There remains a growing sense of momentum around this England side, however.
Edwards, the iconic captain brutally dropped before the last World Cup on these shores, has calmly dealt with the fitness questions which dogged the final months of the Jon Lewis regime since answering England’s SOS call in the aftermath of the 2024-25 Ashes whitewash.
There was the underwhelming 50-over World Cup last autumn, but recent series wins over New Zealand and India have boosted both expectation and confidence.
Over the space of six matches in May and early June, Alice Capsey moved from spare batter to middle-order linchpin, and Wednesday’s fifty for Sciver-Brunt after six weeks out with a calf injury was another timely boost.
Seam bowling all-rounders Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson, the two most significant additions from last year’s 50-over exit, have also added a freshness and balance to this side.
Kemp’s 39 not out from 13 balls against India in Bristol, which came with England 1-0 down in the series and at 117-4 in the 17th over, could yet be a sliding doors moment to look back on.
From that position of strife, England levelled the series and then impressively won it in Taunton.
The next question is whether that is another false dawn, one similar to other bilateral wins which were followed by failings when the World Cup crunch came, or something more permanent.
More broadly, this tournament comes at a fascinating time for the women’s game.
Scotland have qualified for the second time and are eyeing a first win on this stage, having beaten Pakistan and Bangladesh in recent warm-ups. Ireland, too, beat Pakistan, Bangladesh and West Indies.
Both are in England’s group, along with the Windies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and upsets feel possible.
Emotion can also be expected over the coming weeks, with the White Ferns’ great all-rounder Suzie Bates having already confirmed this month will signal the end of her international career. Australian icon Alyssa Healy retired this year earlier.
Could former England captain Heather Knight, already looking to the future with a management role in The Hundred, follow their lead? A changing of the guard feels close.
Success this summer would be a fitting final act for Knight, who has been a seismic figure in the modern game.
She led England to victory in the Lord’s final of 2017, but the group stage of that tournament was held in Leicester, Derby, Taunton and Bristol.
This year, Bristol remains but is joined by fellow host grounds Lord’s, The Oval, Old Trafford, Headingley, Southampton and Edgbaston – some of the most famous and largest cricket venues in the country.
Those venues reflect the epic growth of the women’s game across Knight’s career but also present a challenge for the tournament.
While ticket sales passed the previous best for a Women’s T20 World Cup – the 136,549 sold for the 2020 edition in Australia – more than a month before a ball was bowled, empty seats could still be a talking point at some games.
Organisers still hope this tournament can cut through into the public consciousness to inspire a generation, in the way the victories of the Lionesses and Red Roses have done before.
England will look to hit the ground running to draw an initial surge of interest.
“There’s extra pressure from everywhere,” Sciver-Brunt said on Thursday.
“Being the host nation, my first home World Cup leading, the Lionesses and the Red Roses doing such a brilliant job in their tournaments in the last few years, the state of women’s cricket, the list goes on in terms of where you could add up the pressure.
“I guess we’re sat here feeling that pressure is a privilege, we’re at a time in the world where women’s cricket is waiting for a platform to expand and explode.”
English cricket failed to truly capitalise on Knight’s 2017 win.
Full-time domestic contracts were still three years away and the stage offered by The Hundred did not arrive until 2021.
As Sciver-Brunt says, the platform is there this time. This is a crucial opportunity for the game to make the most of it.
Source:
www.bbc.com
