What next for England Women after T20 World Cup heartbreak in South Africa? | Cricket News

No revolution ever runs completely smoothly.

England men’s white-ball revival under Eoin Morgan had defeat in the 2016 T20 World Cup final against West Indies. The ‘Bazball’ phenomenon that has transformed England men’s Test team under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum even had an innings loss against South Africa last summer.

Those sides overcame their blips and England Women, now fully on board with head coach Jon Lewis’ desire for aggressive cricket, must do the same after a five-run reverse against South Africa in Cape Town on Friday ended their hopes of a second T20 World Cup title and first since 2009.

‘Jonball’ had brought 12 successive wins, including a record-breaking one against Pakistan, but under the pressure of a semi-final, in front of a fervent Protea-supporting crowd, England were edged out. They were 131-3 in a chase of 165. They needed 34 from 24 balls. But they slumped and fell short.

“This won’t define us,” was the rallying cry from England captain Heather Knight after the game, as she confirmed that there would be no shift to the attacking mindset that had had many believing the team would not only make Sunday’s World Cup final but also beat Australia in that game.

As ever with international cricket, the next opportunity is never far away. England have a home Ashes series in June and July, another T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024, a 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2025. The 2026 T20 World Cup is in England. The tournaments do not stop.

England should be highly competitive in all of them. Their positive brand of cricket is not going anywhere and neither are most of the players.

Sophie Ecclestone (23), Sarah Glenn (23), Sophia Dunkley (24), Alice Capsey (18), Lauren Bell (22) and Charlie Dean (22) are cricketers to build around across the formats for years to come.

Knight (32), Nat Sciver-Brunt (30), wicketkeeper Amy Jones (29) and hard-hitting opener Danni Wyatt (31) are experienced but not old. It’s a squad packed with players who can dominate, which may actually have cost England against South Africa.

Their lower middle order had not really been exposed before that game due to the form of the players above them, particularly Sciver-Bunt, the leading run-scorer in the tournament. When they were required against the Proteas, their lack of time in the middle showed.

Errors crept in while fielding, too – Katherine Sciver-Brunt berating Dean for two of them – as England were consistently pushed for perhaps the first time in the competition. It was only really India that laid a glove on them in the group stages as they swept to four wins from four.

Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain said: “England have been walloping everyone and then suddenly they are in a semi-final and it’s tense and they haven’t been tense for a long time.

“What got to them against South Africa was that a lot of the lower order hadn’t batted in pressure situations and couldn’t get England over the line.

“Being tense is something you have to deal with and that’s where The Hundred, the Women’s Premier League, other franchise cricket will help.”

There could be some churn in personnel among the T20 squad.

Top-order batter Lauren Winfield-Hill and seam bowler Kate Cross remain fine players but were unused in South Africa and with both north of 30, Lewis may look elsewhere.

Grace Scrivens, who captained England to the inaugural Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup final earlier this year, is a batting option, while Issy Wong, a travelling reserve for England at the senior World Cup, is one of the young pace bowlers to whom Knight and Lewis could turn. Emily Arlott is another.

It may also be that the heartbeat of the England side bows out with semi-final heartache.

Katherine Sciver-Brunt is a stalwart of 267 international matches. England’s highest wicket-taker in one-day international and T20 international cricket. A passionate, feisty player who has put in countless match-winning performances over the years. But time may be catching up with her.

The seamer, 37, was given some tap by India (0-39 from three overs) and South Africa (0-33 from four), with her final over against the Proteas thumped for 18. Her passion also spilled over in the semi-final as she shouted at Dean following a missed catch at mid-on and a misfield in a similar spot and punched the pitch in frustration.

Former England spinner Alex Hartley said on BBC’s Test Match Special: “I know she is passionate but that is not acceptable. She is putting more pressure on her team-mates. It makes you more nervous. It makes you physically shake. There were a few girls that looked fed up and intimidated.”

For Hussain, Sciver-Brunt’s anger came more from disappointment at her own game: “You felt over the last year that she has just gone over the curve, is on her way down. However much she tries and blusters, I think she is doing that because she knows her game is not where she expects it to be.”

England do have a ready-made replacement for Katherine Sciver-Brunt in 17-year-old Freya Kemp, who would probably have been in the World Cup squad if not for a stress fracture of the back.

The all-rounder bowls left-arm seam and is also a very capable batter. Having her at No 7 instead of Sciver-Brunt would have strengthened England’s middle order, which did look a batter light.

One Sciver-Brunt may be on the way out, then, but the other isn’t. Nat Sciver-Brunt reaffirmed her status as one of the world’s best with her World Cup runs and will be instrumental as England look to win all of those tournaments we reeled off earlier.

The revolution has hit an obstacle but not one it can’t overcome.

Watch the Women’s T20 World Cup final between Australia and South Africa live on Sky Sports Cricket on Sunday. Coverage begins at 12.30pm ahead of the first ball at 1pm.