England have named a T20 World Cup squad that promises depth with both bat and ball. The challenge now is in working that into what’s previously been an established starting XI.
There’s a tension in the squad England selected. Looking down the list of names, the established core that England relied on through their Ashes and World Cup losses of the last three years remains intact. Nevertheless, there’s enough freshness in there to tease that those fates aren’t destined to be repeated this summer.
England squad for T20 World Cup: Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Dani Gibson, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Both the all-rounders that England have been desperate to have fully fit over the last few years, Dani Wyatt-Hodge and Freya Kemp, are set to operate in both their skillsets. The bright, wide-eyed youth of Tilly Corteen-Coleman grabs the headlines, as does the inclusion of Issy Wong in her first World Cup squad. Nevertheless, breaking that freshness into an XI will be a challenge.
The top order
That status quo is most keenly felt in the top six. England’s opening partnership is set in stone as Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge – Dunkley was their top-scorer during the intra-squad training camp in South Africa, and Wyatt-Hodge has whacked three centuries in the early rounds of the county season. So locked-in is their partnership that there was no room for Davina Perrin as a bolter in the squad. Speaking on Wednesday, Charlotte Edwards confirmed that the lack of space for Perrin in the top order was the main reason behind her omission.
Then come the established old guard, the current captain and the previous captain at Nos. 3 and 4. While England have previously put Alice Capsey in at one-down, last summer she only played there when at least one of Nat Sciver-Brunt or Heather Knight was out injured. Capsey’s off-spin has also been handy for England, but she’s only bowled a total of nine overs in the last 21 T20Is she’s played. With their all-rounders back in, and four frontline spinners to choose from, she’s most likely been edged out of the top order, but could come in further down in place of one of the specialist spinners, or even as a back-up option with the gloves.
All-rounders
Amy Jones is England’s only frontline wicketkeeper in the XI, and has exclusively batted at No.5 under Edwards. While Jones’s lack of runs in T20Is has drawn criticism for her continued inclusion – she scored her last T20I half-century almost six years ago – there simply isn’t an obvious candidate to pick over her. Capsey is the back-up keeper in the squad and the next cab, who appears to be Kira Chathli, hasn’t yet been selected in a senior international squad.
With Jones at five, at least one of the prized seam-bowling all-rounders will come in at six, and both have different merits. A couple of rapid half-centuries from Gibson down the order for Somerset have shown the finishing ability England have been desperate to get into the side over the last few years, although she would complete an entirely right-handed top six. Kemp, a leftie, was handy as a batter only for Hampshire last year, and has batted at every position from No.4-9 in T20Is. Nevertheless, while Edwards is insistent Kemp is fit to bowl in T20Is (she won’t bowl in the ODI series against New Zealand), she looks to have dropped some of her pace from when she came into the side pre-stress fracture.
There’s a world in which both Gibson and Kemp play on the same team. That would require England dropping one of their specialist pace options, with the compromise being fewer pace options at the death, or one of their spinners.
Bowlers
It’s hard to imagine England going away from their established spin triumvirate. But getting all three of them in might leave them either a seamer or a batter short. Nevertheless, Charlie Dean plays as the vice-captain, and Sophie Ecclestone retains her No.1 spin status.
With all the noise around Tilly Corteen-Coleman’s inclusion in the squad, it’s hard to see how she actually gets in. Edwards stressed that all three left-armers offer something different this week; England do have an established formula. Linsey Smith bowled in the powerplay in all but one of the T20Is she played last summer, while Ecclestone was held back until later, covering fewer options at the death. While Corteen-Coleman could fill a similar role, Smith is in possession.
England may only play one pace option and rely on their seam-bowling all-rounders higher up. In that case, it would be Lauren Bell, who’s been inked into the team for several years. If they decide to play two at the expense of a spinner or all-rounder, they will need to choose between Lauren Filer and Issy Wong. While Wong has more tricks than Filer, she doesn’t have Filer’s pace or hostility. England will likely go with the express option as a second pacer.
Predicted: England’s T20 World Cup starting XI:
1. Danni Wyatt-Hodge
2. Sophia Dunkley
3. Nat Sciver-Brunt (c)
4. Heather Knight
5. Amy Jones (wk)
6. Freya Kemp
7. Dani Gibson
8. Charlie Dean
9. Sophie Ecclestone
10. Linsey Smith
11. Lauren Bell
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
