A shellshocked England crashed out of the World Cup after being beaten in dramatic fashion by West Indies.
In what was a de facto quarter-final, England succumbed in the face of relentless hitting from the West Indian batters, who made small work of what had looked like a competitive total of 141 to win by six wickets with 12 balls to spare.
It was a golden opportunity for England to make the World Cup final. To reach the final two, they needed to defeat the West Indies today and New Zealand on Friday – two teams that they have beaten in their last 20 consecutive matches.
“It’s pretty brutal,” head coach Jon Lewis said in the moments after defeat. “Players will be really reflective. We’re a really strong group and we’ll stick together. That’s one thing we’ll definitely do.”
It is the first time since 2010 that England have failed to make the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup and represents a significant disappointment for the team who were widely tipped as potential winners.
Until this match, England had done little wrong. They had won their first three group matches, but due to results elsewhere they still required victory on Tuesday to make it through.
Losing the toss, England were asked to bat and slipped to 34 for three. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight combined to lift them to 80 before Knight was forced to retire hurt with a calf injury that kept her off the field for the West Indian innings.
After Knight’s departure, wickets continued to fall with regularity, but Sciver-Brunt held the innings together as she finished on 57 not out and take England to 141.
The West Indian batting line-up have been boom or bust in this competition. In their first match, they combined for a tortuous 118 for six against South Africa, before they followed that up with a devastating batting innings against Scotland and Bangladesh where they rattled along at close to 10-an-over in chases of 101 and 104.
They did the exact same here, as Qiana Joseph and Hayley Matthews were relentless in their hitting.
Matthews’ quality was known; Joseph’s was not. Her half-century was the first she’d made in a West Indies shirt as she was given licence to swing at every ball.
“We talked about what they were going to do,” said Lewis. “We knew they were going to throw some punches at us and that Matthews and Joseph in particular would come in and do that but we didn’t react as well as we could.”
After seven overs, England were noticeably dejected in the field. Something which prompted Lewis to take an unusual step and go on to the pitch at the mid-innings drinks break.
“It’s not a reaction you want as a coach,” Lewis said of the body language on the field. “I rarely go on the field at the drinks break but I went on today just to remind them what we’re about as a cricket team and they responded really well in the following three or four overs.”
England, however, were not completely helpless in their demise. Sophia Dunkley, on as a substitute for the injured Knight, dropped Joseph in the second over on the boundary, before Alice Capsey and Maia Bouchier put down chances that should’ve been taken. Bouchier then went on to complete an unwelcome hat-trick of dropped catches.
The number of chances going down has been a theme at this World Cup, in particular at Dubai where the floodlights are known as the ‘ring of fire’ and are felt by some to make catching more difficult.
“I don’t like making excuses for what you would say are reasonably straightforward chances,” Lewis said. “But what I would say is it’s the first time the girls stepped into this stadium today…and it’s something that’s been common at this stadium.”
At the end of the match, Knight was visibly emotional as her seven-year trophyless run as captain continued. It is the second tournament in a row that England have been knocked out by a shock defeat at the hands of an, in theory, lesser opponent.
“She’s really committed and really cares about her cricket,” Lewis said of his skipper. “Not being out there would have been incredibly frustrating for her…I suppose it showed how much we missed her.”
It was a tour de force from the Windies, who have been dubbed at this tournament as ‘the timebomb’. Everyone knew they were capable of a performance like this, it was just a case of when they put it together. Unfortunately for England, it was today.
In a weird way, the game that cost England was their opening victory against Bangladesh. They won by 21 runs, a modest margin compared to South Africa and West Indies, and that left them vulnerable to being eliminated on run-rate. In the end, that’s exactly what happened.
West Indies & South Africa are through ✅
England, Bangladesh & Scotland are out ❌ pic.twitter.com/z4edu8IUm0
Who’d have thought England and India wouldn’t make the last four?
Frustrated. It was bad timing for me and tough to watch, but credit to West Indies. They put us under the pump and we made a few mistakes; it wasn’t our best performance.
I didn’t think our total was far off. There was a bit of turn in the surface. We bowled a little bit too short and they batted brilliantly. It was a top-qualify opening partnership.
I felt a little tweak in my calf. Just frustrated.
Our campaign will be judged on today. We played some really good cricket but if you slip up once it can be costly. I’m still really proud of the girls.
Captain Heather Knight reacts to England's World Cup exit 🎤 pic.twitter.com/vgJWAwnfzc
A lot of the England players are in tears. Heather Knight, who was unable to captain the side in the field because of a calf injury, looks particularly devastated. England didn’t see this coming at all. They knew West Indies could beat them – they can beat anyone – but not like this. There was a Hitchcockian suddenness to the whole thing. One minute England had posted a competitive score of 141; the next Qiana Joseph was smashing them to parts of Dubai they didn’t know existed.. Amazing.
The moment West Indies KNOCKED OUT England 👀 pic.twitter.com/A2oDOQW5zj
Absolutely and completely mad. England shellshocked. There had been a couple of people who had dubbed the Windies ‘the timebomb’ this tournament because we knew they were capable of a display like this but didn’t know when it would come. Unfortunately for England, it was today.
OVER 18: WI 144/4 (Henry 0 Alleyne 8) Aaliyah Alleyne clatters her first ball to the extra cover boundary! Two to win, and she finishes the job with another cover drive! England are out of the World Cup in remarkable circumstances.
Dottin b Ecclestone 27 Dottin tries to lap a yorker from Ecclestone, misses and is bowled behind her legs. It’s the end of a spectacular all-round performance: a wicket, a run-out, three catches and a nerve-calming cameo of 27 from 19 balls. FOW: 136/4
West Indies need 6 from 18 balls; one hit for Deandra Dottin, and she’ll be on strike at the start of the next over.
Campbelle run out 3 Shemaine Campbelle is run out off Sciver-Brunt’s last ball but it’s too little too late. FOW: 136/3
Deandra Dottin hurries West Indies towards the semi-finals! She has smashed Charlie Dean’s final over for 16, including two mighty leg-side sixes! That’s a hammer blow to England, who were just starting to consider a miracle when the requirement sneaked up to 30 from 28 balls. It’s now 14 from 24.
Lauren Bell returns to the attack. Dottin takes a risky single to mid-on and is scrambling to make her ground when Bouchier’s throw whistles just past the stumps.
That’s one of four singles from the over, which brings the required rate back to exactly six an over. West Indies need 30 from 30 balls.
The new batter is Deandra Dottin, who isn’t known for starting an innings slowly. She defends the first two balls then swipes four over extra cover. England might as well keep the field up because wickets are their only hope of a miracle.
Right. Here we go. This is the break England needed. But Dottin will keep going. She won’t nudge this until the end, she’ll want to win now.
Matthews c Gibson b Glenn 50 Surely not. Matthews clubs Glenn towards long on, where Gibson crouches to take a well-judged catch. West Indies need 38 from 41 balls. FOW: 104/2
Hayley Matthews, whose cramp seems to be easing, jogs through for a single to complete a lovely half-century from 37 balls. It’s been an innings of unobtrusive class; she happily played second fiddle to the rampant Joseph yet their strike rates are almost identical.
Joseph c Wyatt-Hodge b Sciver-Brunt 52 Joseph drives Sciver-Brunt to long off, where poor Maia Bouchier completes a hat-trick of dropped catches. That was the least difficult of the three – but it’s also the least costly because Joseph holes out to deep midwicket next ball. Wyatt-Hodge takes a good low catch and throws the ball into the turf in disgust. Joseph is embraced by her teammates after putting West Indies on the cusp of the semi-finals with a devastating innings. FOW: 102/1
England get their first wicket as Wyatt-Hodge clings on at deep midwicket to remove Joseph! ❌ pic.twitter.com/m07STaJzUR
Ecclestone gets one to pop at Matthews, who gets a leading edge that lands safely on the off side. More frustration for England.
Matthews is struggling with cramp so she’s dealing exclusively in singles or boundaries for now. Four or the former move West Indies to within 40 of an extraordinary victory. It’s worth a reminder that England had won the last 13 completed T20Is between the sides. Past tense.
The England coach Jon Lewis came on at the drinks break to give a pretty animated team talk. It’s too late for Churchill; in fact England are in so much trouble that I’m not even sure Brent would do the job. Matthews cuts Sarah Glenn superbly for four, then rotates strike so that Joseph can reach her first T20I fifty. It’s been a truly remarkable innings: 34 balls, six fours, two sixes, four dropped catches and a world of pain that England’s players may never forget.
England coach Jon Lewis had been disrupting the team with various scenarios & changes in recent months to prepare them for anything at this #T20WorldCup. But I’m not sure losing the skipper to injury mid way thru a must-win match was one of them.
If I told you England have dropped another catch, would you believe me? Joseph slog-swept Dean to dep midwicket, where Maia Bouchier palmed an awkward chance over her head for six.
That’s at least four dropped catches in this innings, ranging from goober to difficult. Time for drinks. England need somebody to bring them on in a DeLorean that’s set for 15 October 2024, 5pm local time.
I’m convinced there will be a twist. There has been too much chaos for this to peter out tepidly. I still think if England can get that run rate above six they have a chance. But it’d help if they took a catch…
Lauren Bell, whose nervy first over set the tone, replaces Ecclestone. She beats Matthews with a couple of excellent slower balls and concedes only four from the over. West Indies need 61 from 66 balls. England need a time machine.
Sarah Glenn comes into the attack, and there’s another dropped catch! Joseph slog-sweeps ferociously towards deep midwicket, where Bouchier can only get a slight touch on a difficult chance to her left.
Joseph has slowed down since the Powerplay but she still has 40 from 27 balls. It’s been a classic of the pinch-slogging gentre.
With the caveat that I failed my GCSE in Net Run-Rate, it looks likely that the semi-finals will be Australia v South Africa and West Indies v New Zealand. This is a stunning twist, a reminder of the jeopardy that makes sport so exhilarating. But it could take England a long time to get over this game.
Ecclestone restores a bit of order by conceding only three from the first over after the Powerplay. Trouble is she’s now halfway through her allocation, West Indies need less than a run a ball and still have 10 wickets left.
Stamp the passport, England’s heads have gone. It’s understandable in the face of such an assault like this.
The last over of the Powerplay, bowled by Charlie Dean, disappears for 12 more. Her line and length were all over the place, which allowed Matthews to hit three boundaries: a pull, a mighty blow over extra cover and a ping off the pads. What a beautiful batter she is.
Sciver-Brunt returns in an attempt to end this devastating nonsense. Matthews turns the strike over first ball, Joseph blasts four more over mid-off and then slogs the ball miles in the air. It’s a simple catch for Capsey at point… and she drops it. The resulting single brings up the fifty partnership in 27 balls. I can’t spake.
Matthews, happy to play second fiddle, works Sciver-Brunt deftly past short fine leg for yet another boundary. England are being smashed out of the T20 World Cup.
This is absolute carnage. Joseph smears Sophie Ecclestone’s second and third deliveries over the leg side for four and ends the over on 27 from 14 balls. It would have been 28 from 13 had Matthews not turned down a single off the penultimate ball. A bit odd but I guess she knows another 10-15 deliveries of Joseph in the Powerplay will pretty much finish the game. Who’d have thought an injury to Stafanie Taylor would be bad news for England?
Qiana Joseph. Goodness me. England look shellshocked as well they should be. If they can keep that required-run-rate around six an over out of the Powerplay they’ll still have a chance. Sophie Ecclestone into the attack early…
The stand-in captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has no choice but to turn to spin in the shape of Charlie Dean. Matthews clubs her second ball just short of mid-on; Joseph slog-sweeps her third lustily for six. She has 19 from 8 balls and is slogging England towards the departure lounge. West Indies need 106 from 102 balls.
The first three overs have gone for 14, 12 and 10. England are in all sorts.
England feel Heather Knight’s absence in more ways than one when Qiana Joseph, already on six from two balls, drags Sciver-Brunt towards the sub fielder Sophia Dunkley at deep midwicket. She runs past the ball and can only help it for four more.
Joseph is swinging at everything, as predicted by Cam Ponsonby before the game, and she is lucky when another mishit swipe beats the fielder running back from backward point.
West Indies have already dragged the required rate down from 7 to 6.5. To say England need a wicket is an almost offensive understatement.
A stunning start from Hayley Matthews, who belts Lauren Bell’s opening over for 14! The second ball was picked up over backward square leg for a spectacular six; then she helped a poor ball past short fine leg and slammed a drive over mid-off.
There’s no Heather Knight, whose calf injury may rule her out if England reach the knockout stages, so SuperNat will captain the team.
That feels like a pretty decent score for England at the end of a nervy innings. Nat Sciver-Brunt rode her luck early on, and would have been out for 24 had West Indies not run out of reviews, but she manipulated the field with increasing brilliant to finish on 57 not out from 50 balls.
Heather Knight retired hurt with a calf injury after making a breezy 21. She was one of the few batters who didn’t leave the field by the hand of Deandra Dottin, who took a wicket, three catches and pulled off a run-out.
Apparently England’s score means that, in the weird world of net run-rate, South Africa have qualified for the semi-final. So this is it, winner takes all. Oof, this is going to be tense.
Sarah Glenn plays tip and run so that NSB can face the last two balls of the innings. She scorches the first over mid-off for four before being duped by a 40mph delivery from Matthews. Sciver-Brunt played about four different shots, missed them all and was hit on the body. But she managed to scamper a leg-bye, which means West Indies need 142 to reach the semi-finals.
Ecclestone c Dottin b Matthews 7 Six and out for Sophie Ecclestone. She picked Matthews up sweetly over the leg side, then holed out to you know who at deep midwicket. Dottin has now been involved in five wickets: one with the ball, four in the field. Heather Knight has her pads on but it’s Sarah Glenn coming out to bat. FOW: 135/7
For once Sophie Ecclestone can’t belt her first ball for six, but England continue to inch towards a handy score. Six balls remaining.
Gibson c Fletcher b Dottin 7 Gibson charges Dottin but crashes the ball straight to Fletcher in the covers. She showed good intent, though, and she departs for a run-a-ball seven. FOW: 126/6
The catching in this competition has been historically bad. Normally, catches across both the men’s and women’s game are taken at around 75-80%. This tournament we’ve been down at 60%. A week or so ago, there was some thought to whether the ‘ring of fire’ floodlights at Dubai were having an impact and also the relative lack of night-games that women play. But as of late, it feels people have settled on the less nuanced ‘it’s been a shocker’.
Sciver-Brunt, making room outside leg stump to Alleyne, is nutmegged (not to be confused with a Natmegging) by a delivery that bursts through Campbelle for a bye.
Alleyne has an unusual field – five close in on the off side, four out on the leg side – and she can’t get her line right. She bowls a couple of wides before being pulled twice behind square for four by Sciver-Brunt. England’s genius is doing it again: that second boundary brings up a vital 45-ball fifty.
Excellent, proactive batting from the new arrival Danni Gibson, who reverse pulls Fletcher over short third for a boundary. Fletcher ends a fine spell with figures of 4-0-21-3.
Three overs to go. It’s tense.
Dean c Matthews b Fletcher 5 No mistake this time. Dean slaps Fletcher to straight mid-off, where the captain Hayley Matthews takes a simple catch. England may yet need Heather Knight to come out on leg and swing at everything. FOW: 104/5
Charlie Dean's short stay at the crease is over!
She sends the shot straight to Matthews 🏏 pic.twitter.com/pEf9RbrgYV
In truth this hasn’t been Sciver-Brunt’s best innings. But she’s still there, still going at a run a ball and still giving England hope. She wills herself to a tight second run after pulling Matthews into the leg side; and though there are no boundaries, England manage to score off delivery.
If they win this game it’ll be their low dot-ball ratio wot won it.
Well, what a drop that could turn out to be. England would have effectively been six down with five overs to go but Chidean Nation has put down a dolly.
Word from England, Heather Knight has a tight calf and is being assessed. No word if she’ll come out to bat again if required.
Ridiculous scenes. Charlie Dean, promoted to No7 to cause a bit of mayhem, top-edges her first ball towards short fine leg and is inexplicably dropped by Chedean Nation. You have to feel for her because that’s blooper gold.
Jones c Dottin b Fletcher 7 The tamest of dismissals for Amy Jones, who slices Fletcher gently to backward point and looks suspiciously at the pitch. Unlike her first two fielding interventions, that was the easiest of catches for Dottin. FOW: 94/4
The offspinner Karishma Ramharack becomes the eighth bowler of the innings. Sciver-Brunt reverse sweeps adroitly for a couple, then Jones drags a poor delivery to fine leg for four. Three additional singles make it a good over for England.
This is fascinatingly poised. I’ll be honest, I haven’t a clue which team is in the box seat, or even if there is a box seat.
Knight was playing so well, too, and had moved skilfully to 21 from only 13 balls. One way or another, I fear her World Cup is over.
The new batter Amy Jones gets off the mark first ball but there are only five singles from Dottin’s over. West Indies will take that for the rest of the innings.
The plot thickens. Heather Knight is walking off the field with what looks like a pulled calf muscle, so she must be a major doubt for the remainder of the tournament. If there is a remainder of England’s tournament.
Matthews goes around the wicket to Sciver-Brunt, who misses a sweep and survives a huge LBW appeal after being hit in the chest. West Indies have no reviews left and look thproughly hacked off. My instinct is it pitched outside leg, though we haven’t seen a replay.
We’ve seen a replay now, which confirms it would have been out on review! It pitched in line and would have hit the stumps halfway up. They needed that review…
After five balls of the over, Knight calls the physio on to look at a foot problem. She’s going to continue but she’s not moving brilliantly. Knight reverse sweeps the last delivery for four with the aid of a misfield.
Knight is not out and West Indies are out of reviews. There was a slight under-edge, without which Knight might have been in trouble. Instead it turned into a really good over for England, who scored off every ball and took 11 in total.
Ashmini Munisar, one of West Indies’ 48 spin-bowling options, comes on after drinks. Sciver-Brunt sweeps expertly behind square for four, but then Knight misses a pull/sweep and Hayley Matthews decides it’s worth risking the last review. It looks close, again.
My fruitless prediction for what it’s worth. England will get to around 130 and it’ll prove to either be 40 too many or 40 too few. The West Indies have been completely boom or bust this competition but it’s vital England give themselves a chance. They’re not in the strongest position, but in NSB and Heather Knight they are in as safe a pair of hands as you could hope.
Not content with two brilliant pieces of fielding, Deandra Dottin is coming on to bowl for the first time in the tournament. She has a good head-to-head record against Sciver-Brunt, which is probably the reason for her introduction. Knight is on strike for the majority of the over and punches a crisp drive to the cover boundary.
It’s the halfway point of England’s innings. Time for drinks.
Heather Knight dances down to drive Fletcher between extra cover and mid-off for four. That’s a beautiful shot, the best of the England innings so far, and it brings up their fifty. Sciver-Brunt is then unable to punish a full toss, clouting it back over the bowler’s head for just a single. She has 14 from 16 balls, Knight 8 from 5.
Incidentally, the ball-tracking showed that Alleyne’s LBW appeal against Sciver-Brunt was umpire’s call so it wouldn’t have been overturned on review. But it was perilously close.
Sciver-Brunt gets her first boundary, and only the third of the innings, with a premeditated scoop over the keeper’s head off Alleyne. She survives another big LBW appeal next ball, this time after flicking across a very full delivery. West Indies only have one review left and decide not to risk it, even though it looks really close. Blimey, I’d like to see ball-tracking on that.
Heather Knight to the crease. She has faced a total of seven balls this tournament but England really need her now.
It pitched outside leg so West Indies lose a review. You can understand why they went for it, especially as it was Sciver-Brunt.
This could be the game, right here. Sciver-Brunt flicked across a full delivery from Fletcher and was hit on the pad. It’s close to leg stump but if it pitched in line Sciver-Brunt is in trouble.
Bouchier c Joseph b Fletcher 14 The legspinner Afy Fletcher strikes first ball! Bouchier tried to release some pressure with a slog sweep but could only slice it gently to Joseph in the covers. I’m not sure whether she misread the length or whether it bounced a bit more than expected. For the umpteenth time, England need a partnership from Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight. FOW: 34/3
The medium-papcer Aaliyah Alleyne completes a really good Powerplay for West Indies by conceding only a couple from his first over. Bouchier, who can be so devastating, is struggling to time the ball.
Nat Sciver-Brunt gets off the mark with a single down the ground. While she’s at the crease England are okay. But if she goes early, all bets are off.
Well, a far from ideal start for England. Deandra Dottin is an absolute superstar with bat and in field and has single-handedly put the Windies ahead.
Yes, the Capsey run out was out by miles, but it was only out by miles because of how quick Dottin was.
Capsey run out 1 It’s even more tense now: Alice Capsey has been run out! Bouchier pushed James towards point and both players set off, a big game with Deandra Dottin about to swoop on the ball. In one smooth movement she picked up and flashed a throw to Campbelle, who broke the stumps with Capsey well short. England are getting the jitters. FOW: 31/2
This already feels really tense, and we’re only a tenth of the way through the game.
Wyatt-Hodge c Dottin b Matthews 16 A big wicket for West Indies! Danni Wyatt-Hodge had slapped one cut for four off Matthews but fell when for a second. She screwed the shot towards backward point, where the ever-reliable Deandra Dottin took a fine low catch. FOW: 29/1
FIRST WICKET OF THE MATCH!
Great catch from Dottin as Wyatt-Hodge is dismissed 💥 pic.twitter.com/3Y2OTo8y24
Another moment of fortune for Bouchier, who slices Henry high over point for a couple. The ball teased the fielders running back before landing safely.
Wyatt cuts high over point for two, then slices a single to third. Bouchier eventually gets hold of one, blasting Henry over mid-on for a one-bounce four. That’s the first boundary of the innings.
The left-arm spinner Zaida James, brought into the side today, shares the new ball. She should have a wicket second ball but Bouchier is dropped by Munisar! It was a fairly straightforward catch as she swooped forward in the covers but she couldn’t hold on. There have been an unfathomable number of dropped catches at this World Cup.
No boundaries in the first two overs on what looks another awkward pitch.
The right-arm swing bowler Chenelle Henry opens the bowling to Maia Bouchier, who gets off the mark with a very tight single to mid-on. That would have been seriously close with a direct hit.
England haven’t played in Dubai at this World Cup so they might take a couple of overs to assess conditions. Wyatt-Hodge pulls a single to get off the mark and Bouchier clips two through midwicket.
The (very) early signs are the ball is harder to get away when it’s bowled into the pitch.
The two teams are walking onto the field for the anthems. It’s almost time for the first knockout game of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
England go as expected into this fixture with Alice Capsey back from illness and Lauren Bell keeping her spot after a strong showing against Scotland.
When it comes to the Windies innings, keep an eye out for Qiana Joseph who will open up in absence of Stafanie Taylor. She swings from the hip every ball. It’s not subtle or pretty, but in a one-match shootout it could be decisive.
I’m really good thank you. Really enjoying myself in Dubai – what a place to play cricket!
Me and Maia have batted together a long time. She’s just getting better and better; it’s scary how good she’s going to be. We’ve got a really good understanding in the middle and hopefully we can have a good game tonight.
We watched the game last night and it looked like there’s a bit more bounce than at Sharjah. This is our first game here so we’ll have to assess and adept really quickly [to judge what represents a good score]. It’s important that the comms are really good.
The girls have been in great form over the last couple of years. We’re gonna go out there tonight and try to bring our A game.
Alice Capsey, who missed the Scotland game through illness, returns in place of Sophia Dunkley. that’s the only change, which means Lauren Bell keeps her place ahead of Linsey Smith.
Two changes for West Indies: Zaida James and Chedean Nation come in for Stafanie Taylor, who has a knee injury, and Mandy Mangru. That means Qiana Joseph will move up to open.
England Bouchier, Wyatt-Hodge, Capsey, Sciver-Brunt, Knight (c), Jones (wk), Gibson, Dean, Ecclestone, Glenn, Bell.
West Indies Matthews (c), Joseph, Campbelle (wk), Dottin, Henry, Nation, James, Munisar, Alleyne, Fletcher, Ramharack.
Let's gooooooo! 🏴
Follow every ball live in the match centre 👉 https://t.co/rmzF4b3xc7 pic.twitter.com/2WfqScUeW2
Interesting, very interesting. “We’ve been pretty successful bowling first all year,” says Hayley Matthews, “so we’ll back ourselves to do that.”
Heather Knight says she should have bowled as well. “The pitch looks all right actually,” she says. “We’ll have to be smart and work what’s a good score.”
England’s only selection decision, fitness permitting, is between the left-arm spin of Linsey Smith and the right-arm seam of Lauren Bell. In the build up to the game, Smith spoke about her previous struggles in international cricket.
“I was embarrassed to wear an England shirt,” Smith says now. “I was not enjoying the experience. Playing for England is meant to be the best thing on earth, whereas I was in a pretty dark place. If something did not feel 100 per cent right, it would derail me. The feelings I would get on the morning of the game were not healthy.”
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Tough format, eh? England are top of Group B at the T20 World Cup, having won three games out of three with increasing authority, but they still have no margin for error. If they lose to West Indies in Dubai this afternoon they will – just like that! – be on their way home.
Okay, that isn’t strictly true. The net run-rate permutations are such that England can afford the narrowest of defeats, but we’re talking literally a couple of runs or balls. We’ll cross that bridge if we get anywhere near it.
The strong likelihood is that it’s winner takes all. And though West Indies are dangerous opponents, and the remarkable Hayley Matthews is due a performance, we should be wary of scaremongering. England have won the last 13 completed T20 internationals between the sides and West Indies were thrashed by 10 wickets when they came up against South Africa in their opening game.
They responded by marmalising both Scotland and Bangladesh, which is why they will go above England on run-rate if they win today. And although South Africa’s NRR is currently the worst of the three contenders, the complexities of this particular brain-melting tiebreaker mean they are 99.94 per cent sure to reach the semi-finals.
England are determined to focus on the process, not the result. “We sometimes get a bit ahead of ourselves,” said Sophie Ecclestone. “It’s important to stay in the moment, staying present and we know that we’ve got a big game against the West Indies. A massive [way of staying in the present] personally is that I just enjoy myself. You never know when your last game for England is going to be, as brutal as that is.”
If England win they will meet New Zealand in the second semi-final on Friday. The alternative is unthinkable.
The match starts at 3pm in London, 6pm in Dubai.
