\u201cIt\u2019s probably been one of the toughest weeks I\u2019ve had in my career,\u201d Cross revealed on the No Balls Podcast. \u201cI had my appraisal with Lott (head coach Charlotte Edwards) and Finchy [director of women\u2019s cricket Jonathan Finch], and they just told me I won\u2019t be getting my England contract renewed next year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"So as of October 2025, I will not be a professional cricketer for England anymore. I\u2019ve been dreading saying that. I feel sick. It is still very raw [...] and now I\u2019ve got to play in what is normally the funnest tournament of the year, and I know it\u2019s going to be a really tough few weeks for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cross was dropped midway through England\u2019s ODI series against India in the summer and missed out on selection for the upcoming ODI World Cup, a call she described as \u201csavage.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI started the India series opening the bowling for England as vice-captain, and I finished that series not even making the 13 to play the last game of the ODI series,\u201d she said. \u201cLottie [Edwards] said to me in a chat before the game that it was a must-win game, and I\u2019m not part of the 13. As a cricketer who has always prided myself on being a reliable bowler for my captain who would stand up in big moments, that was pretty tough to hear. That felt like a lot of trust had been lost quite quickly. I\u2019m not daft, I know that something had happened there that could mean my future is in jeopardy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The seamer, who helped Northern Superchargers win The Hundred title this year and guided Lancashire to twin victories in the Women\u2019s County Cup and One-Day Cup, admitted the off-field disappointment overshadowed her summer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cObviously, I had an amazing summer in purple [for Northern Superchargers], but the last few weeks have been awful. I\u2019ve really struggled to enjoy cricket; I\u2019ve probably been the worst team-mate for my Lancs girls. We\u2019ve had a lot of long bus journeys where I\u2019ve had to sit by myself away from everyone and just almost been a bit mute and numb,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI still don\u2019t really know (how I feel),\u201d Cross continued. \u201cI\u2019ve still not processed it. I think coming back into the Lancashire structure after The Hundred, I realised how distracted I was. I said I was going to get through The Hundred, the Lancs season, and then I\u2019m going to [...] I\u2019m not sure. I\u2019m going to see someone professional this afternoon to start the process of processing.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cObviously, I had an amazing summer in purple [for Northern Superchargers], but the last few weeks have been awful. I\u2019ve really struggled to enjoy cricket; I\u2019ve probably been the worst team-mate for my Lancs girls. We\u2019ve had a lot of long bus journeys where I\u2019ve had to sit by myself away from everyone and just almost been a bit mute and numb,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt does feel like there\u2019s an element of finality about it all, and the bit I got so upset about when we chatted a month ago was how quickly it\u2019s all happened, and that\u2019s the bit I\u2019ve not processed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n