Heather Knight returns to captain England in their white-ball series against West Indies having missed over three months following hip surgery; wicketkeeper batter Amy Jones named vice-captain after leading side against India.
Friday 2 December 2022 11:01, UK
Returning England captain Heather Knight says she is "100 per cent fit" after almost three months out with a hip injury and ruled out England using the 'Mankad' tactic against the West Indies.
Having undergone surgery in August, England's captain returns for the three one-day internationals and five T20 internationals in the Caribbean, which will be played between December 4 and December 22.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's opening ODI, Knight said: "Recovery has been really good, been three months of hard work in the gym. I feel really good, hip feels in a good place and pretty confident I am 100 per cent fit. The next few days is building it up so I am ready to play the first game on Sunday. Feeling refreshed."
"My role is to get back in the side and score a few runs, It's going to be a nice feeling getting out there and trying to my role," she continued.
"I have got experience in these conditions. My main job is to score runs and to lead the group again."
England have named wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones as vice-captain for the series, with Nat Sciver opting against putting herself forward for the role having withdrawn from September's India series in order to focus on her mental health.
Jones captained England during that series, which ended in controversial fashion when Charlie Dean was the victim of a 'Mankad' dismissal in the final ODI.
Knight has ruled out England using the tactic going forward.
"Unless someone is gaining a clear advantage, I don't see us using it in any situations," she said.
"It's important to have a rule, otherwise people could exploit it. I don't think It's something we will be looking to do, we will try and do things how we normally would."
Since taking charge of the women's team, Jon Lewis has indicated that he wants his side to play a brand of cricket that "puts bums on seats".
"I think having a brand of English cricket, that's exciting, that's positive, that's trying to be at the forefront of the world game is something we are trying to do as a group," Knight continued.
"Lewi [Lewis] has obviously been involved in the men's set up and will bring little snippets of what's worked for them, but as a side we have to find out what works for us. Me and Lewi are on the same page, we want to walk toward the danger and aggressive in our approach."
Knight was effusive in her praise of Lewis as he embarks on his first tour since taking up the role last month, with the skipper heralding the "new energy" to the team, while the mix of youth and experience has been "useful".
"Jon has been great, he has been relaxed and positive in how we want to go about things. We both agree on the direction of travel. When you have that injection of new people, it brings new energy. Excited to bed those guys in," she said.
"I think the last year or so has been quite transitional and lots of young players into the squad. Being supportive, positive and aggressive and see how much we can push.
"There's a good mix of teams that can push the game forward and playing an exciting form of cricket, that is inspirational. That's at the forefront of our mind.
"The youngsters bring a lot freshness, rawness and fearlessness. Having that blend of experience to guide those youngsters is really useful, especially because a lot of the young girls haven't toured before. The most pleasing thing is the amount of players we are picking now. That's the thing that's going to push us forward."
Sunday, December 4: First ODI, Antigua (6pm UK time)
Tuesday, December 6: Second ODI, Antigua (6pm UK time)
Friday, December 9: Third ODI, Antigua (6pm UK time)
Sunday, December 11: First IT20, Antigua (10pm UK time)
Wednesday, December 14: Second IT20, Barbados (10pm UK time)
Saturday, December 17: Third IT20, Barbados (10pm UK time)
Sunday, December 18: Fourth IT20, Barbados (10pm UK time)
Thursday, December 22: Fifth IT20, Barbados (10pm UK time)
