After last week’s safari run-in with a pride of lions, England enjoyed a rather more relaxing day off on Wednesday, playing paddle ball and taking a trip up Table Mountain.
24 hours earlier, in the shadow of the great Cape Town landmark, they had capped a perfect group stage of four wins out of four with a record-breaking victory over Pakistan, a score of 213 and a winning margin of 114 runs both the largest in Women’s T20 World Cup history.
The metaphors concerning the peak yet to be scaled - or, more aptly, the plateaued summit that lies ahead - write themselves, as England prepare for a semi-final against South Africa on Friday. Right now, though, Heather Knight’s team are playing with a confidence and swagger which, spinner Sarah Glenn says, stems from not focusing on the end goal.
“We wanted to top the group and obviously winning the World Cup is a priority, but I think how we play our cricket is more important,” she tells Standard Sport.
“We’ve had that shift in mentality, we’ve not had winning as the absolute priority, we’ve not let winning define us. Even if we lose, we’ll be defined by how positively we played our cricket and how aggressive we are. That’s how we want to be talked about.”
England’s batters appear to be thriving under the new approach, installed by head coach Jon Lewis, who took up the post last autumn. All-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt is the tournament’s top run-scorer, wicketkeeper Amy Jones has excelled as a finisher and teenager Alice Capsey hit England’s fastest women’s T20 50 in the win over Ireland last week, before opener Danni Wyatt found some much-needed form with a half-century of her own against Pakistan.
On the bowling front, England’s spinners in particular have excelled, world no1 Sophie Ecclestone leading the way with eight wickets and Glenn just one behind, the 23-year-old buying fully into the “inspire and entertain” mantra that has become the camp’s tagline.
“We know it might not come off some days but it’s 100 per cent worth taking the risk,” Glenn says, and it is hard to disagree, given what will surely be required to topple serial world champions Australia should - as looks likely - the two sides meet in Sunday’s final.
Winning the World Cup is a priority, but I think how we play our cricket is more important
“We’re going out and playing fearless cricket with the bat - that might put 200 up but we know we also could get bowled out for 90. If that happens, we know what we need to do with the ball and we believe we can defend 90.”
England’s bowling unit, Glenn says, are “setting new standards” highlighted in the way Pakistan were restricted to 99-for-nine on Tuesday despite the game effectively being over from the moment England posted their record-breaking total.
“In the past we would’ve been dead happy, let them have the one and put fielders on the boundary,” she explains. “Now, we’re still being really aggressive, we’re still always looking to take wickets. We’ve set really high expectations as bowlers.”
Though England are strong favourites for Friday’s semi-final, South Africa carry their own belief having defied expectations to reach this stage of the tournament, qualification looking a fair way off after their surprise opening defeat to Sri Lanka and a build-up dominated by the controversial dropping of captain Dane van Niekerk over a failed fitness test.
“They’ll definitely give it to us,” Glenn adds. “They had a stumbling start but they’re peaking at the right time, they’re gaining momentum and they’ll have the home crowd. I can’t wait to see it - you always want to play against the hosts to get that atmosphere, even if they’re against you.
“They’re a class side, they’ll be tough to beat but I’m confident we’ll be able to punch back and get over the line.”
