Heather Knight Added To Twenty20 Squad

Heather Knight has been in excellent form this summer and has been added to England's Twenty20 International squad

Heather Knight's runs in the Women's Ashes Test and One-Day Internationals have earned her a place in England's squad for the three Twenty20 Internationals.

The opener hit 157 during the drawn Test, then scored 25, 31 and 69 as England won the ODIs 2-1 to go into a 4-2 lead in the series.

She opened alongside captain Charlotte Edwards in the final two matches, both of which England won, and their success at the top of the order may tempt England to keep the pair together for the remaining three matches in the multi-format series.

Knight has played eight Twenty20 Internationals for England, most recently against the West Indies last year, when she came in at number seven.

She has yet to bat higher than six in a Twenty20 International and on debut in 2010, came in at number nine against Sri Lanka.

The first Twenty20 match is at Chelmsford tomorrow (27th August) before the series concludes with matches in Southampton and Chester-le-Street, both of which will be double-headers with the men's matches against Australia.

England Twenty20 International squad: Charlotte Edwards (captain), Tamsin Beaumont, Arran Brindle, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Danielle Wyatt

© Crickte World 2013

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Twenty20 Wicket-Keeping Tips

In Twenty20 the wicketkeeper is often considered to be a batsman who keeps his pads on while fielding. A stopper not a show stopper.

But in IPL 6, Dishant Yagnik showed the value of an athlete and technician as keeper.

Yagnik spent a lot of time standing back to the quick men. That is a skill that requires good hands and athletic movement. In match 8 for Rajasthan against KKR he showed these skills to dismiss the danger man Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir had walked down the wicket to force the pace, slashed at a wide ball outside off stump that flew at height to Yagnik's left.

The dive was timed to perfection.

He pushed off with his right leg generating enough force to take off.

All the while he tracked the ball path until he was sure he knew where it was going, catching the ball above his head. For me, this is one of the hardest parts of fielding. You can't watch the ball very long because it is over your head so you need to judge it's path early.

This kind of skill comes with a lot of practice at overhead catching, something many club and Academy keepers avoid. However, it's amazing what you can do with a willing team mate, a bat and a soft surface. Remember all keepers should stick to the golden rule of practice.

But the catch would have been worthless without the landing that followed. How many times do we see a fielder hold onto a diving catch only to see it pop out on landing?

Yagnik avoided that mistake with what looked like a well honed roll, dipping his body to land on his left shoulder.

In this diagram from Adrian Shaw's Wicketkeeping Tips eBook you can see the roll being executed in a similar way:

The impact was softened, the ball stayed in his hands and he avoided a potential jarring injury.

The catch is at the top of the page.

All these methods take work and practice to get right. Which is why a non-specialist will never be as useful to a team in Twenty20 as a good keeper. We can't all be sublime geniuses behind the stumps but every team needs a regular keeper and, if you are that person, you need to throw yourself into the task as much as you would your batting.

In a game where fielding is so important, there is no more important fielder on the park, so make sure you are the best you can be. IPL franchises know it, and so does your team.

© 2013 miSport Ltd

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West Indies Name Twenty20 International Squad

West Indies Name Twenty20 International SquadDarren Sammy will resume the captaincy for the T20 matches against Pakistan. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte. Picture Supplied by Action Images.

Denesh Ramdin continues to be overlooked by the West Indies selectors and has been left out of their 13-man squad for this weekend’s brace of Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan.

Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels return from the squad that beat Zimbabwe in a two-match series in March, with all-rounder Andre Russell, who is currently playing for Worcestershire in England’s Friends Life t20, omitted.

Players who have not featured in the ODI series between the two sides, but who make the cut for the T20 Internationals are all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, leg-spinner Samuel Badree and fast-bowler Shannon Gabriel. The injured Kemar Roach, Devon Smith and Jason Holder will not feature. Darren Sammy, meanwhile, resumes the captaincy from Dwayne Bravo.

The two matches will be played in St Vincent on 27th and 28th July, with the West Indies players then linking up with their respective sides ahead of the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which begins on 30th July.

West Indies T20I squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Samuel Badree, Christopher Barnwell, Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.

© Cricket World 2013

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