Katie Levick out to be a '˜cut above' for Yorkshire Diamonds

Levick has been Yorkshire’s stand-out bowler at county level this season, taking 31 wickets in one-day and T20 cricket.

That is more than triple the amount of her closest team-mate Hollie Armitage with 10.

In fact, the 26-year-old from Sheffield has been a consistent force since her first-team debut in 2008 with 150 career wickets.

She has represented the England Academy side, but has never played senior international cricket.

Ahead of Friday’s KSL opener against Lancashire Thunder at Headingley, she said: “England never goes fully out of your head, but I don’t know whether it’s a realistic dream. Obviously, I would never say no.

“This is what you have to do if you want to get in there. You have to perform in these kind of tournaments and then people talk.

“It’s unbelievable to see what the girls did in the World Cup.

“You play with them and they’re your friends, and to see them do that and put women’s cricket on a platform it’s never been before, we need to try and keep that momentum going.

“It seems like it’s been a long build-up to this, but it’s here now. I’m really looking forward to it.

“It’s been going quite well for me this year, and I‘m enjoying both formats. I’m coming into this in some nice form.”

Levick’s haul of 31 scalps for the White Rose this season includes a six-for in a 50-over win over Lancashire back in May.

She took four wickets from as many matches for the Diamonds last year, and is relishing the prospect of getting one over the old enemy again.

“Playing, and winning, at Old Trafford last year (in the final match of the season) was an experience I never thought I’d get with the crowd,” she said.

“Even though it’s a smaller crowd than the men’s one, it’s still another level.

“You don’t enjoy anything more than beating Lancashire, especially here at Headingley. It’s the dream.”

Levick and Yorkshire have enjoyed an encouraging one-day Championship campaign so far, and sit second in the table behind Warwickshire with an outside chance of overhauling the Bears.

“I think we’ve got a really good mix of county players,” she added.

“Yorkshire has always been a big county, and we’ve been in good form.

“I think our strength of county players is right up there. That could be the difference for the Diamonds this year.”

Levick is joined in the squad by another leg-spinner in South Africa international Sune Luus, one of the three designated overseas players.

Twenty-one-year-old Luus, also a useful lower order batsman, has played 95 times for South Africa, including 38 T20 internationals with a best of 5-8. She took 10 wickets in the recent World Cup.

Luus said: “It’s my first Super League tournament, and I’m pretty excited. I’m happy with what I did in the World Cup, so hopefully I can carry it on for Yorkshire. It’s a great honour to be here playing for a big team like Yorkshire.

“It gives me a lot of confidence to know they see something in me. I want to repay that faith.”