Heather Knight to prioritise players' mental and physical health during New Zealand ODI series

The England captain is keen to rotate her squad as they face five matches in 11 days at the end of a busy summer of cricket

England captain Heather Knight has admitted she is facing something of a selection balancing act ahead of her side’s upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.

The series, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 16 in Bristol, will see England play five matches in the space of 11 days and travel to Worcester, Leicester, Derby and Canterbury.

The ODI series comes hot on the heels of a busy summer of cricket, during which Knight’s squad have played a multi-format series against India and a three-match T20I series against New Zealand either side of participating in The Hundred. And with a five-match white-ball series against Pakistan, an away Ashes series and the 2022 Cricket World Cup all in the diary for the next six months, Knight has decided to prioritise her squad’s physical and mental health.

"We’ve got five games in 11 days, so we’re going to have to manage players really well and make sure we’re looking after people physically and mentally," Knight said. "It’s about balancing wanting to win and putting out a really strong team, and also trying to be ready for what we’ve got next year and looking to the future. There’s a lot of things to weigh up but we’re massively building towards next year,  the Ashes and the World Cup in particular where we’re going to try and defend our crown in New Zealand.

"It’s been a slightly strange time in the last 18 months what with the bubbles and we’re still under restrictions now. We’ve got a trip to Pakistan coming up which will be very similar – we’ll have to isolate before we go – and we don’t really know what Australia is going to look like. We’ve got a lot of cricket coming up and we have to manage the people who are going to play a lot of cricket for us. We’re always trying to look after players, both physically and mentally."

^{Charlie Dean has been backed by the England captain to play a part in the ODI series}

Addressing the backlash the England men’s team received for their rest and rotation policy earlier in the year, Knight continued: "The objective is to look after players and that’s exactly what we want to do. It has been a tough time to look after people [with] the restrictions, bubble life etc. We’re super lucky to be playing cricket but it does make things a little tricky.

"The schedule is five matches in 11 days with travel. Obviously, for the fast bowlers in particular that’s a tough schedule and we’re at the back end of a busy summer of cricket. The multi-format series against India, The Hundred, there hasn’t been any break at all.

"It’s about making sure we’re managing those players and putting them in the best positions. It also gives us the opportunity to build a bigger squad which is key for us moving for. Having strength and depth, people are pushing each other, fighting for places – [it’s] a great place to be."

One player who could benefit from England’s squad rotation is allrounder Charlie Dean. The 20-year-old has impressed on the domestic circuit in 2021, taking 10 wickets for Southern Vipers in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, seven wickets in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and six wickets in The Hundred as well as proving herself to be a handy batter. And Knight has tipped the youngster to play a part in the upcoming ODI series.

"We’ve got Charlie Dean who’s new to the ODI squad who we want to have a bit of a look at," Knight said. "I’ve been really impressed with her actually; I played with her closely at London Spirit. She’s an off-spinner which we’ve not played too much in ODIs recently, so she gives another dimension and another match-up to different types of batters.

"She’s got good control, she’s a good spinner, she’s quite smart as well about how she does things, and she’s useful with the bat as well, so a really good addition and an exciting young cricketer. She’s definitely in with a shout."

However, one player whose role in the series will be much more limited is bowler Anya Shrubsole, with Knight confirming the 29-year-old, who has made 73 ODI appearances for England, will miss the first ODI.

"She’s not fit for selection. She had a bit of a fall on it [her ankle], a bit of ligament damage, but they’re hoping she’ll be back at the end of the series. The plan is to aim for the third ODI," Knight said.