Twelve months ago, London Spirit celebrated their maiden Hundred crown in unforgettable fashion. Deepti Sharma’s winning six over long-on against Welsh Fire sealed the 2024 final at Lord’s, while her teammates erupted in euphoric disbelief. Standing at the non-striker’s end that day was Charlie Dean, then a supporting figure, now the captain entrusted with steering Spirit’s 2025 title defense.
“Every time you look at that clip, you see something different,” Dean reflects, remembering the drama of that four-wicket win with two balls to spare.
She recalls the dugout frenzy in vivid detail: “There’s Eva (Gray) taking her helmet off, then putting it back on, then throwing it away. I faced one full-toss and hit it straight to the fielder, so when Deepti hit the ball over the boundary there’s just a lot of relief. I’ve seen so many replays of the girls celebrating off the bench. It brings back a lot of good memories, a lot of good feelings. That’s why you play the game, isn’t it? To win big games like that. If we can replicate any of those feelings again this year, that would be amazing.”
The defending champions’ road has not been straightforward. Just as Spirit began their campaign, captain Heather Knight was sidelined with a season-halting hamstring injury. Yet her influence remains constant in the dressing room.
“It’s lovely to have Heather still here with us, offering a bit of guidance and advice,” Dean says. “Then there’s Chris Liddle – it’s his first time being head coach, but you wouldn’t know it – so I’m incredibly lucky that I’m really well supported.”
Her words underline the unusual transition: Knight may be missing on the field, but her mentorship has softened Dean’s leap into leadership. Taking over the armband was never going to be easy, but Dean has embraced the responsibility.
“I’ve really enjoyed this year,” she explains. “I’m in a place where I know my game quite well, and I can think about other people, and I feel like I’ve had a lot of personal development. I’ve gained a bit more confidence with my public speaking, and bits like that … things that would probably have challenged me a lot more in previous years.”
The step-up is particularly significant given the vacuum created in English cricket leadership. Knight’s nine-year reign with the national team left few opportunities for others to gain experience.
Dean acknowledges the challenge, “It’s hard, as an England player, to be in and out of domestic teams and still be a leader. You can’t captain a domestic team if you’re not there all the time. So opportunities to captain are few and far between, but I always relished the chance to step up in other leadership ways. This has been a perfect opportunity for me to test out how I’ve grown, and see where it takes me.”
And while she is pragmatic about her methods, Dean insists instinct remains at the heart of her captaincy.
“I trust my gut and go with how I see the game playing out on the pitch. The girls have performed really well, and different people have stood up at different times, so it certainly makes a captain’s job easier when that is the case.”
Spirit have again reached the Eliminator, finishing third in the standings. Familiar names anchor their campaign: Georgia Redmayne setting the tone at the top, Cordelia Griffith and Dani Gibson steadying the middle order, and the spin pairing of Dean and Sarah Glenn maintaining control. Eva Gray’s nine wickets at 17.77 have been equally vital.
But squad refreshment has also been crucial. With Knight sidelined, Kira Chathli’s rise at the top of the order has been transformative. She has matched Grace Harris as Spirit’s leading run-getter, both compiling 214 runs from 8 innings, and together the pair have given the defending champions a new edge in the powerplay and beyond.
“We picked up Kira before the wildcard draft, and that was gold-dust, really,” Dean explains. “She’d had brilliant form in the Vitality Blast for Surrey, so it was a no-brainer for us to promote her to the top of the order and just encourage her to play the way that she’s been playing for Surrey.”
Grace Harris’s return has added instant power. Her unbeaten 89 off 42 balls against Oval Invincibles set the tournament alight, and her infectious energy continues to ripple through the team.
“She’s a fantastic cricketer to have in your team,” Dean says. “The energy that she brings and the way she goes about her business, she just cracks on and gets it done. She set the tone with that opening game, and has been just fantastic for us. We let her go and express herself. And she does it really well, even though at times you may be like, ‘Wow, she really doesn’t stop!’ But it is fantastic to have someone in your dressing-room who just exudes energy, because it really brings everyone up with her.”
The marquee signing of Issy Wong has provided another layer of resilience. Still only 23, Wong has fought back from dips in form to become decisive once more.
“Issy is someone that will always stand up under pressure,” Dean observes. “That’s one of the qualities you really want in a player. She thrives in the battle and she’s really become resilient, and developed ways of bouncing back, because she’s had a few struggles. She’s a fantastic bowler to have in our armoury. She’s come in and really owns what she’s doing, and she’s back with a bang, which is so exciting for English cricket. And for her, on a personal level, knowing how much work that she’s put in over the past couple of years.”
For Spirit, the dream remains the same: a return to Lord’s, where they feel at home and where back-to-back titles would cement their standing among the Hundred’s elite.
“Lord’s massively feels like home for us,” Dean insists. “It really does feel like the norm to be able to go out and play there, which is crazy when you think, 5-10 years ago, you really wouldn’t be able to say that at all. Women’s cricket deserves that platform … the skill levels are increasing, day in, day out, with more professionalism and the chance to showcase our skills.”
She is mindful of the challenge the venue brings: “It does give it a little home advantage, but a final is a final. You have to be the better team, but you also have to be smart. It’s not like The Oval or Headingley, where it’s a batter’s paradise most of the time. But equally, those are the games of cricket that really excite you as a player, when you have to engage a bit more, and plan for different scenarios – left-hand, right-hand, a smaller boundary, or whatever it is. Those are the things that really excite me as a player. It gets the brain ticking.”
With Knight’s wisdom in the background, Dean’s instinct in the foreground, and a squad combining continuity with fresh firepower, Spirit’s push for consecutive titles feels both grounded and ambitious. If history repeats itself at Lord’s, Dean’s first season as captain may yet be remembered as the making of a new leader in English cricket.
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