Former England captain Charlotte Edwards gives us her thoughts on the eye-catching displays with bat and bowl from duo Tammy Beaumont and Sophie Ecclestone on day two of the women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, as well as telling us who has the upper hand heading into the third day in Nottingham….
Q: Five wickets for England, what have you made of Sophie Ecclestone’s performance?
“She’s been outstanding, hasn’t she? The amount of overs she’s bowled firstly, but then the crucial wickets. Last night, getting the big wickets of [Tahlia] McGrath, [Alyssa] Healy and [Jess] Jonassen, that was a massive part in the game. She was England’s best bowler and her first five wickets in a Test match.”
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Watch Sophie Ecclestone’s first Test five-wicket haul as the spinner starred for England against Australia at Trent Bridge.
Q: She bowled 46 overs. Do you think she could be being overused? Do England need to manage her talent?
“She did bowl a lot of overs and at times you felt they were very dependent on her. It didn’t help that Nat Sciver-Brunt has got a bit of a niggle. But she seems to be coping with it very, very well and she doesn’t have a sore finger like Moeen Ali. You just hope she doesn’t have to keep bowling that amount of overs, but she did it brilliantly.”
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Q: Ecclestone looks set to play a pivotal role in England team throughout the series, how has she grown into that role?
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Mark Butcher and Nick Knight mimic Sophie Ecclestone’s ripper of a delivery that turned and hit Tahlia McGrath’s off stump.
“Year on year Sophie just seems to grow and grow as a player. Her batting is also something we don’t talk enough about. I think she is a genuine all-rounder and hasn’t been given enough credit for that side of her game. Even last summer, she was given a bit of a leadership role within the group when Heather [Knight] and Nat weren’t around. She’s really growing year on year which is brilliant.”
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Q: What do you make of her ‘cricket smarts’? Do you think she’s a future captain?
“She’s got real potential. The fact that she’s going to captain the Manchester Originals this summer in The Hundred is a step towards that. I think it’ll really help Sophie as a cricketer. Many people probably wouldn’t have pigeonholed her as a future captain, but the more we see her develop and grow within this England team, and remember she is very young still, there’s definitely a huge potential.”
Q: With responsibility comes a lot of pressure as well. What do you think it is about her character that means she can excel under that pressure?
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Heather Knight said she was ‘proud’ after Tammy Beaumont reached her maiden Test century against Australia.
“She just doesn’t take it too seriously, she’s very honest. Even today in her interviews on her deliveries, we thought she was setting up a batter and she said ‘no, I just bowl my best ball’, so I really like her, it’s quite refreshing.
“She’s played a lot of cricket under a lot of pressure, you get quite immune to it and she relishes in it, which is what all the best players generally do.”
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Q: Since bursting on to the scene as a teenager, she’s just continued to improve. Working with her yourself, how has she taken her game to the next level?
“The more she’s played and the more franchise teams she’s played in, having her in the WBBL at the [Sydney] Sixers, it was brilliant for her to play with some of the current Australian players. I saw her really grow which was really lovely, she’s just maturing all the time as a cricketer. As I said, I think batting is something that is untapped at the moment and I’d like to see her definitely do more of.”
Q: Can you see her going in that direction as more of a true all-rounder?
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Check out all of the wickets from day two of the Women’s Ashes where England took on Australia.
“I think more of a six, seven hard-hitting batter. Certainly, in the T20 format, I think she’s got the ability to clear the ropes. What Soph’s got to do now is really believe she’s that all-rounder as well and not probably just think she’s a spin bowler that just gives it a whack. I think it’s about taking that responsibility as a batter, which you’ve got to do if you want those leading roles.
Q: You’ve given a few insights into Sophie’s character, what is she like off the pitch?
“She’s very laid back and she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She just loves playing cricket and loves being around her friends and her family – it means a lot to her. She has a lot of fun and I think that’s what brings the best out in her and obviously enjoying cricket is the most important thing.”
Q: What have you made of Tammy Beaumont’s innings so far?
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Tammy Beaumont reaches her maiden Test century for England against Australia in the only Ashes Test.
“I thought she played spin really well, she was proactive, she sweeps really well and that was something we did not see from the Australian players.
“A hundred off 154 balls is a great knock, she has come off two hundreds in the warmup games, so she was in really good form. And I am really chuffed for her in front of her home crowd at Trent Bridge.
“She looks confident at the moment, she looks like she’s got a real presence at the crease and I think she’s shown that today. These are the games that she lives for, a big game against Australia and she’s really stepping up.
“The team really needed this. England are in a decent position.”
Q: Have you seen a change in her game since being dropped from the T20 World Cup squad?
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Mel Jones and Isa Guha cheer from the comms box as Tammy Beaumont achieves her maiden Test century at day two of the Women’s Ashes.
“I have, and that’s when she’s at her most dangerous, when she’s trying to prove a point and that’s what I love about her.
“She’ll want to play T20 cricket, and so she should, and she’ll want to show the England coaches that they should have picked her in that T20 World Cup.
“It’s good for English cricket, it’s good for the team that it’s highly competitive for places.”
Q: What are your thoughts on Australia today? I think Annabel Sutherland in particular, she had that 100 and then she’s having an impact out there as well.
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The best of the action as England Women take on Australia on day two of the only Ashes Test.
“It was an outstanding innings, in the context of the game as well, them being on 236 and then to come in and play that type of innings at 21 years old is really impressive. She’s going to have a big future ahead of her, no doubt that this is just the start for her and she’s worked very hard to get into this Australian team.
“She bats at eight and she’s scoring hundreds, so you can only think she’ll soon be higher up the order.”
Q: Where do you see the game going from here? Can England still win this?
“They can, but there’s a lot of work to do. This game can change quite quickly.”
Watch day three of the Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday, with coverage starting at 10.15am and play getting under way from 11am.
Sourse: skysports.com
