England v New Zealand: Heather Knight hopes to build on Hundred
- Published
Heather Knight captained London Spirit to fourth in the table in the inaugural edition of The Hundred
England v New Zealand, first Twenty20 |
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Venue: Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford Date: 1 September Time: 18:30 BST |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, plus in-play clips and radio and text commentary. |
England captain Heather Knight hopes the success of The Hundred will draw larger crowds for the Twenty20 series against New Zealand.
The tournament opener was the most-watched women's TV match in the UK, and 267,000 fans, external attended games, a record for a women's competition.
"It's about now trying to transfer those fans to coming more regularly," said Knight.
The first T20 at Chelmsford is live on the BBC at 18:00 BST on Wednesday.
"Speaking about The Hundred, Knight added: "With those events that are really well supported, it's making sure you transfer this all year round.
"A lot can be taken into the women's international game. I'd like to see the same marketing budget."
Knight's England won the 50-over World Cup in 2017, but she said not enough was done to grow the women's game after that success.
"2017 did feel a bit of a one-off," she said. "It was an amazing day but the momentum wasn't capitalised on."
Three T20s are followed by five one-day internationals starting on 16 September.
England are unbeaten in limited-overs series this year.
They won the T20 series 2-1 and the ODI series 3-0 in New Zealand earlier this year, and beat India 2-1 in ODIs and T20s at home this summer.
Batter Maia Bouchier and off-spinner Charlie Dean will have to wait for a potential England debut until the second T20 at the earliest after being identified as possible Covid-19 contacts.
Uncapped all-rounder Emma Lamb, who was added to the squad on Saturday, could feature.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine returns after taking a break with fatigue earlier this year.
She is joined by opener Suzie Bates, who has played only one match - a four-wicket defeat by England A in a warm-up game, external last week - since November because of a shoulder injury.
All-rounder Amelia Kerr opted not to travel for mental health reasons.
England (from): Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones (wk), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Danni Wyatt, Maia Bouchier and Charlie Dean (from game two onwards).
New Zealand (from): Sophie Devine (capt), Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Claudia Green, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Jess Kerr, Katey Martin, Leigh Kasperek, Rosemary Mair, Jess McFadyen, Thamsyn Newton, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.
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