Heather reflects on Ashes disappointment

When the players shook hands just after 5:30pm at the Cooper Associates County Ground on Sunday it meant that the battle for the 2019 Ashes was over.

The draw in the Test match meant that Australia are now in an insurmountable position in the Ashes points table.

However, with three IT20s on the horizon, England still have pride to play for.

Looking back on the Test, England and Western Storm Captain, Heather Knight said: “Obviously, we’re disappointed to have lost the Ashes, but in terms of the Test as a whole it was really special for us. It’s a special time in the calendar and we all love it when we get to put the whites on.

“Losing the toss was a big moment and we found it hard to take wickets in their first innings. I feel that we managed to claw it back a little bit and we had some really good spells. I felt that we fought really well on the final day and we were disappointed for Nat Sciver that she didn’t manage to get to three figures. The way she played; she certainly deserved that first Test hundred, but it just wasn’t to be.

“I was proud of the spinners and the way that they attacked. Laura [Marsh] and Sophie [Ecclestone] were really impressive.

“When Amy [Jones] and I came together we had an exciting time with the bat but unfortunately, we couldn’t extend that, and we went on to lose a couple of wickets. That meant that we couldn’t kick on in the way that we wanted to.

“Trying to force a result after losing two sessions to rain was always going to be difficult. Overall credit has to go to Australia. They outplayed us in this Test match and we just couldn’t force the result.

“We now have to look at the IT20s as a mini-series. We have to go out there and start really well. There’s the chance now to go out there and play with a little bit of freedom. The T20 World Cup isn’t that far away, so this will be good preparation for the girls and hopefully we can put in some good performances and start building towards that.”