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Louise Thomas
Editor
Amy Jones admits the conditions at the Women’s T20 World Cup will challenge her as a wicketkeeper.
England have completed a preparatory training camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of the start of their campaign on Saturday against Bangladesh in Sharjah.
The tournament was due to be held in Bangladesh but political unrest led to a late switch to the United Arab Emirates, where wickets are likely to be low bouncing.
“If it keeps low, that’s a challenge,” said Jones. “I’m quite a tall keeper and I’m definitely most comfortable working around hip height. I think a lot of keepers are.
“And, for me, even bouncy wickets are more of a preference. Keeping a strong posture and staying low for longer is going to be the biggest challenge for me, and if there’s any turn or inconsistent turn, things like that can be a challenge.
“The training has been quite specific for what we might get then it’s just adapting from there.”
England will go into the tournament as one of the favourites having excelled in the short format over the summer.
While the wickets may not suit Jones, they are likely to be profitable for England’s top-class spin attack, with Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean joined by Linsey Smith.
“I think spin will play a big factor in this World Cup,” said Jones. “We’re very lucky to have three hugely experienced spinners and then Linsey joining us as well, and she’s got a massive amount of experience within the domestic game and has obviously played in a World Cup before.
“We definitely feel very lucky as a team to have those four. They’re all a bit different so they’ve got different threats, they attack different edges and they’re a huge asset to us.”
England’s other group games are against South Africa, West Indies and Scotland, who Jones predicts could spring a surprise or two on their World Cup debut.
The standard across the whole of international cricket is so good these days and anyone can really win— England wicketkeeperAmy Jones
“It’s excellent for Scotland,” she said. “They’ve got a really strong team. Obviously they had some quick success against Pakistan in the warm-ups so I think their confidence will be high.
“We know a lot of their players from the domestic (game). They’re definitely a threat. The standard across the whole of international cricket is so good these days and anyone can really win.”
Another challenge will be keeping energy and spirits high in front of what could well be low attendances for matches.
“It’s quite varied through international cricket,” said Jones. “We get great crowds at home and when we go to India, and the crowd can really lift your energy as a team.
“It makes it a lot easier to buzz around and put on a show. That’s something we’ve spoken about as a team, how can we bring the high energy game that we want, high intensity fielding, running between the wickets, regardless of what the atmosphere is like.”
