Charlie Dean knows England head into the T20 World Cup with pressure firmly on their shoulders but says the players have put the work in to claim glory.
England have a first World Cup on home soil since 2009 and before that, face multiple limited-overs warm-up series against New Zealand and India, with Sky Sports set to broadcast all of England’s group-stage matches without a subscription on the Sky Sports App.
The first of those warm-up series begins on Sunday May 10 in Durham when they take on New Zealand in their first of three ODIs.
With Nat Sciver-Brunt missing the New Zealand ODI series due to a minor left calf tear, Dean will step up as skipper as the preparation for the T20 World Cup really ramps up.
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England head into the World Cup knowing that they need to deliver. They have the recent disappointment of being knocked out in the group stage of the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and have not lifted this trophy in 17 years.
Add to that the 16-0 Ashes drubbing from 2025 and there are eyes on England to make marked improvements.
In the big games, tournaments, and moments, the England women’s side have had three major criticisms levelled at them: over their fitness, their fielding, and their ability to perform under pressure.
For Dean, the fitness question is one that they have addressed by putting much more time into it.
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Highlights from Dubai as England were eliminated from the Women’s T20 World Cup after falling to a six-wicket loss at the hands of West Indies.
“I think what’s important with fitness is it’s not just about how long can you run for,” Dean told the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
“It is also important to be fast and athletic and that is just a huge part of fielding. I feel like we have really put a lot of time into that.
“It is not like we didn’t do that before, I think it’s important to say we have always wanted to be fitter, we have always wanted to be better.
“I think maybe during the Ashes, when it is in the headlines and you realise that maybe it is sticking out a bit, that we need to push a bit more on that and spend a bit more time on that, not just our skills.”
‘It is the mental application on the big day’
Fielding is the second aspect of England’s game which looked fragile and cost them, dropped catches becoming commonplace in the big moments.
For Dean, that issue is more about taking the brilliant skills on show in training and applying them in the match scenario.
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England had five dropped catches as West Indies got off to a flying start in their run chase of 142.
“I guess it’s easy for me to sit here and tell you how good a fielding side we are in practice.
“Some of the things that the girls do is impeccable and I think what it is for us is switching on under pressure and in those games things are on the line, can you execute that when it really matters?
“So having a few more fielding sessions where we’re put under a bit more pressure, maybe fielding, we have definitely fielded a lot more under lights since that World Cup.
“But I think it is so easy to make excuses with fielding and the big moments. But if we are honest, we just need to be better.
“What is frustrating sometimes is we are so good in practice. I think it is just that mental application on the day of a big game. The more we play in those games, the easier it’s going to get.”
Focusing on the internal rather than the external
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It’s 50 days until the Women’s World T20 and Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton says home side England are definitely in the shake up for success.
So, do the other two issues then come down to one bigger, overall issue? Is it about the side’s ability to handle the pressure, the noise, the media, the eyes?
“We know that there’s a narrative around our fielding and our fitness, but what’s really important for us is to know that within our group and within our coaching staff that we have a real belief that we’re better than what some people might say,” Dean said.
“I think it is keeping it really internal and sticking to what we know we need to do in order to perform.
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Relive the moment England exited the T20 Women’s World Cup as West Indies were jubilant, while Heather Knight was left in tears.
“It is hard to stay off social media. You can say don’t read it but the reality is you are going to want to sneak onto your phone and see what people are saying, but it is really important to stay true to what you know is important to you.
“At the end of the day, I know that if I produce my best game, that I will be in the best place. If I don’t do that, then I need to be honest with myself and why that is and what someone else says on commentary is probably not going to help or hinder. It is the people around me whose opinions that I care most about.”
The perfect moment to become captain | Sciver-Brunt call is precautionary
Dean is hopeful that the experience of standing in as skipper will stand her in good stead if ever she is called upon during the World Cup.
She is also not too worried about Sciver-Brunt’s absence and sees it as a precautionary measure.
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Nat Sciver-Brunt records the first ever century in Women’s Premier League history as she helps her Mumbai Indians side set a score of 200 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“It feels like a massive honour and it feels like really, really good, good timing for me,” she said. “I feel like I am starting to bring a bit more confidence and assuredness about my own game.
“I am probably in the best space that I have been to be able to captain the side. It is really exciting. Obviously, missing Nat is a huge detriment to our side.
“I guess having a bit of experience under my belt captaining will mean that if anything happens towards the World Cup when Nat should be perfectly ready and raring to go….
“I think it is very much precautionary and making sure that she is in the best place to really push on for that World Cup.
“It would seem silly pushing it too early and doing something worse when it feels like she’s in a good place.”
Watch the Women’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports with selected games streamed for free via the Sky Sports App. Not got Sky? Stream cricket contract-free on NOW.
