England’s young batting prodigy Alice Capsey has laid bare both her ambitions and her recent struggles, stating her desire to become the “best batter in the world” while acknowledging a patchy run of form.
Since making her international debut in 2022, Capsey has shown flashes of brilliance, featuring regularly in England’s white-ball squads and notching up four T20 half-centuries across 45 appearances. Yet, the last year has proven testing for the 20-year-old, as she has registered single-digit scores in eight of her past 13 T20 innings.
“Over the last year to now, I haven’t performed how I would have liked. I want to be the best batter in the world. Any player who’s playing international cricket will want to strive to be the best,” said Capsey.
Reflecting on her performance slump, Capsey admitted that she hasn’t met her own expectations and sees this period as part of the journey towards her goal. Her temporary omission from the T20 squad for the South Africa tour after England’s group-stage exit in the 2023 T20 World Cup marked a pivotal moment in her development.
Recalled only due to an injury to teammate Paige Scholfield, Capsey didn’t get game time in South Africa, but later featured in the third T20 of the Women’s Ashes and also found valuable rhythm touring with England A in Australia. She credits this phase away from the glare of the international spotlight as transformative, giving her the space to work on her game and regain focus.
“Getting dropped from that T20 squad in South Africa was the best thing for me. A lot of work went on during the winter. Playing in that England A series was probably one of the best things for me, just to still be playing competitive games but not to be in the complete spotlight of the international game,” stated Capsey.
Meanwhile, England’s overall performance in the ongoing series against India has been underwhelming, with the team trailing 3-1 going into the final T20 at Edgbaston. This marks the first series defeat under new head coach Charlotte Edwards, who succeeded Jon Lewis earlier in the year. England’s batting woes have been compounded by lacklustre fielding displays, with Edwards openly criticising the team’s efforts.
Capsey expressed, “Our fielding has been a big talking point. We haven’t been good enough over the last 12 months and again this series. Everyone holds their hands up to that. No-one means to not do well. No-one means to lose a game. We all want to win games of cricket for England. For us, it’s about learning from every single game.
“Edgbaston is another game for us to come back and end this T20 series showing what a good team we can be and how much we have learned over the last six to 12 months. We’re on a journey and we know exactly how much work we need to put in and we are putting the work in.”
For Capsey, it’s not just about individual excellence but also contributing meaningfully to a team still finding its rhythm under new leadership, a group determined to learn, evolve, and rise again.
Loves all things female cricket