England completed a comprehensive 5-0 T20I series win against New Zealand at Lord’s, winning by 20 runs, and coach John Lewis is using the series to prepare his team for the World Cup in Bangladesh in October.
by Umm-e-Aymen Babar, sports journalist
Thursday 18 July 2024 7:24, UK
England coach John Lewis was pleased with his team’s performance in the comprehensive T20I win over New Zealand at Lord’s and credited tactical distractions throughout the series for helping them succeed.
Lewis decided to rest captain Heather Knight for the tense third T20I at Canterbury, which they won by six wickets, to create a high-pressure environment and give the team a chance to deal with any curveballs they may face ahead of the T20 World Cup, which will be broadcast live in October. Sky Sports.
Lewis made significant changes to his team throughout the series, even completely altering his bowling attack ahead of the match against Bangladesh to test his strongest XI. After the series, Lewis said he had been impressed with how his young players responded to those challenges.
“I just told them there are distractions, so they’re waiting to see what happens. They don’t know what’s going to happen. That creates pressure, anxiety, thoughts,” Lewis said.
“When you plant the seeds, people usually overthink things. You just try to raise the level of anxiety in the group to a point where people can get calm again, communicate well with each other, and get through the situation.”
“We got stuck on the bus today. We didn’t plan that. That’s a distraction in itself. We were all talking about getting off the bus and taking the subway to come here to practice before the game.”
Watch Amy Jones take two incredible catches in England’s T20 win over New Zealand.
“The players may have played quite a lot of games but they don’t have the experience of winning in pressure situations, so we try to do things differently every now and then and create pressure situations.”
“Heather [Knight] And I watched the game at Canterbury, which was a completely different experience that I’d never had before, but it was really interesting to watch from the sidelines.
“I spoke with the group about making a squad change just before we went out to play, which creates a bit of anxiety. We ended up not doing it, but it was just something we came in to try.”
“It was great to see some of those elements come to fruition with this series without us having to plan too much.”
England’s Charlie Dean put in a brilliant performance in the T20 match against New Zealand, taking two wickets in three balls.
England dominated the multi-format series against Pakistan before winning the match against New Zealand convincingly, but concerns remain about how to continue that momentum ahead of the World Cup.
The players won’t meet again until September when they face Ireland in another multi-format series before flying to Abu Dhabi for a pre-World Cup training camp.
“It’s a difficult time for us to deal with,” Lewis admitted.
“I just spoke to the guys in the dressing room and expressed my desire for them to win the Hundred and prove what great players they are.
“They’re going to have a new team, a new coach, new players, a new social group, different captains, different coaches, different messages from different teams, so they can continue to do what we’ve been doing.”
Watch Fran Jonas take a brilliant catch to claim New Zealand’s third wicket
“We want them to play the way we want them to and win the tournament. That’s the challenge we’ve set for them.”
Bangladesh is expected to provide a spinner-friendly pitch for both the teams and England, who boast the world’s number one T20I bowler in Sophie Ecclestone, look set for the challenge.
“I think we’re confident we can win, but we need to play smart and think about how we’re going to play according to the conditions.”
“That’s probably the most important thing. I believe we’re on track to achieve that goal.”
“I think the team that plays best in the Bangladesh conditions will win the tournament.”
Cyber Brunt: Ecclestone’s wicket failure gives England confidence
Catherine Sciver Brunt believes England can also take a confidence boost ahead of the T20 World Cup from their comfortable win at Lord’s despite Sophie Ecclestone failing to take a wicket.
Sky Sports’ Charlotte Edwards and Catherine Scyther Brunt predict England’s squad for the opening match of the T20 World Cup
Prior to T20Is, the world’s best bowler had taken wickets in 34 consecutive matches but managed just 0-30 at the home of cricket.
Despite it being an unfamiliar day for Ecclestone, Sybarit Brunt believes it was an advantage for her team to win against a team where she has no influence.
England’s Freya Kemp picked up a landmark wicket against New Zealand, dismissing the dangerous Sophie Devine.
“It’s not a great day for Sophie but it’s a great day for England without her and they can still believe in their abilities and be confident,” manager Shiver Brunt said.
“Obviously she’s very important for us and this is the first time in about 34 consecutive matches that she hasn’t taken a wicket.”
“She’s a great resource, but she’s not dependable.”
When is the T20 World Cup?
The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup will be held in Bangladesh from October 3 to 20, with Australia aiming for their third consecutive title and seventh overall, while England will be aiming for their first victory since the inaugural tournament in 2009.
All matches will be broadcast live on Sky SportsThe tournament will begin in Dhaka with the opening match between England and 2023 finalists South Africa, with the final being played at the same venue.
The 10 participating teams will be divided into two groups of five teams each and will play each other once in a pool match, with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals.
Scotland and Sri Lanka have qualified through the qualifiers and will join Australia, England, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, the West Indies and Bangladesh in the tournament.
Women’s T20 World Cup Groups
- Group A: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
- Group B: South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Scotland
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