Head coach Charlotte Edwards emphasizes that the England women`s cricket team is looking forward, not dwelling on past results, and fully supports captain Nat Sciver-Brunt`s bowling contributions ahead of the ICC Women`s World Cup.
Video: Edwards: “As excited in 2025 as I was in 1997”
Duration: 2 minutes, 5 seconds
Description: Charlotte Edwards reflects on how much cricket has changed since her participation in the 1997 Women`s World Cup in India.
The England team has found strong form ahead of their World Cup campaign, and head coach Charlotte Edwards is eager to see them translate this momentum onto the grand stage.
Edwards took the helm before the English summer, which featured 14 matches – six of them One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The team initially dominated the West Indies but then faced consecutive white-ball series defeats against India.
However, a training camp in Abu Dhabi, combined with four victories in as many warm-up games – against New Zealand, India, and Australia – has positioned Edwards` team exactly where she wants them as they approach their World Cup opener against South Africa on Friday.
“The players are responding very well, certainly to a slight change of style,” Edwards stated on Wednesday. “Hopefully, we`ve seen the results in the last four games, which have been very positive. We`re not getting carried away, rest assured, but we know we`re on the right track and preparing exceptionally well for the first match.”
Following two closely contested wins against New Zealand, England went on to defeat co-hosts India by 153 runs and the defending champions Australia by four wickets.
Among England`s most notable performances was Heather Knight`s return to scoring form in her first match since tearing her hamstring in May. Knight contributed 41 runs off 48 balls in the first warm-up against New Zealand, with Edwards calling her “vital to our success here.”
Middle-order batters Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, and Emma Lamb also registered runs, with Lamb being particularly impressive, notching three half-centuries in four appearances.
England head coach Charlotte Edwards and Alice Capsey during a training session. Source: ECB via Getty Images.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, who assumed the captaincy from Knight this year after the Ashes defeat that also led to the departure of then-head coach Jon Lewis, proved her pivotal role for England by retiring out on 120, helping her side amass 340 for 9 in their victory against India.
Leg-spinner Sarah Glenn excelled, taking 5 wickets for 32 runs from seven overs, instrumental in restricting Australia to 247 all out from 34.4 overs. Before this, she had only played twice for England during their home summer – one ODI and one T20I against the West Indies – before being overlooked for the India tour.
“There`s never truly a friendly game against international opposition, so I believe we`ve gained a lot of confidence, not solely from the results, but from the manner in which we played,” Edwards remarked. “I feel we are very well-positioned.”
England`s struggles in the field and their capacity to perform under pressure had been key discussion points since their group-stage exit at last year`s T20 World Cup and the Ashes, where they lost all seven matches in the multi-format series. However, Edwards asserted that there are no lingering scars from those experiences.
“You`ll be pleased to hear we`ve been fielding really well, which is something we obviously wanted to focus on,” she said. “So, I`m genuinely pleased with how the four games unfolded, and we were placed in some challenging situations at times. Under pressure, the players responded exceptionally well.”
“I haven`t discussed anything about the past,” she added. “For this group now, it`s all about looking forward. We`ve cultivated an environment focused on accountability, and we have clear understanding of how we intend to play the game.”
“Hopefully, that clarity will assist this team under pressure, as I don`t believe we`ll leave any stone unturned in our preparation. The signs of development I`ve witnessed over the last six months have been very strong. I just hope we can now deliver that on the big stage.”
Edwards brings extensive World Cup experience in India, having made both her first and last appearances at the tournament there in 1997 and 2013, respectively. More recently, in Indian conditions, she coached the WPL side Mumbai Indians to two titles in three years of the competition.
While Sciver-Brunt has been outstanding with the bat, her bowling ability remains under scrutiny. Due to a persistent Achilles injury, Sciver-Brunt has bowled only 9.3 overs since the WPL final in mid-March, where she claimed 3 wickets for 30 runs in an eight-run victory over Delhi Capitals.
She took 2 wickets for 23 runs in 5.3 overs during the second warm-up against New Zealand on September 20 and conceded 22 runs from four wicketless overs against India five days later.
The advantage of a four-pronged spin attack lessens England`s reliance on Sciver-Brunt`s pace bowling, though Edwards expects her to be capable of bowling her full allocation of ten overs if needed.
“We are very fortunate; in my opinion, we have four of the best [spinners] in world cricket,” Edwards stated. “We knew they would play a significant role when we selected this squad. This stems from my experience coaching here, where spin has been a massive factor even in T20 and WPL cricket.”
“Nat is ready to go. She`s bowling. She hasn`t bowled in every warm-up game, but she`s also doing many training overs. She`s in excellent physical condition, so we are hoping to get ten overs from Nat.”
“We will definitely need to monitor her workloads throughout this tournament, just like any fast bowler, depending on how hot it gets,” Edwards added. “Nat loves bowling, and I believe it aids her batting. She has probably been one of the most successful bowlers in the WPL over the last few years. So, we are hoping to continue that form into ODI cricket.”
Keywords:
Charlotte Edwards
Heather Knight
Nat Sciver-Brunt
England Women`s Cricket Team
England vs South Africa Women
ICC Women`s World Cup
