England women batters to train in Mumbai to polish skills against spin

Derby (United Kingdom), Sep 7 (IANS) Their weakness against spin further exposed in the 2-1 series defeat to Sri Lanka, the England women's team management has decided to take a select group of batters to Mumbai to prepare them for the mega events -- the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the 50-over version in India in 2025.

England are also scheduled to play a series in India next year.

With pitches for both the mega events expected in the subcontinent expected to support spin and England losing out to this variety in the Ashes and against Sri Lanka, head coach Jon Lewis believes other teams will look to exploit their Achilles heel.

Jon Lewis said facing spin was a key area his side must improve if they are to contend for trophies. That is the reason why they are considering taking key batters to Mumbai so that they can experience playing on spin-friendly surfaces.

"Off the back of the Ashes, and from what I saw at the World Cup, it's pretty clear that the way we play spin bowling is a big area for development for us," Lewis told reporters after Sri Lanka's seven-wicket victory in Derby on Wednesday night gave the tourists a historic 2-1 series win against England. 

"And it's been highlighted here. It's brilliant exposure for our players to understand this is where you're at in your cricketing journey, these are the bits of the game that we need to improve."

Of the 24 English wickets that fell in the series against Sri Lanka, 17 were to spin. Before this, England's batters also struggled against Australia's Ashleigh Gardner, who finished with 23 wickets as Player of the Series during the drawn Ashes.

Jon Lewis said other teams must have noticed this shortcoming of the England team ahead of the mega events in India and Bangladesh.

"We've got a 20-over World Cup in Bangladesh, we've got a tour to India and we've got a 50-over World Cup in India. So our next three big challenges in reality, there's going to be a lot of spin bowled at us. People will watch us play spin and they'll go, 'Right, okay, we think we can exploit this team in that area', Jon Lewis was quoted as saying in a report by ESPNcricinfo. 

"So I'm really keen to get to work with the girls, and how they play the spin bowling and the options that they have because there's there a lot of areas for growth," he said.

Lewis didn't identify which players would be a part of the camp in Mumbai but told the BBC it would be held "before some of the girls go off to the Big Bash". 

Among the eight England players picked up in the inaugural WBBL draft this week were captain Heather Knight, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Bryony Smith, Bess Heath and Danielle Gibson. Heath was named in England's T20I and ODI squads for Sri Lanka's visit but remains uncapped so far while Smith made the last of her nine international appearances during the T20 leg of India's tour to England a year ago and the rest all featured in the T20Is against Sri Lanka.