England captain Heather Knight has no hesitation putting country before club

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England captain Heather Knight had no hesitation in putting country before club however admitted the T20 franchise league growth will take ladies’s cricket into uncharted territory.

With England’s first match on a white-ball tour of New Zealand beginning on March 19, two days after the Women’s Premier League closing, Knight withdrew from a deliberate stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt and Alice Capsey had England’s blessing to go to the WPL and can subsequently miss the primary three of 5 T20s in opposition to the White Ferns this month.

It is hoped a repeat situation will be averted sooner or later with a specially-designated WPL window however Knight is conscious the proliferation of home T20 tournaments opens avenues to ladies like by no means before.

“It was a pretty easy decision for me as England captain, it’s the right thing for me to be there for the whole of the England tour,” Knight informed the PA information company forward of International Women’s Day.

“I’d always agreed to play the England games and wanted to, that was a given. I was trying to negotiate with the franchise around leaving a little bit early, but unfortunately that didn’t come to fruition.

“It was just unfortunately a little bit too tight with the flights and stuff and we couldn’t get the tour pushed back. As the game evolves, players have got more decisions to make as those options increase.

“It’s a sign of lots of opportunities in the women’s game but hopefully there’s a place for both franchise and international cricket to co-exist. It’s certainly interesting going forward.”

The quartet on the WPL – who might be out there from the fourth T20 in a tour additionally together with three ODIs – are incomes profitable sums at their franchises with Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone on six-figure offers.

Knight sees the upshot for England as they will get a really feel for Asian circumstances before the autumn’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh however she warned that workloads should even be given consideration going ahead.

“I actually think some of our players playing in the WPL would be a huge benefit for England in the future and hopefully we’ll see that benefit at the T20 World Cup,” Knight stated.

“It’s great for players and there are so many more opportunities but players are now having to make tricky choices around what’s best for them and how to manage the calendar.

“It’s becoming pretty much impossible to play in all the big franchise competitions and every game of cricket for your country.

“We’ll certainly see players trying to manage their workload and try and peak at the right time for big tournaments like the T20 World Cup.”

Knight was talking after one other revolutionary previous 12 months for girls’s cricket, with the 2023 Ashes producing document attendances and viewing figures, whereas England’s female and male cricketers at the moment are paid equal match charges.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is now making an attempt to implement a radical shake-up of the home ladies’s recreation, which is able to see a three-tier construction and alter in possession mannequin launched from 2025.

“It seems like every year is groundbreaking and lots of changes,” Knight added. “It’s the fast-paced nature of things and trying to accelerate that move towards equity with the men’s game.

“The steps have been really good and it’s another exciting place to be. Last year was another remarkable year but let’s hope for another remarkable and groundbreaking year this year.”