Kate Cross Blog: England Women's star on Big Bash and South Africa

Kate Cross on the Women's Big Bash, sleeping struggles on her flight home, and preparing to play South Africa...

Women's Big Bash

It is hard to believe that the inaugural Women's Big Bash League has been and gone already. What a two months of cricket it was! It was really special to be involved with the Brisbane Heat in the first tournament of its kind, and it was great to see it be such a success. 

We were obviously really disappointed not to make the finals but unfortunately we couldn't get over the line in our must win game against the Adelaide Strikers. I'd like to pass on my congratulations to Alex Blackwell who captained the Sydney Thunder to the trophy, stamping their name in the history books. On a personal note, I can always say I was the first ever bowler to bowl a front foot no-ball in the WBBL... Quiz question one day, maybe?

On a serious note, the WBBL is the perfect example of the continuing strides being made in the women's game. Every corner we turn, we seem to be making history and it's so exciting to be part of. 

Sore back to Business Class

So it was time to leave Brisbane after our two month stay there which was sad indeed. My England team-mate, Lauren Winfield, who was with me at the Heat, was struggling to get into a comfortable sleeping position on our flight to Manchester, resorting to this rogue position.

She was struggling so much so in fact, that at one point I had fallen asleep and woke up with Loz nowhere to be seen…  Having drifted back off I woke up again to find her still missing (probably 90 minutes later). Getting a bit worried as to where she was, I suddenly saw her sauntering down the aisle looking very smug. I asked her where she'd been and it turned out she'd had a stint in a spare seat in Business Class. Sure. As you do. She was eventually discovered by a stewardess and asked to leave. Needless to say, the "sorry, but I thought it was okay because I have a sore back" excuse didn't sit very well. 

It was great to see family and friends for the weekend once we finally landed, and a perfect chance to recharge the batteries before heading down to Heathrow to meet up with the England girls as we head out to South Africa. It was our first opportunity to meet new Head Coach, Mark Robinson, although I'm not sure my first impression was a great one, when he quickly discovered that I haven't taken after my dad, David, and am dreadful at football. He's a big Hull supporter… I guess someone has to be!

Three Lions on our shirts

It was great to catch up with all the girls and hear about what they had been up to over the winter. There seems to be a real excitement around the group which is a refreshing environment to come back into and everyone has a really good feeling about what is to come in the next 12-18 months. There is nothing better than getting your England kit back on and standing proud with all the girls. 

We have just finished a week of training in Potchefstroom which was brilliant. The facilities there are fantastic, and it was a great opportunity to get some practice on grass pitches under our belts. The England PEPP (Potential England Performance Programme) fast bowlers are also out here, along with Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett who are rehabbing after injuries.

It was really interesting to get to see what the lads get up to on the fast bowlers programme and how they train. We also discovered that the grass in Potch is pretty dry and trousers are an absolute must when fielding, Sarah Taylor discovered this one the hard way (ouchie).

We have just moved to Pretoria where we have some warm-up games coming up this week before the three-match ODI series which starts on Sunday. Everyone is excited to get back out on the park and put a hard winter of work on display. Wish us luck!

Crossy