Kate Cross wants England women's players to claim their right to play in the future white-ball series against Ireland.
The 32-year-old has been named captain for the tour, which begins with the first of three ODIs in Belfast on Saturday, while captain Heather Knight prepares to lead the squad at the Women's T20 World Cup in the UAE next month.
Cross, Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Filer were among the experienced players who did not make the 15-man World Cup squad, but Ireland have a number of promising players to join them and the interim captain will be keen to see everyone make clear why each deserves to be included in the upcoming series.
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Ahead of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, England women's captain Heather Knight has said the team does not want to make too many changes and admitted it was difficult to leave out players like Lauren Feiler.
“There is always something to prove when I put on an England shirt, whether it is a regional game or more often,” Cross said. “There is always big cricket ahead, whether it is an ICC event, an Ashes series or a Test match in South Africa.
“What we want to achieve as an England Women's team is the depth of players who can step into that role whenever needed. There will always be people who are disappointed when an ICC event comes around because you can only take out 15 players.
“Lauren Filer unfortunately missed out but she has had an incredible 18 months of cricket experience, particularly as an England player. (Manager John Lewis) said she was heading in the right direction but the conditions in Bangladesh or the UAE might not have suited her.
“Ultimately, what empowers a lot of people is to be included on that team in the next series.”
Although Cross was not selected for the World Cup, he was given the opportunity to do something he never imagined possible as captain of the national team when he was selected for the three ODIs and two T20Is against Ireland.
The right-handed striker, who has captained both Lancashire Thunder and Manchester Originals domestically, is thrilled to be handed the national team captaincy and is keen to make the most of what may be his only opportunity.
“The tour went by so quickly that I hope I can figure it out later,” Cross said. “I just told myself I wanted to enjoy the opportunity, and I'm not stupid. It's not going to happen again.
“This tour may be my only chance to lead my country, so my biggest emotion is joy and to come back without any regrets.
Since this tour may be my only chance to lead my country, I hope that I finish the tour with a happy heart and without any regrets.
“We don't have a lot of time to change or influence things, but I hope what we can do here as a group is special.
“I guess it's starting to feel a little bit real now. It's becoming a dream come true to play cricket and lead the country.”
Ireland go into the match with confidence after making up for their failure to qualify for the T20 World Cup this summer by beating Sri Lanka 2-1 in the ODI series at home and drawing the T20I series 1-1.
With first-choice captain Laura Delaney out with an ankle injury, Gabby Lewis, who has been handed the reins to captain Ireland, is confident the home side can go on to win the series against England.
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Sky Sports Charlotte Edwards and Katherine Sciver-Brunt predict England's XI for the opening T20 World Cup match.
“It's going to be huge and that's what we're looking forward to,” Lewis said. “We're going out there trying to win every game.
“We had a down year not qualifying for the World Cup, but we turned it around and turned it into a positive to take us into the summer at home even stronger.
“We showed in the Sri Lanka series that we are ready to continue that and there is no doubt that we have the ability to win these two series.”
England Women's Ireland Tour Schedule
- Saturday, September 7th: Ireland vs England, 1st ODI (Belfast)
- Monday, September 9: Ireland vs England, 2nd ODI (Belfast)
- Wednesday, September 11: Ireland vs England, 3rd ODI (Belfast)
- Saturday, September 14: Ireland vs England, 1st T20I (Dublin)
- Sunday, September 15: Ireland vs England, 2nd T20I (Dublin)
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