Contemplative Kate Cross looks to the future

At the England Press day at Loughborough on the same day that the England squad was announced for the tri-series with India and Australia, Women’s CricZone caught up with Kate Cross who returns to the international scene after an absence of nearly two years.



We talked to her about her return to international cricket, playing in Australia, last years' World Cup, inspiring the next generations and the Kia Super League.



 



Welcome back, how does it feel?



It’s cold, very cold. It felt like a long winter, I was away for five months, but on the other hand, I was getting to play competitive cricket. Which as a cricketer that is what you want to be doing. I probably picked the worst week to come back as that beast from the east and storm Emma collided, so a bit of a shock to the system from Perth.



 



How was the experience of playing out in Australia?



It was different. Obviously, you are getting dropped into a team who were already established, they have played a few seasons together and then you suddenly come in. Sometimes you can be seen as a threat to some of the players. The Western Fury who I was playing with are a young team, I turned 26 when I was over there, so I am an experienced player and you have got the international tagline that goes along with you. There is suddenly a lot of expectation on you as a player and as a person, you are expected to help the younger bowlers, so in that sense, it was an enjoyable experience because it was all brand-new faces.



I felt the pressure when playing and I think that helped me in hindsight because I was working hard, having to train hard and play hard, so I’m really glad I went there.



 



Is it good to be back in the England squad as well?



It’s always nice. I got to see the girls when they were over in Sydney with the Ashes trip which was nice. It was good to catch up with them because I hadn’t seen them for three or four months, so this is the first week I have had back with them. I’m obviously delighted to be selected for India and travelling over there next week.



It feels a long time since I was involved in an England squad. I’ve worked hard, and I’m looking forward to the challenge that is India in its self. It’s always a challenge for a fast bowler out there, so it should be a good one.



 



Then there is acclimatising.



I think I might have a slight advantage having had a winter in Australia, but it’s still completely different the humidity out there is stifling sometimes.



 



What challenges as a whole does India bring?



You’ve got the obvious ones with the weather and the climate. I think even having had a winter over in the sunshine, I still think I am going to struggle because it is just completely different. Notoriously India and the subcontinent is a spinner friendly place to be. I’m quite lucky in that I am a seam bowler, so I am trying to move the ball off straight, and if it spins it generally seams. You’ve got slower and lower pitches in general, which sometimes can be a challenge. Again, I’ve come from Australia where they have been quick and bouncy, so it will be a very good challenge to adjust to those conditions.



I think having not played international cricket for coming up to two years, so maybe just getting back into the swing of that higher level. You can try and recreate international cricket through the Super Leauge and the Big Bash there is nothing that really emulates it. I am really looking forward to being back in that pressure environment.



India is such a wonderful place to travel with the culture over there.



 



The England side is a close-knit group



Exactly and I think that is the kind of environment that Mark Robinson has tried to create. I’m not going to tell a lie that was a difficult time for me, I can’t speak for Amy (Jones) and Tash (Farrant), we were the three that missed out of the World Cup squad, but you see the success that the girls had and the fact that they are playing in front of a packed Lord’s.



We sat in the stands and that was difficult, we were desperate for our team to win but at the same time you are so desperate to be part of it, so there was a lot of mixed emotions that day. Ultimately, we always supported the girls, we trained to get them ready for the World Cup. They were all brilliant as well they made sure we were there at the World Cup final, they invited us up into the dressing rooms. That was really nice to be able to spend that with them. Then again you want to be wearing the shirt and getting your shirt signed.



I think things like that spur you on, Anya (Shrubsole), player of the match and getting the MBE, you want that to be you but that is the competitive nature of sport and that is what our jobs are.



 



I took my five-year-old niece to the World Cup final and she really got into the spirit of things.



That’s brilliant if you ask a lot of the girls what makes them proud it's not the medals that you win, it is stories like that and hearing about that. My own niece went that day, she suddenly picked up a cricket bat and wants to play cricket now.



We always speak about inspiring the next generation of female cricketers. Especially from the generation we came from where cricket wasn’t professional, and very much seen to be a male-dominated sport, times are changing now, and you have got a lot of young girls wanting to play now, that is something we are really proud of.



 



When I first mentioned cricket to my niece, she was of the opinions that it was a boys game, then last year she dragged my sister out of her car when it was pouring in rain to go and sign up for the all-stars cricket.



They are the stories we would much rather hear about. It’s great that you get to play in front of 25,000 at Lord’s but actually, those are the stories that give you goosebumps, they are things you remember when you retire.



 



Is the Kia Super League important to get the younger generations involved?



When the Kia Super League was designed it had the younger generations in mind, and I think that is where the Big Bash is so successful in Australia. I went out to a few games out there and the amount of kids that go to the games. Every person who is the ground really buys into their team.



I think the Kia Super League is important because it gives a lot of people more access to female cricket at a higher level. There is not always a lot of international cricket in this country in the summer, and if it is it has generally been down south. Especially for Lancashire and Yorkshire, there is a lot more cricket up north, which is great.



 



And you are taking games all over Lancashire.



I think we have got fixtures at Southport and Birkdale, Blackpool, Liverpool and Old Trafford so we have got a good mix. Lancashire is not a small county, and we are playing home and away this season so that will be even better. I think I found last year and the year before with Super League that people would just pick up and find out about it and suddenly it’s over because it was a two-week tournament, so I think home and away will only enhance the tournament.



 



Twenty20 is a game all about momentum.



We have had no momentum, we have really struggled. It’s hard to say you are looking forward to a season when you are coming off the back of two very poor seasons. I feel that we are going to be one of the teams that when we find a way to win we will be very competitive. Which is a shame because on paper we have a competitive team, but we have just not proven ourselves in any way.



I think the Super League is such a new tournament, there is still a lot of chopping and changing with teams. Danni Hazell came and captained us last year, and she came from Yorkshire, so, it’s going to be her second year as captain, which will give just a bit more consistency will help us.



 



You have got some good young players coming through as well.



Think that is almost the frustrating thing as well. I take for granted the fact that Emma Lamb has played in the county team for almost eight years now, and I think that she has only just turned twenty. I take for granted how young she is in terms of her cricket career. You almost expect too much from them, but because they have been around for so long, and been so successful.



That will be the big challenge now, how those girls push in those environments, and how they stand up against the best players in the world and that’s what we didn’t do for the past two years.



 



Is it helpful that they are competitive at county level?



It was a bizarre season for us last year because we went from winning the Twenty20 div one county trophy, we won the county championship 50 over trophy and yet we have gone into the Super League and couldn’t win a game. Other than the added internationals to the Kia Super League to the team we were pretty much the same team, you think we would be stronger.



I think because you are more on a platform where you have televised games, people are more aware of the Super League than of the County Championship, so maybe some of the younger girls are a bit more scared of failing almost, which is something we want to eliminate and let them play with a bit of freedom.