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Heather Knight: England captain on longevity, Pakistan, T20 World Cup and Ashes

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Knight’s first home international, against Ireland in 2010, was played at Kibworth Cricket Club in Leicestershire. On Saturday she will lead England out for the first Twenty20 international against Pakistan at Edgbaston in front of an expected 15,000 spectators.

With professionalism, crowds and cash come scrutiny, expectation and pressure.

“The best advice I got was to be the captain the team needs me to be,” says Knight, sitting in the Birmingham sunshine.

“Right now the team needs someone pretty relaxed because we’re pretty clear how we want to play. When I first took over, I was a young captain of a young team and we needed a lot of direction.”

This summer already looks set to be another record-breaking one in terms of attendances for England women matches.

The 75,000 pre-sold tickets is a higher figure at this point than in last year’s Ashes summer, an impressive achievement considering this year’s tourists Pakistan and New Zealand do not have the pedigree of the Australians, and there is no Test match.

For Knight, taking the game to the “next level” is the “new normal”. For the younger members of her squad, such as Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean and Freya Kemp, there was never an old normal. To them, it has always been like this.



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Aaron Ramsey: Wales captain ‘still has a lot to offer’ – Page

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Wales manager Rob Page has told captain Aaron Ramsey to concentrate on getting ready for the rigours of another Championship season with Cardiff City.

Ramsey, 33, had an injury hit campaign for club and country following his return to the Bluebirds last summer.

And after Wales’ Euro 2024 exit in the play-off final penalty shoot out defeat by Poland, there was speculation Ramsey was considering his international future.

But Page told BBC Wales Sport: “He is our captain at this moment in time, he wants to get his body into a position where he is fit and can cope with the demands of Championship football which is not easy.

“If he can do that I have no doubt he will carry on.”

Ramsey, a three times FA Cup winner with Arsenal and a Serie A champion at Juventus, made just seven Championship starts and six substitute appearances for Cardiff last term, scoring three goals.

He was restricted to two Euro 2024 outings and though he was in the squad for the play off games against Finland and Poland, he played no part having just returned from injury.

Ramsey has scored 21 goals in 84 Wales caps and Page said: “He is as frustrated as anybody with the injuries he had last season.

“As far as I am concerned he has a year left on his contract at Cardiff, I think he needs to get himself in a position where he can go through the demands of another Championship season and if he does that, I have said you don’t become an average player with the ability and skill he has. He still offers a lot.”

Asked whether Ramsey would continue with his international career, Page said: “We will have that conversation when the time is right.

“But right now he is looking forward to getting fighting fit and getting his body in a position where he can play and have the demands of a domestic season with Cardiff two games a week. If he can do that then no doubt he will continue.”

Having missed out on the Euros, Wales have friendlies against Gibraltar and Slovakia next month and it remains to be seen whether Ramsey will be included in the squad, which is due to be named at the end of May.

Also doubtful for the summer tour is Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies, who captained Wales in Ramsey’s absence.

Davies missed the first the last five games of Spurs’ Premier League season with a calf problem. Page admitted 86 times capped Davies is “touch and go” for the friendlies.

“We are still going to have conversations with him and the club and see where we are at. It’s foolish for us to push players to the limits and have them break down again.

“After a long season they need a break and so we have to be sympathetic with the club, work closely together and come up with a plan of what is best for him.

“It might be he comes on camp and does some rehab, it might be he will benefit for the rest. I will speak with the medical team and we will have a plan on what we are going to do.”



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Premiership awards: Courtney Lawes, Fin Smith, Finn Russell, Henry Slade nominated

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Northampton Saints duo Courtney Lawes and Fin Smith, Bath’s Finn Russell and Exeter Chiefs’ Henry Slade have been nominated for Premiership Rugby’s player of the season.

The league’s top four teams are all represented in the director of rugby of the season category, with Phil Dowson (Northampton), Johann van Graan (Bath), Alex Sanderson (Sale) and Mark McCall (Saracens) nominated.

Harlequins prop Fin Baxter and second rower Chandler Cunningham-South, Exeter winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Newcastle flanker Guy Pepper are shortlisted for breakthrough player of the season.

The winners will be announced at the ceremony in London on Wednesday, 22 May.

Northampton finished top of the table despite a defeat by Bath in the final regular season game on Saturday and are aiming to claim their first league title in 10 years.

Ex-England flanker Lawes, 35, who will leave the club at the end of this campaign after 17 seasons to join French side Brive, has started 10 Premiership games for Saints this season.

Fly-half team-mate Smith, 22, made his England debut during this year’s Six Nations after impressing for his club.

The Saints duo have also been nominated for the Investec Champions Cup player of the year award after helping their club to the European Cup semi-finals.

Scotland fly-half Russell, 31, joined Bath from Racing 92 last November and has helped lead the club to a first top-four finish in four years.

England centre Slade, 31, signed a new contract with Exeter last week and is currently the Premiership’s top points scorer this season.

Player of the season winners in recent years include Jack Willis, Ben Earl and Ollie Lawrence.



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Anthony Cacace: ‘If I can win this one I can win them all’

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Belfast fighter Anthony Cacace wants to be become the undisputed super-featherweight world champion after winning the IBF belt on Saturday night.

The 35-year-old arrived home on Monday following his shock victory over Joe Cordina in Saudi Arabia.

Read more here.



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