Heather Knight Believes Reserve Day For The Semi-Finals Would Have Been Good
Published - 05 Mar 2020, 04:18 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:04 AM
England women’s cricket team captain Heather Knight had nothing else but to feel ‘frustrated’ as her team crashed out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup without even playing the game against India. The weather gods intervened due to which the semi-final bout got abandoned at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. Knight felt that it would have been better to have had a reserve day.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected Cricket Australia’s request of keeping a reserve day for the knockout games. Due to that, the match got abandoned and India progressed to their first final in the tournament history.
The Indian team reached the finals since they topped the group stages in Group A and England finished second in Group B.
Knight said that it was frustrating to end the competition in such a manner and though there wasn’t much to be done about, a reserve day would have been handy.
The star English cricketer Knight further admitted that the loss to South Africa in the initial phase cost them and yet they made it to the semis.
However, the weather jeopardised their chances.
“Frustrating, didn’t want the World Cup to end this way but not much you can do about this. Would have been good to have a reserve day perhaps. That loss to South Africa cost us. We expected to reach the semi-finals and that we did. Undone by the weather.” Heather said.
Heather Knight believes that her team was just starting to pick up form:
The 29-year old also said that the weather may be an excuse on their part; however, they were beginning to pick up the momentum and wholly prepared for the semi-finals.
“It’s all very English isn’t it, talking about the weather and getting knocked out. It felt that we gained a bit of momentum in the last few games and we were pumped up for the semifinals,” she added further.
England had the perfect record against India and hoped to do the same this time too.
In the second semi-final, hosts Australia are facing South Africa. If the game is washed out (which seems now unlikely), South Africa would face India in the final since they finished as the table-toppers in Group B.
