Will the Cup Come Home Again?

England take their home World Cups very seriously. Every World Cup, whether ODI or T20, that England has hosted, they’ve won. That’s mighty impressive. If I am the head of the ECB I would demand that England hosts more World Cups.

A win in the very first T20 International World Cup in 2009 and a win in the ODI World Cup in 2017 (following 1973 and 1993) but the cupboard has been bare for nearly a decade.

A stuttering run into the tournament with players absent through injury, not the least being the captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, is the class of 2026 ready and able to emulate the great deeds of England teams past?

Squad

Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Sophia Dunkley, Freya Kemp, Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, Heather Knight, Alice Capsey, Lauren Filer, Linsey Smith, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Dani Gibson, Issy Wong, Charlie Dean (vc), Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge

Key Players to Watch

All eyes will be on returning skipper, Nat Sciver-Brunt. A half century against India in the warm-up matches would have warmed many an English heart. Notably she did not bowl and it is doubtful she will do so in the tournament. It would be too risky. Her value at number four is priceless.

Some question marks, rather than headaches around the top of the order. Alice Capsey has made a strong case to assume such a role, yet she is behind Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge. The good news for England is that they have a good option to fall back on should one of the regular openers succumb to injury or form loss.

Some very healthy options in the middle order. Amy Jones has found form again, as has Heather Knight. They join Capsey and NSB. You can add one, not both unfortunately of Freya Kemp or Dani Gibson. It’s a healthy sort of headache for the England brains trust.

Similar difficulties with the bowling choices. Too many good options. With NSB unlikely to bowl one would expect Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer to lead the charge – and lead it well. Both are in good form in conditions to suit. Issy Wong will be used as a backup.

Spin. This is a very hard choice to make. We only have two spots for four players. (We used six batters, an allrounder and two quicks.) Vice-captain Charlie Dean must play, as should the very in form Linsey Smith. That leaves little to no room for rising star Tilly Corteen-Coleman or former world number one bowler, Sophie Ecclestone.

Strengths/weaknesses

Leadership. There are four England captains in the camp. Coach and former skipper Charlotte Edwards, former skipper Heather Knight, current captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and stand-in, vice-captain Charlie Dean. That’s a lot of leadership experience and not just in regular series: in World Cups. That is a monumental strength.

Home advantage. The record stands for itself. This team performs well in home World Cups and will have a strong and vocal crowd support (as they deserve) as well as a favourable media. They know the conditions, they know the quirks of the different venues.

One could also consider the home World Cup as a weakness – extra pressure performing in front of an expectant home crowd, more media commitments for the players – and if something goes funky in the first match against Sri Lanka then we could expect the media to turn hostile. None of this has ever happened in the history of England hosted World Cups, but one must consider it a possibility.

It could be considered as a weakness if the captain has to withdraw unexpectedly, but the team has traveled pretty well under Dean’s leadership, and as mentioned, there is no shortage of leadership in the group.

Fielding is another concern. Flashes of brilliance littered with moments of concern. England are well served behind the stumps by Amy Jones, arguably the best in the business. If she can inspire from behind the stumps then hopefully more flashes of brilliance in the field than moments of concern.

Fixtures

Pool B:

• 12th June: Sri Lanka
• 16th June: Ireland
• 20th June: Scotland
• 24th June: West Indies
• 27th June: New Zealand

Tournament Prospects

Writer, and author of new release, The Women in Whites, Raf Nicholson had this to offer:

“They have home advantage which historically has been very important to England! But the squad looks a bit tired and there’s currently a massive spate of injuries threatening to implode their preparations. NSB, Dean, Dunkley, Ecclestone & Wong are all carrying niggles.”

“Not sure it was a very good idea to have such a long winter with no international cricket. I’m backing Capsey to have a good tournament. She’s looked in decent nick recently and this is a real chance to show that she can cut it at international level. Also Ecclestone (if fit) generally does very well on home pitches.”

Let’s digest what Raf had to say while donning our England jersey and tucking into a plate of bangers and mash. We’ve discussed the home ground advantage, the strengths and weaknesses, the leadership issue. Let’s have a look at the fixture list as we build a roadmap for England to make the semi-finals.

Opening game is at Edgbaston against Sri Lanka. Expect a vocal and supportive home crowd, but also expect some very enthusiastic Sri Lankan supports. All things being equal, England should win this game. If they do then they have one foot in the semi finals.

Both Ireland and Scotland will put up a spirited fight but neither is a match for this England team. Not here. Now now. That would leave England three from three and arguably already in the finals.

England do have the wood over the Windies at home. It would take one of those remarkable Hayley Matthews’ performances to defeat England here.

That just leaves New Zealand, current champs. This could go either way, depending on the momentum, and needs, of both teams in this final minor round fixture.

Prediction

England should be at least four wins, possibly five from the pool matches. What may come into the equations is who they want to face from the opposite group in the semi-finals. Either way, expect England to emerge as a strong contender from the group stage and a good chance of playing in the final at Lord’s.