The England team was eliminated from the World Cup after losing a match they were expected to win, thanks to a surprise performance which nobody saw coming. Does that ring a bell? This is because it applies to two events involving England which took place almost exactly a year separated: recently, their 50-over semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa; a year ago, their loss in a must-win group stage match against West Indies in the T20 version.
The Interim Period
During that time, there was a whitewash in the Ashes and a thorough analysis which was meant to change everything. Did it? Let’s look a little more closely into those two World Cup exits. In 2024, England collapsed, missed multiple opportunities, and allowed a bish-bash-bosh innings from Qiana Joseph to win the day. More recently, a player with superb skill and composure – the South Africa captain, Laura Wolvaardt – showed why she is among the elite in cricket. She offered up precisely one chance – a catch to Alice Capsey at long-on – and England held on to it. The trouble was, she had accumulated 169 runs by that point.
‘This will hurt’: The coach turns to next generation after England’s World Cup defeat.
This may not offer the England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, much comfort as she flies home from her first World Cup in charge – she is a results driven coach, and a loss is a loss. But she has already made a difference. From the low point of dropping eight catches in a single day of Test cricket in Melbourne, half a year on England held on to more chances this World Cup than any other team. That is something.
The Batting Collapse
The issue arose what came after Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room really believe they were able to reach a total of more than 300? Certainly no one outside it did. England’s collapse to nought for two and one for three sparked a reaction not of horror but of resigned acceptance.
“We do need to enhance our batting performance – I don’t think it’s been reliable at times,” Edwards said after the match. This highlights the problem. There have been eight totals of more than 300 in this tournament: three of them were hit by Australia, three by India, and two by South Africa. This is the new normal in women’s ODI cricket: in order to rival the world’s best, England need a batting lineup which can realistically aim to surpass 300 runs. But when nobody except Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a history of regularly making meaningful runs, well, the numbers speak for themselves.
Collaborative Innings
Capsey’s 105-run partnership with Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final had some value – Capsey demonstrated that she can bat sensibly, at least for 70 balls – but it was insufficient to win the game. In comparison with South Africa, who were able to score 117 runs from their last 10 overs, surpassing the magic 300, because Wolvaardt had confidence in the batters following her and felt she had the liberty to attack. “Aware of our resources in the sheds with the last 10 coming up, I thought I’d better have a swing,” she explained to Sky Sports.
Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the only England batters to score runs consistently during the tournament.
Coaching Dilemmas
When Edwards was hired in April, her challenge was whether to maintain or change: she opted to give an veteran team who had bombed in the Ashes one last shot at World Cup glory. She got it wrong. England return home with the least favorable outcome: without a trophy, and with little basis on which to rebuild over the next four years. Five of their top six from the semi-final are probably not featuring in another 50-over World Cup.
A change of approach is now imminent, as Edwards herself indicated. “This is the conclusion of a phase,” she said. “We’ve got to focus ahead now.”
Upcoming Talent
Better late than never: time to look seriously at the young left-hander Grace Scrivens, the young wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the teenage spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
A persistent concern is that it might be overdue: England’s latest round of central contracts were signed, sealed and delivered on 1 October. The governing body has not yet released a full list of contracted players, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the current World Cup squad are the main beneficiaries.
The Path Ahead
Lack of progress and overconfidence were the dual enemies on which the Ashes whitewash was built – time for Edwards to signal that she is serious about preventing their return.
