Is Knight's sluggish form a concern for England?

It would beryllium a immense telephone for Edwards to driblet Knight, who made a grounds 310th England quality astatine Chelmsford, for specified an important summer.

Hartley said her apical 3 would dwell of Wyatt-Hodge, Capsey and Sciver-Brunt, keeping Knight successful the mediate bid and with Dunkley missing out.

However, Dunkley is 1 of fewer England batters susceptible of clearing the ropes, which is an country successful which they are lacking.

Since the past T20 World Cup successful 2024, Dunkley has deed 11 sixes and Wyatt-Hodge five. They are the lone batters successful England's apical 7 to person deed much than 3 sixes successful that timeframe.

Explosive all-rounders Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp were tasked with scoring astatine much than 10 runs per implicit by the clip they came in, having been successful a precise akin presumption during England's decision by New Zealand astatine Canterbury.

On some occasions, they fell cheaply trying to people rapidly from shot 1 due to the fact that of the unit that had built erstwhile Knight was batting.

The statement to instrumentality with Knight is not helped by the information her attacking changeable percent has dropped to 64% successful 2026 compared to 75% betwixt 2023 and 2025.

"I don't deliberation Charlotte Edwards volition privation to driblet 1 of the all-rounders," Hartley added.

"She's a immense all-rounder instrumentality and she wants that left-hander successful Kemp arsenic well."

Former England Test skipper Nasser Hussain backed Knight to present due to the fact that of her wealthiness of experience, but accepted determination needs to beryllium an improvement.

"I backmost Heather due to the fact that she has been a world-class subordinate for a agelong time," Hussain said connected Sky Sports.

"Under unit you request radical similar Heather Knight, but she volition cognize her past 4 innings, peculiarly today, to a get a run-a-ball 20 aft 3 run-a-ball 20s - you are amended getting retired for a first-ball duck than getting that.

"She didn't play T20 internationals for a year. Maybe she is taking clip to get going.

"She is not arsenic mobile. She is not idiosyncratic similar Jemimah Rodrigues who is putting distant the atrocious balls and looks a batch busier, but she has been astir agelong capable to cognize that is not the innings you request successful a 180 run-chase."