Women’s Cricket World Cup: Alice Capsey says Ashes pain is fuelling rejuvenated England’s unbeaten start | Cricket News

Alice Capsey says England’s unbeaten Cricket World Cup run is fuelled by a determination to avoid a repeat of their Ashes pain.

England were trounced in all formats of the five-match campaign Down Under in January and February as Australia recorded a whitewash to retain the Ashes for the sixth successive time.

The series prompted wholesale changes to the England set-up, with Charlotte Edwards replacing Jon Lewis as head coach and Nat Sciver-Brunt taking over as captain after Heather Knight stepped down.

Under new leadership, England have made a flawless start to their World Cup redemption campaign, securing wins over South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Victory against Pakistan on Wednesday – live on Sky Sports – would lift them top of the standings. For Capsey, England’s early performances have put them on course to restore pride.

“The Ashes was a tour where none of us were proud of our performance on the pitch,” said the England all-rounder.

“It was a chance to reflect as a group. There have been changes in leadership and how they want the team to operate. It’s been a chance to draw a line and build momentum. We were all part of that experience and don’t want to go through it again.

“The mood now is completely different – confidence is high and there’s real determination to make our mark on this tournament, doing it our way and trusting the process.

“Lottie and Nat have only been in charge for six months, so we’re still learning how to apply that in games. Each match has taught us something new, which is exciting.”

Edwards’ side face tough tests against India and Australia before finishing the group stage against New Zealand.

Asked about the impact of the new leadership group, Capsey emphasised the focus on marginal gains and clarity of purpose.

“What I’ve taken from it is the determination to be the one – when you’re on top, really kill the game, and when our backs are against the wall, it just takes one moment to bring control back,” she said. “We’ve shown that throughout the tournament. Even after losing clusters of wickets, no one’s panicked.

“As a batting unit, we know how we want to build our innings and be consistent with our scoring. As a bowling unit, we’ve controlled games well – sticking to our plans and showing the level-headedness Nat brings.

“There’s still room for improvement. We’ve had one top-six batter really make a mark in each game, like Nat’s hundred the other day, but we’ve talked about turning 20s and 30s into 60s and 70s and getting more contributors at the top.

“Our spin attack is world-class, and the seamers are chipping in too. It’s a great place to be – three from three and still focused on the one-percenters we can improve heading into the next game.”

Pakistan are still searching for their first points of the tournament following defeats to Bangladesh, India and Australia.

They reduced Australia to 76 for seven in their last match, before Beth Mooney responded with a century, and were then bowled out for 114 in pursuit of 222.

“They may not have won a game so far but they’re definitely not a team we’re taking lightly,” Capsey insisted.

“They’ve obviously not got the results they were after, but they’ve been in some really dominating positions.”

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