Heather Knight: "We're unlikely to have a Covid-free World Cup"

Host country New Zealand is currently in the grips of an Omicron peak, with over 12,000 new cases reported on February 24

England captain Heather Knight believes the 2022 Women’s World Cup is "unlikely" to be unaffected by Covid-19.

Host country New Zealand is currently in the grips of an Omicron peak, with over 12,000 new cases reported on February 24, while on Thursday the ICC announced that teams could play matches with just nine players in a bid to keep the tournament on schedule.

Female backroom staff can also be used as substitute fielders, an announcement which is set to prompt possibly comical auditions in the England camp.

"We’ve been ranking [the staff] and we’ve got the doctor and the team manager down for a net tomorrow," Knight joked.

"It’s not an ideal situation and hopefully it never happens, but you never know. People are desperate to get the tournament on and with the rules around close contacts, there might be a scenario where it does happen. We’re unlikely to have a Covid-free World Cup."

Climbed a mountain cause we got out of quarantine ⛰ #BenLomond pic.twitter.com/AvVl0ntPV0

— Kate Cross (@katecross16) February 18, 2022

The ongoing situation in New Zealand, combined with the country’s strict Covid protocols, has led to questions around whether the tournament should have been relocated. However, Knight isn’t getting drawn into the debate and described the bubble conditions as "manageable".

"We’re here now and we’ve done the quarantine. It’s never ideal but it’s got to be done," she said. "The restrictions are completely manageable with a little bit of help from FICA, PCA and various boards around the country.

"They’ve made sure the players are looked after in terms of the restrictions, having conversations to make sure player welfare is at the forefront of what’s going on, making sure the restrictions aren’t too restrictive and there’s a middle ground between trying to get the tournament on and keep Covid out and also looking after players."

Her side have also enjoyed some freedom since arriving from Australia earlier this month, spending a week in Queenstown after completing their seven-day quarantine.

"It was really important to get a bit of time away from cricket," Knight said. "A few of us managed to take on Ben Lomond, which was a lot of fun, and there was a lot of golf, going to cafes and enjoying what Queenstown has to offer."

England will take on Bangladesh and South Africa in two warm-up matches on February 28 and March 2, respectively, before kicking off their World Cup title defence against Australia on March 5.

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