England captain Heather Knight wants to “grow the talent pool of players” during the white-ball games against Sri Lanka, with 17-year-old seamer Mahika Gaur in line for a debut.
With senior players including Sophia Dunkley rested, Gaur and fellow uncapped player Bess Heath could take to the field for the three T20 internationals and as many ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Knight hopes that impressive domestic performances will translate to the high-pressure environment of the international stage, with the first T20 live on Sky Sports Cricket from 5.30pm on Thursday (6pm first ball).
Left-arm fast-bowler Gaur made her international debut for the United Arab Emirates aged 12 and impressed in The Hundred for Manchester Originals this season with four wickets.
Thursday 31st August 5:30pm
Knight said of Gaur: “She is a unique, left-armer. I think 6ft 3in, which is pretty mad.
“She’s got a pretty good action and swings the ball late. She’s very young so we have to manage her pretty carefully and make sure we’re looking after her as a person and as a cricketer.
“She brings something different. A tall left-armer who you don’t get a huge amount of in the women’s game.”
Boasting the fourth highest strike-rate of 147.94 in this year’s Charlotte Edwards Cup, wicketkeeper-batter Heath, 22, is the other uncapped player in England’s squad.
Northern Superchargers wicketkeeper-batter Bess Heath has earned a first England call-up
Knight added: “Heath takes the game on, in any situation, which is the sort of player we’re after. We’re excited to see how [she and Gaur] go and how they adapt to international cricket and being in an England squad.”
A new opener will take the stage for England in the form of Maia Bouchier, who played a central role in Southern Brave’s Hundred-winning campaign as she scored 268 runs, the fourth-highest tally in the competition.
Knight added: “It’s really nice to give those girls an opportunity and see how they go – someone like Maia who’s going to open the batting.
Maia Bouchier will open the batting for England in the T20 series in the absence of the rested Sophia Dunkley
“She’s been in a lot of squads but not played a lot of cricket, so we’re excited to see how she goes at the top of the order.”
England will look to repeat the clinical performances from their previous encounter with Sri Lanka, thrashing the hosts 3-0 in their T20I series in March 2019.
Knight, whose side drew the Ashes 8-8 with Australia earlier this summer, said: “Sri Lanka have had a good couple of months, they beat New Zealand in home conditions recently, which was a really good result and I’m expecting them to put up a good fight and challenge.
“They’re pretty spin-heavy so we’ve prepared accordingly for that as a batting group.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
England captain Heather Knight says their T20 matches against Sri Lanka will be an opportunity for younger players to showcase their talents.
“What worked well for us during the Ashes was how we focused on ourselves and went about things and played our cricket.
“Regardless of the opposition, that’s what we want to do again this series and play some entertaining cricket. It’s sold out at Hove and hopefully we can put on a show for everyone that comes to watch.”
Watch England’s first T20 international against Sri Lanka, from Hove, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 5.30pm on Thursday (6pm first ball). Stream with NOW for £26 a month for 12 months.