English cricket has one internationally top-ranked player. She is not at fortress Edgbaston vibing with the Hollies Stand, but preparing for the start of her own summer campaign. Sophie Ecclestone is the world’s No 1 female T20 and ODI bowler. She first hit that mark in 2020 and has held on pretty tightly since, unusually combining supremacy on the field with remaining below the radar off it.
In the words of her captain, Heather Knight: “Soph is pretty direct and to the point. What you see is what you get.” Still only 24, she has been playing international cricket since she was 17. A slow left armer with extraordinary accuracy and strength, she stands at 5ft 11in (1.8m), her big hands allowing lots of purchase on the ball.
