Guernsey Press

Anya Shrubsole excited by ‘amazing’ 2022 calendar

England’s all-time leading T20 wicket-taker looks forward with a keen sense of anticipation.

Published

Anya Shrubsole is already casting a glance towards a bumper 2022 which could include two women’s World Cups and cricket’s return at the Commonwealth Games as she readies herself for England’s first assignment in six months.

It was no certainty Heather Knight’s side would take to the field at all this summer as coronavirus scuppered planned visits by India and South Africa, but the West Indies have once again come to England’s rescue.

The five Twenty20s in the bio-secure bubble of Derby’s Incora Ground could be followed by another barren stretch, with the health crisis shifting England’s defence of their 50-over World Cup crown back by 12 months to 2022.

Anya Shrubsole is readying herself for her first competitive England match in six months (David Davies/PA)
Anya Shrubsole is readying herself for her first competitive England match in six months (David Davies/PA)

Shrubsole told the PA news agency: “What it sets up is an amazing 2022 where we’re going to have three major global tournaments. That’s a year that a lot of people are really looking forward to.

“It’s a massive carrot, I think anyone who says that it isn’t is probably lying. To have those three tournaments and we’re due to have an Ashes around then as well, there’s just not going to be a year like that ever again.

“We’ve got a whole year’s worth of international cricket before that but that year is just going to be phenomenal for women’s cricket. The game is in a really healthy place but that year could just take it up to another level.

“We’re trying to see this series against the West Indies as a starting point building towards 2022, we’re not quite sure when the next cricket’s going to be and that’s just the nature of it.”

England's defence of their 50-over World Cup crown has been pushed back a year to 2022 (John Walton/PA)
England’s defence of their 50-over World Cup crown has been pushed back a year to 2022 (John Walton/PA)

England’s all-time leading T20 wicket-taker has benefited from the downtime after undergoing a foot operation but now the 28-year-old seamer and her team-mates are raring to return to action.

Shrubsole said: “I probably came out of that World Cup feeling like I wanted a bit of a break. I’ve had surgery on my foot and it actually allowed me a really good period of time to recover from that.

“In a funny kind of way, the break has not been the worst thing for me and I think initially the girls quite liked the break but we’re now ready to go.

“A huge amount of credit must go to the West Indies, they’ve done a huge amount this summer to allow us to get some cricket on by sending touring teams over. There’s been so much work that’s gone on and we massively appreciate it.”

Saturday’s third T20 will be simulcast by Sky Sports and the BBC, marking the first time a women’s match has been screened on free-to-air television since the 1993 World Cup final.

Shrubsole added: “It’s a huge step and it’s arguably more important for women’s cricket than it is for men’s cricket. We want as many people as we can get seeing the game, to attract new audiences is massive for us.”

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.