve only played three games for England, which feels like a lot of cricket compared to last year.”
“You go through all the preparation so you can appreciate those times as a team.” I’ve had one of the greatest seats in the house to watch the T20 series and see the kids go out and do their thing, so I can’t wait to get out there.”
Kate Cross was a member of England’s T20I team for the South Africa trip, the Commonwealth Games, and the recently concluded series with India, which the hosts won 2-1.
During that time, she has seen a new generation emerge, including seam bowlers Issy Wong, Lauren Bell, and Freya Kemp, as well as allrounder Alice Capsey.
Kemp and Capsey have been particularly good with the bat and are expected to make their ODI debuts during the three-match series against India, while Wong and Bell are eager to broaden their experience in the format after each playing two ODIs against South Africa.
“It’s always disheartening to be in a group and not play,” added Kate Cross, who is England’s senior seamer with veteran Katherine Brunt resting. “However, I believe that there is some experience that I can bring to the group even when I am not playing.”
“I’ve tried to do that with this team because we obviously don’t have Nat [Sciver] or Katherine around, so as a senior bowler, it’s wonderful to have a bit more responsibility and some youngsters listening to what you’re saying.”
“They’ve been incredible. They’ve shown no fear in coming out to play for England, which is exactly what we want going ahead. It’s what we’re aiming for as a group. It’s a style of cricket in which you can’t fail, and they’ve just done exactly that.”
All of this bodes well for England’s future, but it doesn’t make it any easier for Cross to end her playing drought, something she was quick to point out as a plus for the home team.
“The only thing I have to rely on is my ODI record, and I’d like to think it will serve me well,” Cross said. “Flipping that, it’s extremely exciting that we now have competition for spots.”
“I think a lot of people would have panicked if this squad didn’t have Nat and Katherine in it a couple of years ago, but it’s just so amazing that youngsters are coming through and grabbing their chances.”
“No one can relax when you’ve got Issy Wong or Lauren Bell behind you, so I think that’s really fantastic and it keeps selection spicy, I guess, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Cross was a star performance in the ODIs when India last visited England a year ago, with her 5 for 34 in Taunton winning her Player-of-the-Match honors and propelling the hosts to a five-wicket victory and 2-0 series lead before India won the final game in Worcester for a 2-1 series win.
Following Hove, the series proceeds to Canterbury on Wednesday, followed by the series finale at Lord’s the following Saturday. The last time these teams met at Lord’s was in the 2017 World Cup final, which England won by nine runs.
Cross had mixed feelings about that game. She was one of three centrally contracted England players left out of the 15-man team for that World Cup, along with Amy Jones (now acting captain in lieu of Heather Knight (hip injury) and Sciver (mental health leave).
“It was the first thing I noticed when the fixture list came out at the beginning of the summer,” Cross said. “It’s a big honor for us to be able to play at a venue like Lord’s. There’s so much history there, and we last played there as a squad in 2017, so there are some really good memories there as well against India.
“It’s amusing because many of the young girls have been playing at Lord’s in the Hundred, and nothing is too large for them.
Whereas for some of the older girls who haven’t had much opportunity to play there – I’ve only played one game there and it was for the MCC, so I’ve never played internationally or in the Hundred – it just feels like a wonderful occasion when you get to be at Lord’s.”
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