"It'll be really nice to play at Bristol and Taunton again - they were big parts of my development as a kid - and we had such good support there during the World Cup as well."
Wednesday 9 August 2017 09:33, UK
England's World Cup winning skipper Heather Knight is preparing for a West Country homecoming as she bids to add a Kia Super League title to the much-acclaimed global success she achieved at Lord's.
Knight leads Western Storm in the six-team Kia Super League which kicks off on August 10 and culminates with Finals Day at Hove on September 1.
Storm lost in the final of last year's inaugural competition to Southern Vipers, who were led by England legend Charlotte Edwards, Knight's predecessor as national team captain.
Knight, 26, admitted that her feet have barely touched the ground since England's nail-biting win over India in the Women's World Cup final in front more than 20,000 spectators at Lord's.
"It will take a while to sink in and to appreciate what an achievement it was and how many people we reached," Knight said.
"I was in Manchester filming Question of Sport, which I watched as a kid. I was stopped by people at Euston Station coming up to congratulate me and then I was being asked by Sue Barker whether I wanted a home or away question - I had to pinch myself.
"I'm really excited to get back to the West Country and join up with the Western Storm - the stormtroopers.
"We had a really good tournament last year, finishing with that loss in the final to Southern Vipers and we'd love to go one better in what will hopefully will an even bigger and better tournament.
"We were a bit inconsistent with the ball last year but we've got some really good young players. Freya Davies has improved massively from her experiences last year and I'm expecting a big year from her.
"She's a really good new-ball bowler with a lot of good skills, including a very good slower ball.
"We've also picked up New Zealand's Holly Huddleston as a bowling option - we were a bit batting heavy last year and she adds an extra dimension to our attack."
They will both complement World Cup match-winner Anya Shrubsole, whose 6-46 in the final secured England their dramatic nine-run victory.
Also in the squad are England's Fran Wilson, West Indies' Stafanie Taylor and Rachel Priest from New Zealand.
Knight added: "Hopefully people will enjoy the chance to watch more good women's cricket and we'd love to see the sort of crowds we got during the World Cup and lots of young girls as well.
"The amount of young girls that were there [at Lord's] and the stories of girls wanting to play have been amazing - Paul Collingwood's tweet about his little girls being inspired to play cricket was brilliant.
"It'll be really nice to play at Bristol and Taunton again - they were big parts of my development as a kid - and we had such good support there during the World Cup as well."
Tickets for the Kia Super League can be purchased at www.ecb.co.uk/kiasuperleague
