Valkyrie Banes
Ecclestone: World Cup win and Ashes job to die for
Sophie Ecclestone tells ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay what she still wants to achieve in her career
Keeping Sophie Ecclestone motivated has become a top priority for the England women’s team as she enters her fifth year dominating the world bowling rankings, and Ecclestone has assured her team they have nothing to worry about.
“She loves taking wickets and we need to have a funky field to keep her interested,” captain Heather Knight said in the post-match presentation after Ecclestone overpowered the New Zealand batting order with her left-arm spin to post five for 25 in nine overs in the second ODI in Worcester on Sunday.
Earlier, after England won the two-match white-ball home series against Pakistan, with Ecclestone taking 11 wickets in five matches, England head coach John Lewis said: “She’s a fantastic talent and now our job is to make sure she continues to enjoy her cricket.”
So far, things have been going well in that regard.
“The biggest thing for me is the people,” Ecclestone told the ESPN Cricinfo Power Play podcast. “Travelling the world with the best mates and playing cricket for your country with the best mates is what interests me.”
“And then the competition. I love the competition. The Ashes series, the World Cup final, the Super Over in the World Cup, that’s what I live for, that’s why I train, that’s why we all train. Winning trophies is obviously up there too so that keeps me interested. I’m very open about how I feel and you can see that.”
Ecclestone made her international debut aged just 17 in July 2016 in a T20I against Pakistan in Bristol. Last month, against the same opposition, she overtook Catherine Sciver Brunt’s 114 to become England’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. She currently has 118 wickets at an average of 14.70 and an economy of 5.81. In ODIs, she currently has 108 wickets at an average of 19.94 and an economy of 3.66.
Ecclestone did not play when England won the 50-over World Cup in 2017 – she had only played four international matches total at that point – but she did play in the women’s Ashes series that followed a few months later, as Australia defended the Ashes in the early stages of their now nearly decade-old reign.
The Ashes series in Australia next year, along with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh this October, are key motivations for the 25-year-old Ecclestone, who has held the ICC’s number one world T20I bowling rankings since February 2020 and the number one in ODIs since March 2022.
“Just to win a World Cup and an Ashes,” Ecclestone said when asked what goals he wanted to achieve. “The World Cup at Lord’s was the last World Cup. [England] “We haven’t won the Ashes since then because I’m involved in all the competitions. So if we can win the World Cup and the Ashes with Bangladesh in the space of six months, that would be fantastic. It would be a great few months for us.”
“It’s just a matter of history,” she added of the appeal of playing in the Ashes once again, “and also, a lot of my friends have now moved on to other teams after playing in the Big Bash for a few years and I get on really well with them now.”
“It’s always a real thrill to beat your mates, get them out, send them off and have a bit of a laugh afterwards. They’re a great team to play against and a great cricket team to watch so hopefully we can beat them and celebrate in the New Year in style.”
After her exploits at Worcester, Ecclestone was one of three players rested for the rain-abandoned third and final ODI against the White Ferns in Bristol, replaced by leg-spinner Sarah Glenn, with Sophia Dunkley and Lauren Bell coming on in place of Danny Wyatt and Lauren Filer.
Ecclestone and Glenn form part of England’s enviable spin-bowling trio, along with off-spinner Charlie Dean, who took 4 for 38 in the series opener in Durham, and this will be only the second time the trio have played an ODI together, but Lewis is keen to employ the combination wherever possible.
“I always say I’m biased because I like playing with other spinners,” Ecclestone said. “Me, Glennie and Dino are a great trio and we each bring something different to the table, on and off the pitch. Having them around me and playing together, we help each other out.”
“Dino came through the other day and Glennie was at one end helping Dino get all the wickets, so it’s not always about getting wickets but also about working hard for each other.”
“If you look at our team right now with the young players coming through, you have a player like Maia Bouchier, who played a perfect game the other day, and Alice Capsie, who is only 19 but is an incredible player.”
“Then we have myself, Glennie, Deano who are all really young, Lauren Bell – the list goes on. It’s really exciting that these players will be part of the next generation of women’s cricket and England cricket and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do as a team.”
Ecclestone comes across as either incredibly humble or unaware of just how good she is. She says she’s “not one to be influenced by statistics” and had no idea she was anywhere near Cyber Brunt’s T20I wickets record. And while she’s great at complimenting her teammates, she often draws attention away from herself. And they seem to appreciate her not just for her bowling talent but also, in her words, for the way she is open and emotional and inspiring the team on the field.
Apparently her team want to ensure their prized asset is having fun doing what she does, and Ecclestone seems happy to return the favour.
Valkelly Baines is Women’s Cricket Editor at ESPNcricinfo.