England face Australia in first Women's Ashes T20 at Edgbaston with crowd of around 20,000 expected; Nat Sciver-Brunt (knee) fit to play but may not bowl as England enter must-win white-ball series - watch live on Sky Sports on Saturday night (6.35pm start)
Saturday 1 July 2023 17:52, UK
England will play in front of a bumper crowd of around 20,000 at Edgbaston on Saturday night as they begin the must-win white-ball leg of the Women's Ashes.
An 89-run defeat to Australia in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge leaves the hosts 4-0 down and needing to win five of the six limited-overs games to regain the Ashes for the first time since 2014.
Head coach Jon Lewis urged his side to "go harder" at Australia after the Test loss and captain Heather Knight told reporters on Friday that England will be "aggressive".
Knight said: "We have an array of very talented cricketers to pick from. I think T20 has probably been our strongest format over the last couple of years.
"We have made a real shift and the group stages at the T20 World Cup [in South Africa in February] were a real sign of how we want to play our cricket.
"We want to be aggressive, take the game on. In T20 cricket you have no other way than to be aggressive. That is our philosophy against any team we play against.
"It's going to be super special [at Edgbaston]. It's an iconic ground and it is going to be kicking off probably the most visible T20 series we have been involved in, the most visible Ashes series as well.
"I will soak it in and then get my game head on. It is brilliant people want to come and support us."
Knight confirmed that vice-captain and key all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt (sore knee) will play in the T20 opener but may not bowl.
"She has had a little assessment and is fine to play. The question is whether she can play a full role as all-rounder," Knight said of Sciver-Brunt. "We hope she can play a role with the ball but it's TBC at the moment.
"The most important thing is that Nat is there as a batter. We don't want to push her too far and sacrifice the amazing role she plays with the bat as one of the best players in the world."
The T20 series is the first since the retirement of Katherine Sciver-Brunt, with Knight adding: "Katherine has left a huge hole, not just in her cricket but in her personality as well. There is a massive opportunity now for a younger player to show what they can do."
Uncapped Western Storm all-rounder Danielle Gibson could fill the void, having scored 166 runs, including two fifties, and taken eight wickets in this season's Charlotte Edwards Cup.
Pace bowler Issy Wong is also back in the England T20 squad after only being named as a travelling reserve for the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Watch the first T20 international between England and Australia live on Sky Sports on Saturday evening.
The game starts at 6.35pm with build-up beginning at 6pm on Sky Sports Mix and then continuing on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 6.30pm.
