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England all-rounders Natalie Sciver and Laura Marsh believe the Kia Super League will bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.
Sciver was today named skipper of a Surrey Stars side that will compete in the inaugural Super League this summer along with Lancashire Thunder, Loughborough Lightning, Southern Vipers, Western Storm and Yorkshire Diamonds.
Each side were today also allocated England players to represent them, with Sciver joined by Marsh and Tammy Beaumont at the Kia Oval.
Sciver and Marsh both played in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia this winter and, having just returned from the ICC World Twenty20 with England, are adamant the Super League will help the transition into international cricket.
“It is a gap that we hope will get smaller with the addition of the Kia Super League,” Sciver told ecb.co.uk.
“It is going to be massively important for girls in county cricket to be a part of the Kia Super League and hopefully go on from there.”
Kia Super League Surrey Stars players @natsciver & @lauramarsh7 are on media duty with @surreycricket & @KiaUK today pic.twitter.com/eFKROZMLgQ
— ECB (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2016
Marsh added to ecb.co.uk: “I am really excited. The whole competition is really exciting. Obviously this is the first year it is going to be run and it has a lot of potential to be a great spectacle.
“The more cricket we can play that is of a high standard, in more pressure situations, hopefully in front of some big crowds this summer will prepare us more from going from county cricket to international cricket.”
All six teams will also be boosted by overseas players, set to be announced next week, and Marsh believes that will have a major impact.
“Hopefully to have the likes of Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry, some of the best players in the world, coming over and playing in our Super League is fantastic,” Marsh said. “It will only help to make it a competitive competition.”
Sciver could not contain her pride after being named captain of the Stars, who open their campaign with a trip to the Ageas Bowl to face Southern Vipers before welcoming Yorkshire Diamonds to the Kia Oval.
“They have supported me throughout my cricketing career, I guess, so it is nice to be leading a group of Surrey players and Surrey Stars in the Kia Super League,” Sciver added.
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“It is massively exciting. Hopefully we can drum up a bit of excitement around that game and get a lot of people watching us.”
Car manufacturer Kia Motors were announced as the title sponsor for the Super League last month, signing a two-year deal.
Kia have supported cricket in England since 2011 and business development director Simon Hetherington says the opportunity to sponsor the Super League was too good to turn down.
“It is a very exciting time, the start of a new initiative in the UK,” Hetherington told ecb.co.uk.
“Kia has a long association with cricket and this was a great opportunity for us to extend that for the start of a Super League.
“As a brand we believe in smashing boundaries and establishing Kia in new market places, it fits perfectly. We are delighted to be able to support women’s cricket in the UK as well.”
Source: ECB