Yorkshire backed to make home advantage count in Vitality Blast against Essex Eagles

The White Rose have lost three from three at the start of their T20 campaign; against The Blaze, Surrey and, most recently at Taunton on Wednesday against Somerset.

It has been far from an ideal start, but the captain has not lost faith in her team as they try and bounce back against Essex Eagles under the lights at Headingley on Friday night (6.30pm).

“We're in the trenches a little bit at the minute,” said the wicketkeeper-opener.

“We've obviously lost quite a few games on the bounce, but I’m up for the fight and we’ve got a lot of players who are really keen and resilient.

“Essex are definitely a team we can beat. We know we can go toe-to-toe with them.

“It being at home as well, under lights, it’ll be a good occasion. Hopefully we’ll rise to that and put in a good performance.”

While Yorkshire lost to Essex earlier this month at Headingley in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, they do have recent experience of beating the Eagles in T20 cricket.

Last May, they beat them in the third round of the Vitality County T20 Cup at Headingley as a Tier 2 side. With the Eagles being a Tier 1 side, it was one of the highlights of a progressive summer.

Yorkshire went on to get beaten in the quarter-finals by Warwickshire and also in the final of the Tier 2 Blast by Middlesex. They won the other 12 T20 matches they played last summer in the County Cup and the Blast.

“That Essex game was special,” said Winfield-Hill, who played for the Eagles on loan in last year’s Tier 1 Blast as she prepared for The Hundred.

“And I still think T20 cricket is a really good format for us.

“We’ve just not fired yet. But it’s a pretty long competition, and it’s early days in this T20 block.

“There’s been a lot of chopping and changing for us, with injuries, illness, we’ve got a couple of girls (Sterre Kalis and Rachel Slater) going to the World Cup.

“But we just need to sneak home in a close one and then build some momentum. We can certainly turn things around.”

One of the absentees Winfield-Hill is referring to is England leg-spinning all-rounder Sarah Glenn, whose broken finger suffered on international duty during the latter stages of the winter has yet to fully heal.

She has been with the squad in recent weeks, bowling and doing fitness work.

However, fielding remains an ongoing issue.

Essex have so far played two, won one and lost one.

They beat Warwickshire at Chelmsford in their opener last Friday before losing against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl on Tuesday, the latter game being televised.

Coached by former Lancashire and England men’s spinner Stephen Parry – in his first year in charge – they are captained by batting all-rounder Grace Scrivens.

The Eagles haven’t signed an overseas player and they missed out on Finals Day qualification in last year’s Blast.