Sydney, Jan 11 (NationPress) As they gear up for the initial ODI against Australia, England captain Heather Knight expressed that it will be extremely challenging to overcome the reigning world champions in the 50-over format.
Knight believes that the drawn Ashes series in 2023 will provide them with a significant confidence boost to take on the hosts this time.
"They’re going to be very tough for us to beat out here in one-day cricket, but we’re feeling confident about our position. We’ve achieved some fantastic victories over the past year, and that 2023 series will instill a lot of confidence in us," Knight stated to reporters at North Sydney Oval on the eve of the opening ODI.
"We are aware that the Aussies might be feeling a bit scarred from that experience, and they will come out strong. We need to be ready for that and have our strategies prepared to respond to it and counteract it ourselves," she added.
Knight's remarks resonated with those of England spinner Charlie Dean, who mentioned the previous day that her team "doesn’t carry as many scars" from past Ashes losses. The draw from last year marked a crucial turnaround for England after Australia had achieved consecutive victories.
Australia captain Alyssa Healy reacted with a smile and a wrinkled nose when questioned about Knight’s comments. She was then asked about the significance of establishing momentum early, especially after five consecutive ODI wins leading into the Ashes series, which starts with three ODIs, followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test.
"I believe you want to deliver the first blow. You want to take the initial two points, that’s how it works, allowing you to settle in from there. However, I don’t feel we’ve faced each other frequently lately, aside from World Cup warm-up matches and such," Healy conveyed.
"Thus, getting out there and gauging each other is an intriguing concept. But at the same time, we are confident in what we will bring to the one-day format, and hopefully, we’ll focus solely on ourselves tomorrow and execute that," she further added.
Starting strong won’t be the only priority for Australia, as Healy also noted that they had previously placed excessive focus on winning the Test match that kicked off the 2023 series.
"It was just the way it unraveled in the end," Healy explained. "We invested considerable effort into that Test match. We had no prior experience with the Dukes ball, and there was a lot of emphasis on that, which we achieved. Then we assumed that in the white-ball game, we would be fine.
"However, England presented some challenges we hadn’t encountered before and aggressively took the game to us, putting us on the back foot, which we are now well-prepared for against many teams globally. We learned from that experience. Yet, leaving England, the girls felt, ‘we don’t want that to happen again’. A draw isn’t a satisfying outcome for either side, especially for them as well as us to retain the trophy. Thus, we aim to secure a definite victory this time."
Knight shared a similar drive to ensure that this year’s outcome is decisively settled, reflecting on the events of 2023.
"I have fond memories of it, but they’re also mixed with regret and frustration that we couldn’t accomplish something truly remarkable and win it outright," Knight remarked.
"I don’t think we possess a mental advantage. They’re an exceptionally talented team, and we will need to be at our best to challenge them. They will undoubtedly enter as favorites, and our objective will be, as it was in 2023, to disrupt their rhythm and introduce a few unconventional tactics to break their success streak," she concluded.
