Kate Cross is still hopeful that she will be able to represent England in the T20 World Cup this year, and she sees the forthcoming Hundred as her opportunity to secure a spot.
After being sidelined for the first two matches of the series due to an abdominal strain, Cross made her ODI comeback on Sunday, helping England defeat New Zealand by eight wickets in Worcester to take a 2-0 lead.
When questioned, Cross stated that she would do everything in her power to persuade head coach Jon Lewis to select her for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October, but she remained steadfastly focused on her job in ODIs as England’s senior seam bowler ahead of the final 50-over match in Bristol on Wednesday.
“Lewy’s said, ‘never say never,’ with T20 cricket, he’s said he’s definitely not ruled me out for future series or games,” Cross stated. “However, I’m only in charge of what I can manage, and I know that the Hundred is approaching, so I can try to close out games for the Superchargers by opening the bowling.
“So for me, that’s my opportunity to showcase to him what I can do and if that’s good enough, it’s good enough, and if it’s not, then I’ll obviously support the girls from quite a distance as I won’t be in Bangladesh.”
Cross hadn’t played in a T20I since December 2019 and hadn’t claimed a wicket in the format since the Women’s Ashes nearly six months earlier, until England’s late summer hosting of Sri Lanka. With an economy rate of 7.22 and an average of 33.72, she has 11 wickets in 16 games.
Prior to collecting 1 for 31 from 10 overs to help bowl the White Ferns out for 141 in Worcester, where spinner Sophie Ecclestone took 5 for 25 from nine overs, she was not included in the squad for the five T20Is in New Zealand earlier this year or the three against Pakistan more recently.
If Cross is not selected for the T20 World Cup, there is an ODI version in India the following year, following the Ashes series in Australia across many formats.