England batter Tammy Beaumont has voiced her excitement and relief as ace spinner Sophie Ecclestone rejoins the national squad after nearly five months on the sidelines. Ecclestone, renowned for her left-arm orthodox spin, has been a central figure in England’s bowling attack and her absence has been keenly felt.
Injury sidelined Ecclestone from England’s series against West Indies, the first under England’s new leadership team of head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. Recovering from her knee injury, she took further time off from domestic cricket to nurse a sore quad and focus on her mental and physical well-being. Fit-again, she’s now poised to make her international return as England gears up for their opening T20 clash against India.
Ecclestone is all set to make her first international appearance since the Women’s Ashes debacle in early February, where England suffered a 0-16 whitewashed in the multi-format series at the hands of Australia. Tammy admits that they will need Ecclestone’s fighting qualities against India.
Sophie became the world’s No. 1-ranked T20I bowler at the age of just 20. She established herself as England’s premier spinner following standout performances in series against the West Indies and Australia. She further proved her credentials at the T20 World Cup in Australia, claiming eight wickets in four matches while maintaining an exceptional economy rate of just 3.23.
“For her to get back fit is brilliant. She’s such a key part of our team, she’s one of the best bowlers in the world and has been for years. She’s always someone you want in the heat of the battle, she gets stuck in and we’re going to need that against India, for certain,” Beaumont said.
India’s upcoming tour of England, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, marks their first visit since the much-debated non-striker run-out by Deepti Sharma on Charlie Dean in 2022, a moment that stirred controversy across the cricketing world. Tammy Beaumont clarified that there is no lingering tension between the two sides, noting that Deepti Sharma and Charlie Dean have since shared a dressing room as teammates for London Spirit in The Hundred.
Speaking about that incident she shared, “We’ve got to get on board with that unfortunately. I’m sure externally there will be a lot of replays, especially (the second ODI) at Lord’s (on July 19). But we’ll be making sure our bats are behind the line when we’re taking off and we’ll be playing it in a good spirit and definitely respectful to all their players as well.”
