Kate Cross: I hoped the team didn't win so I didn't miss out – but these were my best friends

For Kate Cross, the World Cup starting next weekend in New Zealand has a very personal dimension to it. She will be desperate to help England to defend their title for the sake of the team and her team-mates, but personally this tournament also represents unfinished business, because when Heather Knight’s side lifted the trophy at Lord’s on that famous Sunday in 2017 she was merely an onlooker with mixed emotions.

Initially, she was not sure whether to even go and watch the match from the stands, and when she did go she was not sure if she wanted England to win if she could not be part of it. In the end, such was the drama as Anya Shrubsole turned the game round and