Spin is winning for England when it matters the most

As a neutral cricket fan, what will you think if I ask you to picture an English bowler? 

Eight out of ten times it would probably be a fast bowler, running in and swinging the ball under the grey skies. Frankly, I would be surprised if that’s not the case because the conditions in England aren’t exactly suited to spin bowling. Clouds rain more than the sun shines, and the rest of the times the white winter make it hard to spot the cricket whites anywhere. 

That’s why when I saw the record that since the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa, the England women spinners have had the best bowling average (15.2) and strike rate (14.8 balls/wicket) amongst all the full member teams who have played atleast 15 T20Is since then, it was surprising to say the very least. 

While Sophie Ecclestone has always been right up there amongst the best in the world, it’s Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean who have risen up the ranks spectacularly. Glenn’s average of just 12.1 in 20 games since 2023 T20 World Cup is the best for any full member nation spinner, forget just England. 

The fact that Ecclestone is second on that list with an average of 13.1 should tell you just how under the radar this spin attack had been flying until the beginning of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the United Arab Emirates. 

That’s where the spin friendly conditions, the heat, and the sluggish pitches all came together and finally put the spotlight on the English spinners this tournament. Moreover, the team management headed by coach Jon Lewis also deserves the praise for being aggressive in their spin strategy and playing Linsey Smiith as the fourth spinner ahead of Lauren Bell’s seam bowling. That plan has worked really well for England in both the games so far. 

In the first game against Bangladesh in Sharjah, the English batting slipped on spin and could only score 118/7 in their 20 overs. However, when they looked in trouble with a paltry total, their four pronged spin attack bowled 16 overs out of the 20, gave just 76 runs and picked up five of the seven wickets to fall. Smith’s left-arm spin and Charlie Dean’s right-arm off-spin rocked the show for Heather Knight and Co. as they wrapped up the Bangladeshi chase 21 runs short of even that small score. 

If that challenge wasn’t that steep since Bangladesh don’t boast of a big batting lineup, the English women were up against the Proteas women at Sharjah on October 7 — the same team who ended their T20 World Cup dreams in the semi-finals the last edition. And boy, did they show up with intensity! 

While Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits had a sedate run-a-ball kind of start in the powerplay, the next six overs gave them only 23 runs, as Glenn’s leg-spin, Ecclestone’s left-arm spin and Dean’s sliding offies were proving hard to lineup for the Proteas batters. They were pushed back in the crease due to the 43% stump line bowling, and Brits and Anneke Bosch played 45 deliveries and scored just 31 runs. 

That sucked the momentum out of the Proteas innings, and that’s when Ecclestone, who gave only 15 runs in his four overs, and her fellow spinners tightened the screws despite some pressure added by Marizanne Kapp who scored 26 off just 17 deliveries. If not for some late blitz of 20* off 11 by Annerie Dercksen, South Africa would have struggled to cross 120. 

It was England’s diverse, skillfull, and substantially underrated spin attack who was doing the job for them. Coach Lewis had specified the role of these spinners quite some time in advance of the World Cup, and the preparatory camps held in the hot conditions are now really working well for his team. 

If you want to understand how such a spectacular bowling effort was the difference between the two sides, you just need to see what the South Africa spinners (Chloe Tryon and Nonkululeko Mlaba) did in their overs. While the England spinners bowled at an economy of just 5.62 and picked up five wickets at an average of 14, their Protea counterparts gave away 58 runs at an economy of 7.25 with just one wicket to their name. 

It’s ironical, isn’t it? A contest between two pace bowling nations being decided by the team that bowled spin better? 

That’s where England’s proactive selections and backing of their spinners stood out. They had the resources, and they maximised their potential to such an extent that they’ll probably end up at the top of their group and sail easily to the semifinals. 

It’s not easy flowing against the flow. But England saw what lay ahead of them, and planned for exactly that. Two wins in two games in completely exotic conditions, and a huge momentum for the tournament ahead is already their reward for it. Can they bargain for more?

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