Top priority: Harmanpreet says her team’s focus will be on the second T20I against England.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Five England T20I squad members will be in a quandary in the lead-up to Saturday’s second T20I against India. While preparing for the game starting at 7 p.m., the girls will be hoping for a bid from any of the five teams at the Women’s Premier League auction.
Amy Jones, the seasoned wicketkeeper-batter who is one of the five, stressed the experience from the first WPL auction earlier in the year will help them keep their focus on the game.
“We had a similar situation in the T20 World Cup earlier this year. It was a completely new experience for us as a group. We did sit down and try and address issues that might come off it,” Jones said on Friday, the eve of the second T20I.
“It was always going to be a little bit of a distraction last year. I am just hoping that this year, it will be a bit more relaxed and a lot simpler.”
Besides Jones, who made a strong case for her signing with a nine-ball 23 cameo at the death on Wednesday, Mala Bouchier, Danielle Wyatt, Danielle Gibson and Bess Heath will hope to go under the hammer on Saturday. With only nine overseas slots open and a few of England veterans who have been rested for the series also in the auction pool, it will be interesting to see whether Jones and her mates attract a bid.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, meanwhile, will hardly have any issues to deal with. From the T20I squad, only Mannat Kashyap is in the auction pool.
“Almost all the girls are already in some team or the other, so I don’t think the auction is going to be a distraction for us tomorrow,” Harmanpreet said.