The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is just around the corner, marking the ninth edition of this tournament since its launch in 2009. England, the winners of the inaugural competition, are in pursuit of their second title.
However, their journey has been filled with challenges, most notably their semi-final exit in the last edition, where they were beaten by the hosts, South Africa. That semi-final loss came only a few months into Jon Lewis’s tenure as head coach, after he had taken over from Lisa Keightley. Reflecting on that campaign, Lewis pointed out critical areas where the team faltered, particularly in their on-field communication and ability to manage pressure.
“My observations of the last World Cup were that we weren’t particularly well connected on the field and our senior player group in particular, weren’t able to communicate well enough at the right time. So, we worked really hard at that and also the group wasn’t brilliant at giving each other feedback about how to improve,” Lewis explained.
Since that disappointment, Lewis and his squad have placed a lot of emphasis on improving these weak points. The goal was to build better on-field chemistry and create a culture where players feel comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback.
Lewis noted, “We’ve worked hard at the way we communicate; we’ve worked hard at the way we connect, and we’ve worked hard at certain individual skills, some more than others in terms of technical development, and I think we’re a more well-equipped cricket team than we were two years ago to go and tackle the World Cup. What I would say is the other teams have probably done exactly the same.”
Initially, England, along with other teams, had been preparing for a World Cup to be hosted in Bangladesh. But due to political and social unrest in the country, the tournament was hastily moved to the UAE. While this could have disrupted many teams’ preparations, England found themselves in a fortunate position. They had already scheduled a pre-tournament camp in Abu Dhabi. What might have seemed like a coincidence now looks like a strategic advantage, as the squad was already set to train in conditions similar to what they would experience during the World Cup.
The relocation to the UAE didn’t faze Lewis, largely due to the fact that he had already put the team under pressure earlier in the year during New Zealand’s tour in June and July. His plan was to test how the players responded to challenging situations, which has become all the more valuable given the sudden change of venue.
“The biggest thing that came out of that World Cup that we’re still working on is dealing with pressure moments,” said Lewis. “I feel like we’ve been put under pressure quite regularly actually in games. The Australians did it a lot to us last summer and we came through that really well after probably a stuttering start in the Test match and the first T20. How we came out of that series, the confidence we took from that series was massive.”
England’s ability to overcome pressure, particularly after a shaky start to last summer’s Ashes series against Australia, has given them valuable experience and confidence heading into this World Cup. The squad’s recovery from that difficult start helped them build resilience, something that will be crucial in a high-stakes tournament.
Individual skill development has also been a focal point of Lewis’s strategy. Players like top-order batter Sophia Dunkley and seam bowler Lauren Bell have made notable technical improvements under his guidance. Both players tested these changes during the New Zealand series, where despite facing a relatively weaker opposition, they had the opportunity to experiment with their new techniques in an international setting.
Lewis also rotated the captaincy, giving Nat Sciver-Brunt a chance to lead in place of regular skipper Heather Knight, simulating potential injury scenarios. England even tried a four-spinner lineup in one match, utilizing Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean, and Linsey Smith—all of whom were eventually named in the World Cup squad.
England Women’s Head of Intelligence, Liam Sanders, emphasised that they were ready to adapt to the new circumstances. “We’ve been targeting Bangladesh and Bangladesh conditions for some time,” Sanders said. “You can be laser-focused in ‘this is what we’re dealing with’ but I’m also quite relaxed in a way, in that there are certain things that are totally out of our control and there’s some really sad situations going on in Bangladesh, so we’ve just got to flex and adapt to what we’re dealing with.”
Sanders explained that it’s sometimes necessary to make adjustments, even if they cause short-term difficulties. “At some point in their journey you’ve got to say, ‘right, okay, if we do this, we make an adjustment here’, at some point in time down the road – it might not be immediately and you have to as a coach think, ‘there could be quite a big backward step here before you get to the point where we go forward’ – you have to make that adjustment.”
England has embraced this uncertainty, with Lewis and Sanders intentionally introducing some unpredictability into their training sessions. This strategy, combined with the unpredictability of T20 cricket itself, required a certain level of bravery.
Sanders added, “What was really nice that played out was that we intentionally – with a little bit of support from myself but mainly Heather and Lewy – had the courage of conviction to say we’re going to instill a little bit of chaos within the team. It’s been quite nice around the discussions that we had and the evidence that we put forward that it played out quite nicely in the summer.”
Looking ahead, Lewis is confident that his team is well-prepared for the World Cup. Their camp in Abu Dhabi provides a major advantage, as it gives the players time to adapt to the conditions they’ll face during the tournament.
“We’re in a really fortunate position that we’ve already had this camp booked in Abu Dhabi, which feels like a really big advantage, that we’re going to go and play our practice in the conditions that we’re going to play in,” Lewis said. “By the time we finish that, we’ll have had 10 days training there to work out the conditions and work out how the best way to play it is.”
England’s path to this World Cup has been defined by their adaptability, continuous development, and willingness to face uncertainty head-on. As they gear up to chase their second title, the team enters the competition more unified, resilient, and prepared to overcome any obstacles. Positioned in Group B, England will face Bangladesh, South Africa, Scotland, and the West Indies, with their opening match against Bangladesh set for October 5th.
(Quotes sourced from ESPN)