England players kept grounded as Cricket World Cup challenge begins

Charlotte Edwards is drawing on her memories of playing “for nothing” as an amateur to keep England grounded going into their World Cup opener against South Africa in Guwahati on Friday.

Edwards represented England between 1996 and 2016, playing 18 of those years before the arrival of professional contracts, and the England head coach joked this week that she could “write a book” about her tournament debut at the 1997 World Cup in India. There was also a serious point to be made to the current team, however, who were accused during January’s Ashes whitewash of having lost touch with reality following large pay rises in 2024.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re playing for 14 million or for nothing, it means exactly the same putting the three lions on,” Edwards said – a reference to the tournament prize money, which amounts to a staggering $13.88m (£10.3m). “In 1997 we had three support staff – we’ve now got about 15. But it meant just as much to me, and I shared that with the players last night.”

Edwards’s predecessor Jon Lewis oversaw a succession of failures on the global stage, including being knocked out in the group stages of the T20 World Cup last October – but Edwards was keen to highlight the improvements in fitness and culture since she took charge in April.

“With this group now we’ve created an environment where it’s about taking accountability,” she said. “We’ve got real clarity on how we want to play the game, and hopefully that clarity is going to help this team under pressure.

“We’re in a good place physically – we’ve made some real shifts. The signs have been really strong so far in terms of the development I’ve seen in the last six months. I’m just hoping we can take that now on to the big stage.”

The job of selecting an XI will be made easier by the fact that the captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, is expected to be able to bowl her full allocation of 10 overs, allowing England the luxury of selecting seven batters against South Africa. “She’s been one of the most successful bowlers in the WPL in the past few years so we’re hoping to continue that form in 50-over cricket,” Edwards said.

England’s top order is stacked with experience, with Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont set to open the batting and Heather Knight at No 3. Knight twanged her hamstring against West Indies in May and faced a race against time to be match-ready for this tournament, opting for time in a hyperbaric chamber over surgery.

Edwards said that the former England captain was relieved to have made it: “The last two weeks have been massive for Heather in terms of her first introduction back to playing. It’s great to have her back in that No 3 spot for us. The experience she brings to our group, on and off the field, is so valuable.”

There is less certainty around the middle order, with Alice Capsey and Emma Lamb – who top-scored with 88 not out and 60 respectively in England’s warmup against Australia on Sunday – potentially fighting it out for a spot. England beat the reigning champions by four wickets, which Edwards said had given her side confidence before Friday’s game. “Our middle order showed some real maturity,” she added.

The fact that the leg-spinner Sarah Glenn took five wickets in that match has also delivered something of a selection headache. Given the turning wicket in Guwahati, England are likely to play three spinners – but it remains to be seen whether Glenn can edge out one of the established trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith and Charlie Dean.

For now, Edwards is hedging her bets. “We’ve got to be really adaptable in this tournament,” she said. “Everyone will be prepared to play on Friday.”

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