England have announced a 15-player squad for the first two ODIs against Pakistan next week.

• Heather Knight
• Anya Shrubsole
• Tammy Beaumont
• Katherine Brunt
• Kate Cross
• Georgia Elwiss
• Jenny Gunn
• Alex Hartley
• Danielle Hazell
• Amy Jones (wkt)
• Laura Marsh
• Natalie Sciver
• Fran Wilson
• Lauren Winfield
• Danielle Wyatt

For the first time in quite a while, the squad contains an uncapped player – Middlesex’s orthodox left-armer, Alex Hartley – who modestly told CRICKETher less than a month ago that she had “no chance” of being picked. (We always thought otherwise… sorry to prove you wrong Alex!!)

Fran Wilson is also included, as very much expected – she has played for England before, but not in the “professional” era – her last cap was in 2011.

Fast bowler Beth Langston is explicitly listed as injured, whereas Becky Grundy and Tash Farrant (the only other Performance Squad players not included) are just not mentioned at all – perhaps a bit of a surprise, particularly in the latter case, as Farrant has had a very good county season thus far as the highest wicket-taker in the County Championship.

Meanwhile behind the stumps,. Lauren Winfield is officially appointed “Under-Glove-Butler” to Amy Jones, which probably makes sense – there are definitely better wicket keepers in county cricket, not least Berkshire’s Carla Rudd, but Winfield is a much better batsman than Rudd, and Winfield doesn’t let much through, even if she isn’t as “clean” a keeper as some.

New Zealand stars Sara McGlashan and Rachel Priest will warm up for the Kia Super League with some county action in the Nat West T20 Cup.

McGlashan – a middle-order batsman and veteran of over 200 internationals, including 2 Tests – will line up for Sussex, before heading to the Southern Vipers; whilst Priest – a wicket-keeping opening batsman, with an ODI highest score of 157 – will play for Berkshire, before quite literally “going west”, to the Western Storm!

With key players away on international duty (Heather Knight, for Berkshire, and Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss for Sussex) both counties will be mightily relieved to bulk-up their batting; whilst for the players themselves it represents an opportunity to acclimatise to the freezing cold English conditions prior to KSL.

New Zealanders Morna Nielsen and Amy Satterthwaite have become the latest international stars to sign for the inaugural Kia Super League.

The pair replace Australians Megan Schutt – who is injured – and Sarah Coyte – who has decided not to travel to England for personal reasons.

Nielsen, a left-arm spinner who is currently the ICC’s number two-ranked T20 bowler, will be playing for the Southern Vipers, alongside teammates Suzie Bates and Sara McGlashan.

Meanwhile Amy Satterthwaite – who topped the batting averages in the recent Women’s World Twenty20 – will help to strengthen the batting line-up of Lancashire Thunder in the likely absence of Sarah Taylor.

The Kia Super League kicks off on Saturday 30th July when Yorkshire Diamonds play Loughborough Lightning at Headingley.

Kent’s long-serving Under-11 Girls coach – David Sear – has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to girls’ cricket.

A retired PE teacher, Sear has been part of the Kent girls’ coaching setup for over 20 years, and amongst those who have been coached by him, many have gone on to play for England, including Lynsey Askew, Lydia Greenway, Tash Farrant and Tammy Beaumont.

John Daniels, Director of Girls’ Cricket in Bexley, congratulated Mr Sear in his regular newsletter:

“David has been a tireless worker for Kent Girls and Women’s cricket for many years… running the Kent under 11 county squad, the under 11s festival days and many other tournaments.”

The big game in the County Championship this weekend is Berkshire v Middlesex at North Maidenhead.

With Berkshire in 5th place in Division 1, and Middlesex in 6th, just above the dreaded relegation zone, it is a match which both teams will be targeting as a “must win”, and both sides are boosted by the return of key players.

For Middlesex, opening batsman Fran Wilson is back. Having scored 88 for England Academy against Ireland “A” in a 50-over match at Loughborough this week, it looks like the good form with which she started the County Championship, prior to the freak injury which sidelined her for a month, is set to continue; and it will be a massive surprise if she isn’t now also named in the England squad for the Pakistan series later this month.

For Berkshire, fast bowler Daisy Gardner also looks set to get back into the action after injury derailed her season on the opening weekend, since which The Beavers have really missed her penetration with the ball. Seeing her open the bowling in tandem with Lauren “The Shard” Bell should be something of a treat… unless you are a Middlesex batsman!

As usual, it is an 11:00 start on Sunday at North Maids, with free entry for children, OAPS… and anyone in between! [Editor’s Note: He means everyone!]

At yesterday’s freewheelin’ press conference to announce his new captain, Mark Robinson was his usual loquacious self, discussing any number of subjects with thoughtful honesty.

Reflecting on what he said, it is clear that Heather Knight’s appointment is part of a long term strategy which looks way beyond 2017 – a tournament which he readily admitted England might not win.

“This is a new era of cricket – we need to be embracing it… [but] the World Cup might be too soon for this team. We have the ambition to win it but… we had to make some changes… [and] whether that is in time for the next World Cup, to go and win it, I don’t know.”

Although Heather Knight had long been the heir apparent, Robinson was very clear that she was nevertheless very-much his choice – a new, young captain for a new, young era:

“We’ve got an outstanding individual in Heather Knight. She’s stubborn! She’s a bit annoying at times because she’s got her own opinion, which is absolutely as it should be! She’s comfortable in her own skin, she’s comfortable in her own company, and they’re great qualities for a captain… The ability to command a room… They were the qualities that hit me straight away when I met her.”

But he emphasised too that Knight is a player first and foremost, and also still a partly unfulfilled one:

“She’s a great player now but she has the potential to be an outstanding player… We’ve got to help her – make sure she is allowed to work on her own game – that’s the job of the coaches – to allow her space to get her game in order… [because] fundamentally… she is not England captain first, she is a player.”

The emphasis on youth and the long term has, of course, meant some difficult decisions, not least the sacking of Charlotte Edwards, but Robinson was forthright in his defence:

“It’s actually about putting things in place that will allow this team to have the best chance of being successful in the long-term, not the short-term. You’ve got to stop making short-term decisions. This is a long-term decision. You’ve now got a person at the age of 25 who can lead their country for a long time.”

In terms of the teams for this summer, Robinson wanted to emphasise that he is definitely looking beyond the current “contracted” squad:

“Myself and [Assistant Coach] Ali Maiden, we’re trying to integrate the Academy into us… trying to involve them with the main team as much as we can. Likewise with the Under-19s – we’re trying to get it more integrated.”

“Every single girl who’s in the Performance Squad and the Academy are up for selection for the next match.”

And an almost throw-away remark on selection actually spoke volumes in this regard:

“We’ve got 2 left-armers who deserve to play.”

But there is only one left-armer in the contracted squad, so Robinson can only have been referring to an Academy player (presumably Alex Hartley) as the other!

On the wicket keeping situation however, it seems they won’t be looking for any additional coverage in the absence of Sarah Taylor:

“Amy Jones has been on that many tours and not played with the gloves, so she is desperate to have a go. Lauren Winfield keeps for Yorkshire… [so] we’ve got two very able backups.”

Also on the subject of selection, Robinson said that Knight will be a part of the process:

“Heather will have a huge selection voice – trying to shut her up might be the problem. Heather has a huge say in the team that she wants on the pitch.”

Ruminating on the contracts, and indeed the very nature of the current “professionalism”, Robinson hinted that situation too might need to evolve.

“I can’t get enough contact sometimes with the girls. They’ve got other commitments, because they have to. They have to do other things to supplement their income, some of them. They’re all on one-year contracts going forward. Is that right? I don’t know!”

“I don’t know!” seems to be an answer Mark Robinson is honest enough to give quite a lot; but one thing he clearly does know is that he and his new skipper Heather Knight are in this for the long term; and that’s good, because as fans, we are too, and we too are excited to share the ride.

The day Heather Knight secured her position as successor to Charlotte Edwards came just under three years ago, beneath sunny skies at Wormsley Cricket Ground.

It was that most challenging of tasks, an Ashes Test match, and England were failing spectacularly to rise to the occasion. Australia had declared on 331-6 and Knight, opening, stood at the other end and watched her teammates come in and depart with steady regularity, until England were 6 down with only 113 on the board, and looking in danger of being made to follow on.

It is easy to forget a number of things: that this was only Knight’s second Test; that despite having made her England debut in 2010, she had yet to really cement her place in the squad, not even being initially selected for the T20 side to face Australia that summer.

Her captain, Edwards, had gone for 3, lbw to Holly Ferling; Sarah Taylor had also fallen by the wayside, again to Ferling.

All the while Knight, with straight bat, defended and defended and defended.

It took her 263 balls and 328 minutes to reach her maiden international hundred. And by the time she was out, soon after lunch on the third day of the Test, she had faced 338 balls and made 157. It was the kind of gritty Test match innings which is not necessarily pretty, or fluent, or spectacular – but that does the job it is meant to do.

England were eventually bowled out for 314, drew the Test, and went on to win the series. Meanwhile Knight, 12 months later, was named as England’s new vice-captain.

Since that series, Knight has made other contributions with both bat and ball, having taken up the art of spin bowling in late 2013: she has 36 international wickets currently to her name. Yet nothing has quite matched up to that performance at Wormsley. It was a brave, obdurate innings, one that England – in a supremely precarious position – desperately needed.

It is exactly what England need of her now.

Once again, as they were on that morning at Wormsley three years ago, England look to be facing a difficult period, to say the least. Once again, the outside world are looking on, wondering where on earth they go from here. Knight is the first captain of the professional era – the first whose captaincy will be under scrutiny from the first day until the last.

Once again England need runs: Knight has to step up, now as England’s senior batsman, and ensure that her side firstly qualify for the 2017 World Cup – the so-called “easy” series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka may be crucial from that perspective – and then that they do all that they can to reach a home final at Lord’s.

Once again, she has to do all this without Edwards – and some of it, almost certainly, without Taylor.

Those at Berkshire speak highly of Knight, as leader and role model. She led a team which was widely considered the weakest in the Women’s Big Bash League – Hobart Hurricanes – to the tournament semi-finals. But there is no doubt that this will be an uphill struggle. And while she may have been Edwards’ only natural successor – it was no great surprise when the news broke that she was to be named leader of Robinson’s New Regime – nobody, least of all Knight herself, expected that her moment in the sun would come so soon.

Today, in the press conference, Mark Robinson used one word to sum up Heather Knight: stubborn. It is a quality that has served her well for England thus far: tell Trev that something can’t be done, and she will want to prove you wrong; give her the best bowling attack in the world, and she will patiently see it off. Stubbornness was the watchword that day at Wormsley. If England are to succeed under her leadership, it it this stubbornness – this ability to get the job done, even when it looks impossible to the outside world – that her captaincy will need to embody.