Knight urges England to be 'ruthless' against Pakistan

England beat New Zealand 2-1 in their most recent ODI series in March and April

England v Pakistan, first one-day international

Date: 23 May Venue: The Incora County Ground, Derby Time: 13:00 BST

Coverage: Ball-by-ball radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, live text commentary and in-play clips on the BBC Sport website and app.

England captain Heather Knight hopes her side can continue to win "ruthlessly" in their upcoming one-day international series against Pakistan.

The hosts cruised to a 3-0 clean sweep in the preceding T20 series, and the first of three ODIs starts in Derby on Thursday.

While most of the emphasis has been on the shortest format, with the T20 World Cup approaching in October, Knight says there is still plenty to play for in the ODIs.

"For us it's all about improving as a team, regardless of the format," said Knight, 33.

"We want to keep winning series and win them ruthlessly, as we did in the T20s."

England only played six ODIs in 2023, but won both the series against Australia and Sri Lanka, and concluded their tour of New Zealand in April with a 2-1 series win.

The next 50-over World Cup takes place in India in 2025, while three ODIs will be part of the multi-format Ashes in January.

England have committed to playing more aggressively under head coach Jon Lewis, and Knight wants to see her side maintain the same approach in the longer format.

"Our aim is to always be positive but in ODIs you do have that added time to read situations," she added.

"I don't think we got that tempo right in New Zealand, so hopefully we can show how we want to play here."

Opener Tammy Beaumont and seamer Kate Cross join the squad after missing the T20 series, while England will have to find a way to balance the side with all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt still unable to bowl.

England played three spinners in the T20s, with Sarah Glenn, Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean all in excellent form.

"We've not really played all three of them at the same time in 50-over cricket, but collectively they've been so good, it would be so hard to leave one of them out," said Knight.

"But with our batting we want to be positive and have that depth, so the balance of the side is something we're going to consider."