England will learn from ‘humbling’ defeat to Sri Lanka in second T20, says Heather Knight
Heather Knight says England will learn from their “humbling” defeat to Sri Lanka in the second T20 international at Chelmsford.
England were skittled for 104 – eight of the wickets falling to spin – before Sri Lanka reached their target in 13.2 overs to earn a first win over their opponents in the format.
Captain Knight, whose score of 14 was the highest by anyone in England’s top seven, said: “We all had a bad day at the same time. If went wrong for pretty much everyone.
England captain Heather Knight reflects on England’s defeat and the inclusion of Issy Wong in the bowling attack
“But we have a very inexperienced side, guys learning their trade. There will be no big inquiry about it. We didn’t play well. Sri Lanka did and gave us a bit of humble pie.
“It’s a good lesson to the youngsters that if you are not on and not able to execute your skill how you want to, then you are going to get punished.
Knight says England know they must improve their batting against spin ahead of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in the autumn of 2024.
She added: “It has a humbling day but an opportunity for us to learn and hone in on what we need to be better at moving forward.
Knight’s team faltered with the bat after being inserted by Sri Lanka
“Even before this game we identified playing spin as an area we can keep improving with the World Cup in Bangladesh on the radar.
“The pitch was a little two-paced and we didn’t adapt to conditions super-quick. Some dismissals were a little soft, mine included. There is a lot to learn.”
Sri Lanka had been ragged with the ball at Hove on Thursday as England scored 186-4 in 17 overs but rallied two days later to set up a series decider in Derby on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Cricket.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu struck Kate Cross for three fours and a six in one over
Visiting skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who top-scored for her side with 55 from 31 balls, reflected on an historic triumph.
“I’m really happy about my team’s performance. We learned a lot of things from the last game and we executed all the right plans here
“As a captain, as a team, this is huge for us. Huge for women’s cricket in Sri Lanka.”
Watch the series-deciding third T20 international live on Sky Sports on Wednesday. Build-up begins at 5.30pm on Sky Sports Cricket ahead of the first ball at 6pm. Stream with NOW for £26 a month for 12 months.
