Knight hoping that opener Dunkley can rebuild confidence

HEATHER Knight has called for Sophia Dunkley to build confidence on the domestic stage after being dropped for England’s successful series against Pakistan.

- MILLY MCEVOY

The opener was not picked in either the T20I squad, which England won by securing a 3-0 whitewash and a 34-run victory at Headingley on Sunday, or the ODI squadf.

Dunkley has struggled for form on the international stage but Knight, who scored 49 to lead England’s recovery from 11-4 in the first game, believes she can win her spot back after Maia Bouchier was preferred after a strong winter.

“We’ve decided to give Maia a little bit of a run in the side to see how she goes after how she performed in New Zealand and taking her chance that way,” said Knight, speaking at the launch of The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund.

“But there’s a lot of people in our conversations and things can change pretty quickly, it is certainly not nailed down as of yet.

“For Dunks, it is about going back and playing some consistent cricket for the Stars, she has had a bit of a tough period and has worked really hard on her game outside of matches.