England chase fine margins in a bid to go the distance
The England dugout went through a gamut of emotions - most of them conveying a sense of ending - as Shabnim Ismail bowled the last over of the World Cup semifinal. Heather Knight, who had her stumps disturbed in that over and her team knocked out from within touching distance of glory, was left to sum up a fantastic run that eventually left her and her team empty-handed. Often such reflection ends with a resolve for a better future, like it did on that February evening in Cape Town last year.
"There is a huge amount of time (for the next World Cup), we are trying to build something nicely but sometimes when you are playing against good sides these fine margins happen," Knight had said.
For nearly 18 months since, England have chiseled the make-up of their T20 pool in chase of the said fine margins for when the next opportunity comes to populate their trophy cabinet. England have upped their T20 game in the current cycle, and paired that progression with selection decisions that have seen young players being trusted and Hundred form rewarded. Like in the case of Linsey Smith who returned to the T20I squad for the first time since 2019 earlier this year for the New Zealand series and has now been picked for the World Cup too.
While head coach Jon Lewis and skipper Heather Knight have strived to get their ducks in a row, they've also enjoyed a surge of good luck with the tournament moving from Bangladesh to UAE - where England have already done a two-week warm-weather acclimatisation camp in the lead-up. With stars aligning so well, England should head into the tournament with a sense of belief in going the distance and, as a motivating bonus, ending @L0$.
@B0$ (latest T20I first) - L W W W W
@B1$: Heather Knight (c), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt
@B2$Freya Kemp was just four when England won their first and only T20 World Cup title back in 2009. But the 2005-born left-arm seam-bowling allrounder has already seen a dramatic progression to her nascent career. She was England's youngest half-centurion in T20Is at 17 in 2022 and the recipient of the PCA women's young player award in the same year. But a stress fracture to the back then, denied her a chance to play in last year's showpiece event in South Africa and stalled her growth.
But she's now back, and trusted again to be among the 15 for the World Cup. She repaid that with an impressive showing with both bat and ball against Ireland, albeit in the 50-over format. She didn't set the stage alight in the Hundred but there's scope for her to remedy that at a bigger stage in UAE.
@B3$The early reprise of last year's semi final against South Africa. England cruised through the league stage in that tournament, beating West Indies, Ireland, India and Pakistan. But they were stopped in their tracks by the hosts who eventually lost to Australia in the final.
@B4$: Semifinals
@B5$
vs Bangladesh, October 5 in Sharjah at 2 PM local | 3:30 PM IST
vs South Africa, October 7 in Sharjah at 6 PM local | 7:30 PM IST
vs Scotland, October 13 in Sharjah at 2 PM local | 3:30 PM IST
vs West Indies, October 15 in Dubai at 6 PM local | 7:30 PM IST