Crossy delighted to see Lancashire pals make England debuts
Friday 8 December 2017 18:29, UK
Kate Cross reflects on how "brave cricket" paid dividends for England Women against Pakistan and the side's vibrant young spinners...
Another international summer series has drawn to a close and it has been a pretty special one to say the least.
Not only have we won both the Royal London ODI series and NatWest IT20 series 3-0 against Pakistan, but we have done so in style. I think that has been the most pleasing thing for us over the last four weeks or so - not so much the results, but the manner in which we have achieved them.
As a unit, we have spoken a lot about playing brave cricket and dominating teams, and everyone has gone out and put that into these six matches.
It was Heather Knight's first series in charge as captain and I think it's probably also the first time in her career that she has been diagnosed with major batting pad rash! Lauren (Winfield) and Tammy (Beaumont) were outstanding at the top of the order.
They have seriously come into their own this summer and it speaks volumes that they maintained their run-scoring exploits throughout the six matches.
It was also amazing to see Fran Wilson back in an England shirt after a five-year absence, and for her to come in and put in a player-of-the-match performance in the second NatWest IT20 was something I know the entire team were delighted about.
It really has been an incredible summer of #SmashingBoundaries and although the entire squad is on a massive high we know we have two tough winter tours ahead of us where we need to continue to play well to keep on course for qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil next year.
The West Indies in the Caribbean are going to be a challenge, and the subcontinental conditions in Sri Lanka will be something we will need to work very hard to address.
However, the team spirit in the dressing room is sky-high at the minute and I think the most noticeable thing for me is seeing how much everyone is enjoying playing their cricket.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has come and watched us play this summer. The support has once again been awesome - the crowd is always our 12th man, and we love it! So thank you, and keep up the brilliant work!
Red Rose Representing
This summer really has been one for new opportunities and it saw the left-arm spin duo Alex Hartley and Sophie Ecclestone both make their debuts. I know I'm very biased towards the red rose but both these girls have a strong connection to the mighty Lancashire, which has made this summer doubly special for me.
I can remember little Alex making her debut for Lancashire when she was a tyke, we called her Mighty Mouse because she was a little pocket rocket who wouldn't shut up. Time hasn't changed that much, let me tell you!
I know she was a bit disappointed with her figures from her ODI debut but just looking at how much she has enjoyed being out on the pitch has been amazing to see.
As for Sophie, nothing seems to phase her! She messaged me the night before her debut saying she was too excited to sleep, I'm just glad I wasn't rooming with her for that one!
She joined Lancashire from Cheshire a couple of seasons ago and you can see the talent she has at just 17. There is plenty more to come from this one and I'm sure it will be back to reality with a bang heading into college this week. Not so "sick" Sophie!
Did someone say Kia Super League?
With the international games done and dusted, we now split up as a group to join up with our respective Kia Super League teams for the build-up to the inaugural tournament which has come round so quickly.
This summer has already been an incredible, record-breaking summer of firsts, and we all can't wait to make history once again and play in the KSL. The excitement is certainly starting to build in the North-West around the Lancashire Thunder and I'm sure the same can be said around the country. All we need now is for the sun to shine.
The stage is set.
