The England team was eliminated of a World Cup following a defeat in a match they were expected to win, due to a one-off innings which took everyone by surprise. Does that ring a bell? That’s because it applies to two events involving England which took place almost exactly a year separated: on Wednesday, their 50-over semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa; a year ago, their defeat in a crucial group stage match against West Indies in the 20-over version.
What Happened Next
During that time, there was a whitewash in the Ashes and a thorough analysis which was intended to overhaul the system. Did it? Time to delve a little more closely into those two World Cup eliminations. In 2024, England fell to pieces, 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 took it. Unfortunately, she had already scored 169 runs by that point.
‘This will hurt’: The coach turns to next generation after England’s World Cup drubbing.
This may not offer the England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, much consolation as she flies home from her first World Cup as manager – she is a performance-focused leader, and a loss is a loss. But she has already made a difference. From the doldrums of multiple fielding errors 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 problem was following Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room really believe they were capable of chasing down a total of more than 300? Certainly no one outside it did. England’s rapid decline to 0/2 and one for three sparked a reaction not of horror but of weary inevitability.
“We do need to improve our batting – I don’t think it’s been consistent enough at times,” Edwards said after the match. Therein lies the concern. 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 order which can realistically aim to surpass 300 runs. But when nobody except Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a track record of regularly making meaningful runs, well, the numbers speak for themselves.
Collaborative Innings
Capsey’s century stand with Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final had some value – Capsey showed that she can play responsibly, at least for 70 balls – but it was never going to be enough to win the game. Compare and contrast with South Africa, who were able to score 117 runs from their last 10 overs, surpassing the 300-run mark, because Wolvaardt had confidence in the batters following her and felt she had the liberty to hit out. “Knowing what we still had in the sheds with the last 10 coming up, I thought I’d better have a swing,” she told Sky Sports.
Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the only England batters to deliver regularly during the tournament.
Managerial Decisions
When Edwards was hired in April, her challenge was whether to stick or twist: she opted to give an veteran team who had struggled previously 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 new strategy is now approaching, as Edwards herself signalled. “This is the end of an ODI cycle,” she said. “We’ve got to look at the future now.”
Future Prospects
Better late than never: time to look seriously at the 21-year-old left-handed batter Grace Scrivens, the 20-year-old wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the teenage spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
The nagging worry is that it might already be too late: England’s latest round of central contracts were signed, sealed and delivered on 1 October. The cricket board has not yet released a full list of retained athletes, but it isn’t difficult to deduce that the existing team are the primary recipients.
The Path Ahead
Stagnation and complacency were the twin problems on which the Ashes whitewash was built – time for Edwards to signal that she is serious about preventing their return.
