Emma Jones says The Blaze are keen to continue the momentum of a successful start to the Vitality Blast as the Metro Bank One Day Cup returns this weekend.
As the 50-over tournament resumes, Craig Cumming’s table-topping side face Surrey at the County Ground in Beckenham on Saturday (10:30am start).
“We always want to play positive cricket, and Beckenham’s a good ground to go into with that mindset, so I think the transition will be nice in that way,” said Jones.
“The way we’ve been bowling too in the T20 competition will, I think, take us really nicely into how we want to bowl at Beckenham.”
The all-rounder is one of 13 heading to the south London venue, which is often known for producing run-soaked affairs - a fact not lost on former Brown Cap Jones.
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“It’s usually a high-scoring ground and a pretty good pitch, so coming off the back of the T20s, it could be an interesting game,” she mused.
“I think the basics stay the same throughout cricket, but there’s a little aspect of changing your risk/reward calculations.
“We’ll see how hard people go and how high-scoring it will be, and they’re a tough opposition as well, so we’ve got to lock in!”
The 23-year-old left Surrey at the end of last summer to move to the East Midlands, but she acknowledges an existing relationship with tomorrow’s hosts that could prove beneficial.
“They’re a good group, and I definitely know little bits and pieces about how they want to go about stuff,” she explained.
“I think this is their first game at Beckenham as well, so there’ll be a bit for them to show, but they’re definitely not to be underestimated.”
Jones has also not gone unrecognised for her performances in orange since she arrived at Trent Bridge.
Earlier this week, she was named - alongside Grace Ballinger and Charley Phillips - in the England A squad to face India A later this month.
“[I’m feeling] really good about that! It was nice to have another few Blaze players recognised too - Grace and Chaz [Phillips] have been outstanding, so 100% deserved.
“It will be a shame to miss a couple of Blaze games, but hopefully the girls can still keep winning.”
The extent of squad depth is something that has tested The Blaze thus far, with six players away at the World Cup, some player injuries, and now an A series to contend with.
However, through it all, Cumming’s side have still maintained strong consistency, and Jones puts that down to emerging players putting in positive performances.
“We’ve talked about how many players we’re missing, but we’ve still managed to fight our way to those wins,” she affirmed.
“It’s a really good group, it’s a hard-fighting group, and I think we’re going to need every bit of that.
“You see people coming through - Maz [Maria Andrews] with her first senior contract, coming straight in, and she’s bowled unbelievably well so far.
“We had Prisha debut unexpectedly, and she put in a top batting performance.
‘We’ve got so much trust in the players that are going to come in and take that responsibility, and it’ll be really nice to watch them get to do that.”
For now, Jones faces an assignment against her old employers, and she produces a wry smile when asked if there is anything more on the line in Beckenham.
“It’s always nice to put in a performance, isn’t it?” she said.
“I got to do it with G [Georgia Elwiss] last time, but yeah I always want to prove a bit of a point, so we’ll see how it goes!”

