Tash Farrant recall provides great example for others in new era, says Heather Knight

NICK FRIEND: Left-arm seamer Farrant lost her central contract at the start of 2019 but returns for England's tour of New Zealand, with Anya Shrubsole and Katie George both missing through injury

England Women were midway through a training block in their bio-secure bubble when they learnt of the World Cup’s postponement by 12 months.

In normal times, they would now be completing their final preparations ahead of the tournament. And while Australia might be the team of the era and Meg Lanning’s side the team to beat, England – under Heather Knight – are world champions with a crown to protect.

The coronavirus pandemic, however, means defending that title will have to wait until 2022. But in the meantime, they are travelling to New Zealand to ramp up their planning, having not played an ODI since beating Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur in the last throes of 2019. Because of the absence of a World Cup, this trip – three ODIs followed by three T20Is – will fill the void of a winter otherwise lacking in cricket.

“Relief is definitely an emotion I'm feeling,” Knight said, a day after the schedule for the tour was confirmed and a 16-strong squad announced. “We've still got 10 days to get through without getting dreaded Covid before we can get on that plane, but I'm definitely excited that we've managed to get some cricket in.

“It's an important starting step in terms of working out what our best ODI team is and getting lots of players in form for that year. Having a big squad we can pick from, because there's going to be so much cricket over the next two years, it's important that we've got that strength in depth that we can call upon when things are very busy.”

Speaking to The Cricketer in December, head coach Lisa Keightley pinpointed the importance of adding quality to her 50-over seam attack. Katherine Brunt will spearhead a mostly inexperienced group of seamers; Freya Davies remains at the front end of her international career, while Kate Cross was an unused squad member during the summer series against West Indies and hasn’t played for England since December 2019.

^{Heather Knight will lead England in their first ODI since 2019}

Vice-captain Anya Shrubsole is missing through a knee injury and Katie George, for whom so much is hoped, has suffered a stress fracture of the back. It means that Keightley’s wish has been granted, albeit not perhaps as she had intended. As a consequence, Tash Farrant has received a recall – well earned reward for two years’ hard graft since losing her central contract at the start of 2019.

Having been on an England deal since the age of 17, she was forced to reassess, taking a coaching job at Trent College and learning to organise her own training plans. In June, she was handed a summer retainer deal with South East Stars, becoming captain of the new regional hub in the process, and that return to life as a professional cricketer has led itself to this juncture.

Alex Hartley, another whose career was altered after losing her national contract, took to social media to congratulate Farrant, a former teammate. She knows better than most the mental trauma that comes with being cast aside by England at a time when nothing concrete existed at domestic level.

“Tash performed really towards the back end of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and she's definitely still been on our radar even though she lost her central contract,” Knight said, recognising quite what it will mean to Farrant to be back among the fold.

“I was in the academy when I was 14 and from there it was just England, England, England. When it all came crashing down, my whole world was gone,” Farrant told The Cricketer in June.

“The fact that Tash has worked so hard and those domestic contracts are in place has meant she's been training [through the off-season] when she potentially wouldn't have done in previous years, so I'm delighted to have Tash back in the side,” Knight added.

“It's good to have her back around the group. I feel like she's matured a lot in the last couple of years being away from the side. She's gone back and had to find a job and she's experienced that a little bit, so I feel like as a player she's got a bit more perspective as well in where she was. I think she's really developed as a cricketer but also as an individual over the last two years.”

^{Tash Farrant is back in an England squad two years after losing her central contract; she captained South East Stars (above) in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy}

The secondary impact of Farrant’s call-up is more symbolic. There was a time – perhaps as recently as six months ago – that many county players felt the door to international cricket was closed if they weren’t already among the setup in some way.

Keightley told The Cricketer last month: “I have no doubt that the players still feel that if you don’t get picked in an academy or a programme, then that’s your international chance gone.

“What the domestic structure and giving people the opportunity to be full-time and get better is going to do is giving them the opportunity to have that dream of still playing for their country and wearing the shirt.”

In Farrant, this is a start, even if the more tangible fruits of domestic professionalisation are likely to come further down the line, once the 41 players on full-time deals have enjoyed a whole winter’s training.

“It's so important,” Knight added, pointing to Georgia Adams and Sophie Luff as two others whose 2020 form has created whispers around their own quests for higher honours.

“And having the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint competition and hopefully The Hundred this year as well will just give people a chance to show what they can do and show what skills they have and that they can put in performances. It's really exciting.

“It's just brilliant that if somebody does lose their contract, they can go back into that system. It's a great example and it's only going to help things in the future.

“It's been quite hard for some players because there hasn't been a huge amount of cricket, but next summer if we have that full domestic season it gives those players a real chance to push their case and knock the door down.

“It's really healthy for us as an England side, sometimes that pressure from outside can bring out the best in the players that are in the team so hopefully that happens.”

^{Issy Wong will travel with England but is not part of the squad}

To begin with, Farrant will act as cover, with Brunt, Davies and Cross all likely to stand further ahead in the queue, with Nat Sciver also a frontline seamer these days.

But Farrant’s ability to bring the ball back into the right-hander was specifically cited by Knight as one of the motivations for her selection; Shrubsole, of course, swings the new white ball prodigiously, even if she has not been at her best for some time.

Perhaps of even greater intrigue is the news that Issy Wong will travel with the squad to work with bowling coach Tim MacDonald on her development. The 18-year-old, who was just two years of age when Brunt made her Test bow, has long been highlighted as a possible star of the future.

While there are “no plans to use her in the squad at the moment”, the decision to introduce her to the surroundings of an England environment suggests there is some significant excitement around her potential.

“We want to see Issy around the squad, how she reacts,” Knight explained. Wong was part of England’s expanded group of 24 that initially returned to training in June following the global Covid-19 shutdown.

“We've identified in Issy someone who has real potential to play for England in the future and that's why we're bringing her along: to expose her to different conditions and to give her different experiences.

“If there are injuries, then there's no possibility no fly anyone out. So, if we have a real crisis, I guess she's there to be used. But the main reason for her to come is to be around the squad and for her development and to hopefully see how she gets better being around the girls and coaches.”