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England Completes ODI Series Clean Sweep Against West Indies – Highlights
Charlotte Edwards inherited a challenging situation with the England women’s cricket team following a disappointing Ashes series. The team faced considerable criticism regarding its attitude, team culture, and on-field performance.
Edwards, a legendary former captain, began her tenure as head coach with a clean sweep in both the T20 and ODI series against a weakened West Indies team. This outcome, however, was largely expected given the circumstances.
Edwards and the new captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, enjoyed a relatively easy start to their leadership. This mirrors the beginning of Edwards’ predecessor, Jon Lewis, whose initial success against the West Indies proved short-lived, ultimately culminating in disappointing World Cup campaigns and the Ashes defeat.
Therefore, this series victory necessitates a cautious appraisal. England has consistently dominated home bilateral series, only to falter on the larger stage. Prior to this series, their home white-ball win rate since 2020 was 79.3%, rising to 87.8% excluding matches against Australia and India.
More formidable challenges lie ahead, commencing with India’s tour in late June and culminating in the demanding 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka at the end of September.
While World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley suggests England is in a “good place,” the question remains: does this series truly indicate a change in fortunes, and will the “new” England perform under pressure when it truly matters?
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‘Outstanding Innings’ – Jones Achieves Back-to-Back Centuries
Upon her appointment, Edwards prioritized 50-over cricket, emphasizing the need for a refined game plan and improved awareness, especially with the bat.
Her first strategic move involved promoting wicketkeeper Amy Jones back to the opening position alongside Tammy Beaumont, a role she previously held between 2016 and 2019.
Jones rewarded Edwards’ faith with a Player of the Series performance, scoring her first international century in her 246th match and backing it up in the second game. She finished with 251 runs, averaging 125.50 with a strike rate of 114.61.
However, Jones’s challenge, much like England’s, remains: can she elevate her performance against stronger opposition? Her average against West Indies (55.45) is her highest against any team, but it significantly drops to 16.33 against Australia and 19.66 against India.
Adaptability to opponents’ strategies and varied conditions in India is crucial. For example, how would Jones perform if a team employed spin bowling early?
Her average against spin is a respectable 36.2, with a strike rate of 82. While she’s yet to be dismissed facing spin in the powerplay, she’s a slower starter against spin bowlers, evidenced by her strike rate dropping to 78 when considering her first 30 balls faced against spinners.
Her partnership with Beaumont suggests a natural fit for the top-order restructuring needed after Maia Bouchier’s struggles in Australia (average of six runs).
Jones and Beaumont represent England’s third-most successful ODI partnership, scoring 1,786 runs together in 30 innings at an average of 63.8, surpassing the current team’s other partnerships.
While the West Indies presented minimal challenge, England’s performance against Hayley Matthews, a world-class player, provides a more accurate assessment.
With key all-rounders absent, West Indies’ success largely depended on Matthews. England’s struggles against this consistent threat are concerning.
Matthews missed the second and third ODIs due to a shoulder injury, having scored 48 and taken 2-49 in the first. Her T20 performances were exceptional, including a century in the first match.
India possesses many players capable of similar match-winning performances, suggesting a need for England to adapt and address its weaknesses revealed by Matthews’ dominance.
“I think we’ve probably created it ourselves in many ways,” Edwards stated regarding self-imposed pressure.
“Competition for selection in county cricket, going into county cricket and having to perform, and then obviously within this side now, making sure they are taking the opportunities.”
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Bell Catches Campbelle at Backward Point
Sophie Ecclestone, the world’s number one-ranked bowler, made headlines during the Ashes for refusing a pre-match interview with Alex Hartley, who criticized England’s fitness after the T20 World Cup.
Ecclestone’s absence from the West Indies series was attributed to a knee injury recovery, despite playing domestic matches for Lancashire. England emphasized that her omission was unrelated to the winter’s controversy.
She has since taken a break from domestic cricket to prioritize her well-being and manage a quadriceps injury, remaining available for selection for the India series.
In Ecclestone’s absence, left-arm spinner Linsey Smith excelled, taking seven wickets in two matches, including a five-wicket haul on her ODI debut. This presents a positive, albeit challenging, selection dilemma for Edwards.
The possibility of fielding two left-arm spinners exists, given their contrasting styles. Ecclestone’s height generates bounce, while Smith’s strength lies in accuracy and skiddy deliveries. In her two ODIs, Smith hit the stumps with 45.8% of her deliveries, boasting the lowest economy rate (3.15 runs per over).
England’s spin trio of Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, and Sarah Glenn have combined in 25 T20 matches but only twice in ODIs. The World Cup could offer more opportunities for Smith, previously sidelined by Ecclestone’s dominance.
Edwards’ call for increased competition, following accusations of complacency after the Ashes, has been answered. The upcoming matches against India hold significant importance, with a potential selection of all four spinners (Ecclestone, Smith, Glenn, and Dean) for the World Cup.
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Glasgow Caught by Davidson-Richards at Mid-off
Fielding has been a significant area for improvement for England, with dropped catches contributing to their early exits in the T20 World Cup and Ashes.
While they took 38 catches in this series, 13 were dropped, resulting in a 75% catch efficiency. This is an improvement from the T20 World Cup (41%) and Ashes (63%), aligning with their home match average (73%) since 2020.
Their body language and demeanor also faced criticism, with accusations of a lack of commitment under Lewis’ leadership.
Under the new leadership, a renewed energy and enthusiasm are evident, with the addition of new players like Smith and Issy Wong contributing to this positive shift. Edwards noted a significant improvement in the team’s training atmosphere.
However, considering the contrasting circumstances – significant losses in Australia versus effortless victories against West Indies – the team’s performance under pressure remains uncertain.
“We’re under no illusions that we’re going to have tougher times ahead,” Edwards acknowledged.
“But equally I think what we’re seeing already is that appetite for wanting to keep getting better, because they’ve got to, they know they can’t stand still, there’s probably someone in county cricket scoring runs who’s winning games of cricket.
“It’s going to be difficult picking teams going forward, but that’s the place we wanted to be, we didn’t want to be picking for 15 or 16 players, we wanted to be picking from a pool of 25 players which I genuinely think we are now.”
Only Matthews presented a serious challenge to England’s bowlers, yet even then, the team never faced a true threat of defeat.
The intense heat and humidity of the Indian World Cup will be the ultimate test. Every match will hold immense importance, and England will be under significant pressure to rectify its Ashes performance.
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