Is Knight’s sluggish form a concern for England?

Is Knight’s sluggish form a concern for England?Figure caption, India inflict heavy defeat on England in first T20ByFfion WynneBBC Sport Journalist in ChelmsfordPublished41 minutes agoFor so long, it has felt inconceivable to not have Heather Knight as the first name on the England team sheet.Yet on the day she became the most-capped England women’s cricketer, former captain Knight’s T20 form continued to concern just three weeks before a World Cup on home soil.England were outclassed with both bat and ball in the first game of their three-match T20 series against India, but Knight’s 21 from 24 balls stalled England’s progress in pursuit of 189 to win.Amy Jones hit a 32-ball 50 but when 35-year-old Knight was dismissed in the 14th over after a tortuous knock which contained 11 dot balls, England had fallen so far behind the rate they needed more than 13 an over.”Knight going at less than a run a ball added pressure on Amy Jones, so she’s slowed down trying to wallop absolutely every ball to the boundary, and the lack of boundaries means England have fallen behind,” stated former England spinner Alex Hartley on Test Match Special.”It is a little bit of a concern. If you think about where Heather was a year ago, she was striking the ball so cleanly.”Though openers Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey fell cheaply, they did not waste many balls – Dunkley made 16 from 10 and Capsey six from five.Experienced opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge is available for the next T20 at Bristol on Saturday, having been on maternity leave, and she will likely replace Capsey at the top of the order. Injured captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is expected to be fit for the start of the World Cup and England are longing for her presence in the middle order, so the question for Edwards is whether Capsey should move down a place – and if so, who makes way?Sciver-Brunt recovery ‘going to plan’ but captain yet to bowl