The team England will kickstart their world cup campaign with taking on South Africa on October 3. However, they have already started their training camp in the United Arab Emirates. In the team’s warm-up match against New Zealand on Thursday at Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi, Charlie Dean emerged as the standout bowler with figures of 3 for 36 in nine overs.
For Dean, the past few months have been noteworthy. She stepped into the void left by Heather Knight’s hamstring injury to lead London Spirit to the Eliminator in the Women’s Hundred in August, where they lost to eventual champions Northern Superchargers. And now, at the age of 24, an offspinner with four years of international experience, she is set to start her second 50-over World Cup campaign in India, no less.
“It’s a really exciting place to be a spinner,” Dean told ESPNcricinfo, prior to the squad’s departure for the UAE. “I guess it comes with a bit of pressure, because you know that the conditions might suit you. But equally, there’s a lot of excitement about the opportunity that that brings.”
Dean has travelled as part of a four-prong spin attack – and a familiar one at that. The innate talent of England’s frontline options has once again been relied upon for this most recent international tournament, despite the perception that a change of England’s roster might be in order when Charlotte Edwards took over as head coach in March.
Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, and Linsey Smith, who all played together in England’s T20 World Cup opening match against Bangladesh at Sharjah this time last year, are back in the squad with Dean.
Little is known about the remainder of that winter, including England’s humiliating World Cup loss to the West Indies and their 16-0 Ashes thumping.
In particular, Ecclestone was criticized by the media and took a mental health vacation early in the season while also dealing with a quad injury. As they work to rebuild their reputation as a team that can compete at the major events, Dean is adamant that both on and off the field, lessons have been learned.
“Since the Ashes, we’ve all gone away and really tried to upskill ourselves, on and off the pitch,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting out there with Linsey, Soph and Sarah, and hopefully we can complement each other well, like we have done previously.
“Eccles, she is the No. 1 bowler in the world. When I watch her bowl in the nets, I’m just like, wow, she’s insanely skillful and impressive, and she’s been working really hard.
“I know Glenny has changed her action a little bit too,” Dean added of her Spirit team-mate, who featured just twice for England this summer, most recently against West Indies in June. This week she announced a change of scene too, with a new deal to join Yorkshire from The Blaze in 2026.
“She’s done a little bit of work on her run-up, and it’s feeling a lot smoother,” Dean said. “It’s brilliant that she’s back in the squad after being left out a little bit this summer. And that just proves that, if you go well in domestic and county cricket, you can get back in.”
Dean hopes that many of those qualities have been worked out under Edwards’ leadership, especially during a grueling home summer match against India. Even though England lost both white-ball series 2-1 in the ODIs and 3-2 in the T20Is—it’s arguable that being under pressure during eight intense games was more beneficial than a string of easy wins.
“Lottie brings in this air of calmness,” Dean said. “When she explains the game, she makes cricket seem like common sense, and half the time, it really isn’t. The way she thinks about the game is so clear. And that brings a clarity to the group as well.
“No matter the result of the game, we just keep learning from it. All she wants to see from us is growth. And that fits with my way of playing as well. I’m trying to be smarter and play each game situation, rather than just the same script for every game that you play.”
England’s fielding will likely serve as a gauge for their performances. Although Dean has continuously shown herself to be one of the better catchers in the lineup—a quality she displayed in last month’s Hundred with a spectacular one-handed take off Oval Invincibles’ Marizanne Kapp—it was noticeably subpar during crucial points of their most recent winter campaign.
“It’s about flipping that narrative and seeing it as a way that we can really show off and prove people wrong. If we see that in little windows, then that’s perfect. Hopefully we can really push towards this World Cup and onwards.
“Being a cricketer is all about getting better and learning on your journey. As long as people commit to that, then we don’t care if someone drops a catch, as long as the right attitudes and processes are going on behind the scenes, then we control that narrative. Everyone’s working hard to get better, and I guess that’s all you can ask.”
