After England’s opening World Cup defeat to Australia last month, Sophie Ecclestone sat in the changing room, devastated, and opened up to team-mate Kate Cross about how “embarrassed” she was by her performance.
As Australia had racked up 310 for three, Ecclestone had been taken down, her figures of none for 77 the worst of her ODI career. To top it off, she had been dismissed off the final ball as England lost by 12 runs.
Yesterday, the England changing room was an altogether different scene and Ecclestone in an altogether different mood. She had put in the finest all-round showing of her ODI career – 24 off 11 balls with the bat, followed by six for 36 with the ball – as part of a team performance hailed as “perfect” by captain Heather Knight to book a place in Sunday’s final: a rematch against the all-conquering Australia. It is the first time these teams – women’s cricket’s dominant forces – have met in the final since 1988.
Ecclestone, still just 22, was “ecstatic” with her maiden international five-fer but, best of all, was that her beloved Everton had tweeted their congratulations. It had been a game that, beyond the runs and the wickets, showed off her charismatic, joyful all-action approach.
She was involved in persuading Knight to go for one of the worst lbw reviews of all time, as the ball smashed straight into Chloe Tryon’s bat. “Oh no, how embarrassing,” laughed Ecclestone when asked about it, “move on”. And she found herself in a stoush in each innings with South Africa star Shabnim Ismail. Unsurprisingly, Ecclestone had the last laugh, holding a finger over her mouth to say “shh” after dismissing Ismail as the game petered out.
On two levels, Ecclestone comes full circle on Sunday as England look to defend the title they won at Lord’s in 2017.
First, there is this tournament. After the Australia defeat, England lost their next two games, meaning they effectively needed to win their next five to reach the final at the end of a brutal winter that has seen them on tour for three months, and well beaten in the Ashes. Slipping into knockout mode early, they have made it.
Since her lowest ebb, Ecclestone has been extraordinary. She has taken 20 wickets – more than any Englishwoman at a World Cup – at 12.85, including 15 in their last four games. She has the tournament’s best economy rate, 3.4, and has won back the ICC’s No1 ODI bowling ranking to go with her T20 No1 status, too. She has been so good that facile, futile debates about whether she could make it in men’s cricket have raged.
And then there is her personal World Cup journey. Five years ago, she was not far off the squad when just leaving school. She was a net bowler for England the day before the final, and one of a number of players in this team who watched the thrilling game from the stands at Lord’s, hunger gathering.
The introduction of another spinner, Charlie Dean, to England’s XI has been a crucial part of their revival, but Ecclestone goes into the final as England’s key player. Yesterday, Knight was able to hold her back until the first four wickets had fallen to other members of England’s six-strong attack, and she swept up the rest.
England have already defied history once, in that no team has made the Women’s World Cup final having lost two matches, let alone their three. And they will have to do it again, because they have lost their last seven ODIs against Australia, who are unbeaten in this tournament. Ellyse Perry, who trained today, remains an injury doubt, but her absence is not the dramatic blow it once was. England are happy to play the underdog.
“To beat the Aussies in the final, I couldn’t put it into words after the Ashes we had,” said Ecclestone.
“I didn’t have a great day out against the Aussies, I think it’s fair to say. To come back the way I did I’m really proud of myself. The team has fought back as well, it’s been amazing to witness.
“I haven’t won a major trophy since I started playing for England, and I’d really love to win that sooner rather than later.”
Doing so would complete a very special story.
