Atkins excited by challenge

12 February 2007 | By Catherine Goble

Caroline Atkins © Getty Images

After four years in the International wilderness Caroline Atkins is delighted to return to the England women set-up as she looks ahead to her first quadrangular tournament.

Atkins made her international debut in 2001 and put on a world-record Test opening stand with Arran Thompson (now Brindle), and is now preparing to go back to the scene of that triumph with England’s one-day squad.

Atkins was recalled to the side last summer after being part of the MCC Young Cricketers scheme, which helped her to return to form.

“I was at the home of cricket every day,” she told ecb.co.uk. “You can’t help but hit the ball then.

“They have a really good coaching set-up there and I was training with a couple of other young cricketers - we were in grass nets every day and had one-to-one sessions.

“That was massive for me really to get some form back and enjoy cricket. Then I got the surprise call-up.”

Atkins played two Tests and five one-day internationals against India in the summer of 2006 and is looking forward to pitting herself against them once more.

“We had a good summer against India and now we are ready to take them on again at their home.

Caroline Atkins has become more aggressive in her shot selection © DJM Images

“I’m really excited about being involved in this squad too, we work really hard together and we’ve got great coaching support. We’ve got the EIS (English Institute of Sport) helping us get fit, our preparations are good and we can’t wait to tour.

“I have played Australia and New Zealand but only for England A so it is going to be brilliant,” she said.

“I’ve never played in a tournament where there is more than one other team there. I can’t wait to be a part of the World Series and hopefully come back with a good record against all teams.”

By her own admission, in the early part of her career she was guilty of thinking about her game too much and not letting batting come naturally to her.

“I went through a dip in form that lasted a while, but I really began to enjoy my cricket again. I always worked really hard at my game - maybe too hard - and now I’ve relaxed more and probably got more to offer,” she added.

“I basically didn’t get a spot because I didn’t score runs quickly enough, so I have become more aggressive with shot selection and expanded my repertoire.

“Because I relaxed and just enjoyed myself I expressed myself a little bit more freely than I had previously.”

The quadrangular World Series contains the best four teams in women’s cricket, each of them looking to get in some valuable practise against each other ahead of the 2009 World Cup.

Buy this photo

“Because it is in India they are going to be strong contenders on their home soil,” Atkins commented.

“Australia played there last year and that was fought competitively. England and New Zealand had a tight race last year too.

“It is just important for us to get out there and have a good week of preparation, adjust to the conditions, have a practice match and try to put all this hard work we have done this winter into practise on the field.”

England’s women have been preparing for their trip at the National Cricket Centre in Loughborough, which Atkins believes has been of great benefit.

“We’ve talked a lot about India conditions. We have challenged ourselves with things like running ball feeds and we are going out there with clear game plans.

“As a team we are looking to compete with every team in every discipline. Our first goal is to get to the final. We need to hit our straps from match one.

Atkins also sees the balance of England’s team to be in their favour, with experienced batting duo Charlotte Edwards and Laura Newton, and youngsters like Holly Colvin and Sarah Taylor out to prove themselves.

“I think the more experienced players will know how to cope with India itself and playing a number of different teams in the space of a few days.

“I know that is something new for me and probably for a lot of the girls,” she added. “We will just take on board what the seniors have to say and try to do our best.”