When England announced their squads to play Sri Lanka, much was said about the absence of certain players. Namely, that of Sophie Ecclestone across both formats. The reason for this is simple, when England play so does Ecclestone.
One of the finest bowlers in the game, Ecclestone in 2023 has already taken 16 wickets in eight T20is and 5 wickets in three ODIs. Now sidelined with injury, the Sri Lanka series gives England the proper time to consider what their spin attack looks like without its leader.
In its current composition there are two frontline spinners, with one part-timer. The components of this attack being Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean, with the support of Alice Capsey. The approach is highly typical of modern white ball cricket, with a healthy emphasis on being able to turn the ball both ways.
Glenn’s leg spin can move the ball away from a right-hander, with Dean turning it away from lefties. The benefit of the part-timer is the creation of a point of difference, a capable bowler who batters might not be so used to facing. On paper this is a balanced attack, and looking more closely at the numbers it is clear to see the skill of the specific players.
In The Hundred, Sarah Glenn enjoyed a formidable tournament. Placing second overall in the wicket-taking charts, it is perhaps even more impressive that Glenn was also second in terms of bowling economy.
Across cricket there is something of a consensus about leg-spin bowling, the accepted notion that it takes wickets but lends itself to more inconsistency in terms of leaking runs. What Sarah Glenn has shown this summer is an ability to offer both threat and control.
Charlie Dean was similarly strong in terms of tying an end down. With the 8th best economy we saw something typical for white ball off-spinners, less return in terms of wickets but a reliable ability to bowl a tight spell.
What this leaves England with, in the absence of Sophie Ecclestone, is an ability to replace her skills across a couple of bowlers. The reality with a player as good as Ecclestone is that you will not find a like for like replacement, instead you answer each problem individually. With four games left, it will be highly useful for England to see how their spin attack functions.
But this series has also highlighted the other side of spin bowling, namely England’s playing of it. When given pace in the first T20, England were rampant. Taking Prabodhani for 53 runs and 18 from Kavindi’s sole over, England soared to 186 off 17 overs.
In Chelmsford it was an entirely different story. Bowled out for 104, 8 wickets fell to spin. For the entirety of the innings the batting unit struggled to find clean contact with the ball.
Now, you could chalk this down to a bad day, point to the fact that spin was played capably in the first game. However, you have to take into account the specific match conditions. With plenty of rain in the air and on the surface for the game at Hove, Sri Lanka were fighting with a wet ball. As a team heavily reliant on spin bowling this was likely going to lead to a subpar showing.
In dry conditions they immediately showed what they were capable of. Of course, this is not the first time in 2023 we have seen England completely undone by quality spin. Ash Gardner’s 4-99 and 8-66 at Trent Bridge showed that England are prone to finding themselves struggling when faced with a turning ball.
The issue for England is finding some answers to this before their upcoming tour of India. They will be playing in conditions that are highly conducive to spinning the ball, playing as they did at Chelmsford would make victory a tall task.
One longer-term solution will come as the WPL continues and grows. Franchise leagues in men’s cricket have boosted players’ ability to score runs in a variety of conditions, and women’s cricket shall see this too.
For now though England have to find their answers within themselves. Will tonight’s game at Derby prove Saturday to be a blip, or something more worthy of concern?
