Sophie Ecclestone

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Sophie Ecclestone
File:Sophie Ecclestone, 2019 Ashes Test.jpg
Ecclestone during the one-off Test of the 2019 Women's Ashes
Personal information
Born (1999-05-06) 6 May 1999 (age 25)
Chester, Cheshire, England
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
Role Bowler
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 157) 9 November 2017 v Australia
Last Test 27 January 2022 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 128) 8 October 2016 v West Indies
Last ODI 31 March 2022 v South Africa
T20I debut (cap 40) 3 July 2016 v Pakistan
Last T20I 22 January 2022 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years Team
2013–2014 Cheshire
2015–present Lancashire
2016–2019 Lancashire Thunder
2019–2020 Trailblazers
2020–present North West Thunder
2021 Manchester Originals
Career statistics
Competition WTest WODI WT20I WLA
Matches 4 46 50 84
Runs scored 68 237 93 699
Batting average 34.00 11.28 13.28 13.70
100s/50s 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/3
Top score 34 33* 17* 64
Balls bowled 1,172 2,524 1,094 4,349
Wickets 15 75 68 141
Bowling average 38.80 20.40 15.94 17.01
5 wickets in innings 0 1 0 2
10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0
Best bowling 4/88 6/36 4/18 6/12
Catches/stumpings 2/– 11/– 14/– 22/–
Source: CricketArchive, 31 March 2022

Sophie Ecclestone (born 6 May 1999) is an English cricketer who plays for the England women's cricket team[1][2][3] and Manchester Originals.[4] In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named her the Emerging Player of the Year.[5] At the end of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in March 2020, she became the world's number one bowler in Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket.[6] In July 2021, Ecclestone was named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for June 2021.[7]

Early life and career

Ecclestone was a proficient cricketer from an early age. On one occasion, she embarrassed her new school headmaster, after he allowed her to participate in an informal cricket match during the after school club. In 2020, she told BBC Sport:

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"I don't think he realised I could actually play cricket ... My mum told him I could play and he said: 'Yeah, she can join in.'

"I got all the boys out, and I bowled the headmaster first ball. He said to me afterwards: 'So, you're OK at cricket?'

"He was so nice to me for the rest of school after that."[6]

She received a more formal cricketing education at Alvanley Cricket Club in Helsby, Cheshire,[6] where she was the only girl on the club's pathway.[8] She joined the club's renowned junior section at seven years of age, and later attended Helsby High School.[9]

When Ecclestone made her debut for the Alvanley boys' first team, her teammates included her brother James. According to the club's then left-arm spinner, Robin Fisher, who had previously played for Cheshire, she was so naturally talented that she did not need much coaching. Even then, some of the boys speculated that she would play for England when she was older, but at that time she was just playing cricket for fun.[8]

Ecclestone started playing for the Cheshire women's county team in 2013. She was then spotted by Lancashire, for which she signed and made her top-level domestic debut in 2015.[10]

International career

Ecclestone was then fast-tracked into England's Academy squad. In 2016, at the age of 16, she went on her first tour abroad, to Sri Lanka with the Academy. During that tour, and despite suffering from homesickness, she took 16 wickets for the Academy in a tri-series against Australia A and Sri Lanka A, including four wickets in a match against the latter team in Panagoda.[6][10]

On 3 July 2016, she made her WT20I debut at the age of 17, during Pakistan's tour of England.[10][11][12] During that match, she had the good fortune to take her first wicket with a full toss.[8] In September 2016 she was named in the England women's One Day International squad for their tour to the West Indies the following month.[13]

As the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup approached, Ecclestone was in contention for selection to play for England, the ultimate winner of the tournament. However, she was still 17 years old, and had another round of exams to go before finishing school. Ecclestone, her parents and England's then coach Mark Robinson therefore decided that she would not play for England that summer.[6]

File:2020 ICC W T20 WC E v SA 02-23 Ecclestone (01).jpg
Ecclestone bowling for England during the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Since passing those exams, Ecclestone has been a fixture in the England team. Her height of 6 feet (1.8 m), which gives her extra angle, along with her ability to control the ball, makes her suitable for all three formats of the game.[6] On 9 November 2017, she made her Test debut for England women against Australia women in the Women's Ashes.[14]

In October 2018, she was named in England's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.[15][16] Ahead of the tournament, she was named as one of the players to watch.[17]

In February 2019, she was awarded a full central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for 2019.[18][19] In June 2019, the ECB named her in England's squad for their opening match against Australia to contest the Women's Ashes.[20][21]

In January 2020, she was named in England's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[22] On 1 March 2020, in England's final group match of the tournament, Ecclestone took her 50th wicket in WT20Is,[23] and her 100th wicket in international cricket.[24] She became the youngest woman to take 50 wickets in WT20I cricket, which she achieved in 34 matches. With eight tournament wickets at an average of 6.12 and an economy rate of just 3.23, she also emerged from the tournament as the world's number one WT20I bowler.[6][25]

Ecclestone was the first England bowler to hold that distinction since Anya Shrubsole in 2016, and the first England spinner to do so since Danielle Hazell in 2015.[6][8] She told The Cricketer in June 2020 that when the news was released, it was both overwhelming and the fulfilment of a dream she had had for several years.[8]

On 18 June 2020, Ecclestone was named in a squad of 24 players to begin training ahead of international women's fixtures starting in England following the COVID-19 pandemic.[26][27] In February 2021, during England's tour of New Zealand, Ecclestone took her 100th international wicket.[28] In June 2021, Ecclestone was named as in England's Test squad for their one-off match against India.[29][30]

In December 2021, Ecclestone was named in England's squad for their tour to Australia to contest the Women's Ashes.[31] In February 2022, she was named in England's team for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.[32] On 31 March 2022, in the semi-final match of the World Cup against South Africa, Ecclestone took her first five-wicket haul in WODIs, with 6/36.[33]

Personal life

Ecclestone has a boyfriend, Craig, and an ambition to become a pilot, as well as a World Cup winner. However, she told BBC Sport in 2020 that Craig was "not thrilled" at the prospect of accompanying her on a flying lesson flight her parents had given her for her twenty-first birthday.[6]

References

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  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons

Template:North West Thunder squad Template:Manchester Originals squad Template:ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year Template:England Squad 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 Template:England Squad 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Template:England Squad 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup

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