'It's Been One Of The Toughest Weeks': Kate Cross On Losing England Central Contract

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) England pace bowler Kate Cross has admitted she is still struggling to come to terms with losing her central contract, describing it as the“toughest week” of her career. The 33-year-old, who has taken more than 100 wickets across formats since making her debut in 2013, was told ahead of the Women's Hundred that her deal would not be renewed for 2025.

“It's probably been one of the toughest weeks I've had in my career,” Cross revealed on the No Balls Podcast.“I had my appraisal with Lott (head coach Charlotte Edwards) and Finchy [director of women's cricket Jonathan Finch], and they just told me I won't be getting my England contract renewed next year.

"So as of October 2025, I will not be a professional cricketer for England anymore. I've been dreading saying that. I feel sick. It is still very raw [...] and now I've got to play in what is normally the funnest tournament of the year, and I know it's going to be a really tough few weeks for me,” she said.

Cross was dropped midway through England's ODI series against India in the summer and missed out on selection for the upcoming ODI World Cup, a call she described as“savage.”

“I started the India series opening the bowling for England as vice-captain, and I finished that series not even making the 13 to play the last game of the ODI series,” she said.“Lottie [Edwards] said to me in a chat before the game that it was a must-win game, and I'm not part of the 13. As a cricketer who has always prided myself on being a reliable bowler for my captain who would stand up in big moments, that was pretty tough to hear. That felt like a lot of trust had been lost quite quickly. I'm not daft, I know that something had happened there that could mean my future is in jeopardy.”

The seamer, who helped Northern Superchargers win The Hundred title this year and guided Lancashire to twin victories in the Women's County Cup and One-Day Cup, admitted the off-field disappointment overshadowed her summer.

“Obviously, I had an amazing summer in purple [for Northern Superchargers], but the last few weeks have been awful. I've really struggled to enjoy cricket; I've probably been the worst team-mate for my Lancs girls. We've had a lot of long bus journeys where I've had to sit by myself away from everyone and just almost been a bit mute and numb,” she said.

“I still don't really know (how I feel),” Cross continued.“I've still not processed it. I think coming back into the Lancashire structure after The Hundred, I realised how distracted I was. I said I was going to get through The Hundred, the Lancs season, and then I'm going to [...] I'm not sure. I'm going to see someone professional this afternoon to start the process of processing.”

Cross, who has played eight Tests, 76 ODIs and 18 T20Is for England, admitted what hurt most was how suddenly her international career seemed to unravel.

“It does feel like there's an element of finality about it all, and the bit I got so upset about when we chatted a month ago was how quickly it's all happened, and that's the bit I've not processed.”

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