England fast bowler Kate Cross has confirmed that she will not have a central contract for the upcoming season. The veteran pacer revealed that she was told of the decision just before the start of The Hundred in August, leaving her to process the news while playing a full domestic campaign.
Cross was dropped during the ODI series against India in the summer, despite beginning the campaign as vice-captain and opening bowler, and eventually England’s World Cup squad as well. By the final match, she was not even in the 13. Reflecting on that abrupt fall, she admitted the experience left her shaken, “It’s probably been one of the toughest weeks I’ve had in my career actually,” said Cross.
Her words capture the pain of a year where she managed just three wickets from four ODIs in 2025. The contrast between her role at the start of the India series and her exclusion by the end was striking. “I started the India series opening the bowling for England as vice-captain and I finished that series not even making the 13 for the last game in that series,” she shared.
That was a dramatic drop for a player who, since the 2022 World Cup, had featured in 31 of England’s 45 ODIs and taken 101 wickets in 76 matches overall, with the best of 6/30.
Even as the disappointment lingered, Cross excelled in The Hundred. She spearheaded Northern Superchargers to their maiden title, claiming 15 wickets from 10 matches—including the best of 3/31.
Yet, despite the success, she admitted that the joy was muted, “After The Hundred. I realised how distracted I was and clearly, I got through that because we had an amazing summer in purple (Northern Superchargers). But the last three weeks have been awful, I’ve really struggled, I’ve really struggled to enjoy Cricket.”
Her domestic brilliance stood in stark contrast to her international struggles, underlining the emotional weight she was carrying. Cross was candid about how the situation affected her relationships within the team, “I’ve probably been the worst teammate. We’ve had a lot of long bus journeys where I’ve just had to kind of sit myself away from everyone.”
This came during a period when she had also helped Lancashire Women to the Women’s One Day Cup title, contributing both with the ball (15 wickets, best 3/47) and the bat (201 runs, top score 51).
Determined to work through her emotions, Cross explained that she has sought professional support, “I’m actually going to see someone professional, to actually start the process of processing. Kind of, it does feel that there’s no element of finality about it at all.”
Her admission comes at a time when England’s selectors have moved towards a more spin-heavy attack for the World Cup in the spin friendly conditions of India and Sri Lanka, with Sarah Glenn—11 wickets in 9 ODIs since 2022, including 3/21 this year—taking the place that once belonged to Cross.
For now, Kate Cross’s international career is on hold. Losing her central contract marks the most difficult transition of her 12-year journey, which has seen her win the Ashes in 2013-14, miss the 2022-23 edition due to injury, and stand as one of only eight English women with more than 100 ODI wickets.
(Quotes sourced from BBC’s No Balls Podcast)
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