England spinner Sarah Glenn believes there is a healthy amount of competition within the setup that keeps everyone fighting for their spot as preparations for the T20 World Cup get underway.
England will face Pakistan on Saturday in the first of six white-ball matches in front of an expected 15,000 crowd as both teams begin to prepare for the Bangladesh World Cup in October, live on Sky Sports.
Glenn suffered a concussion during England’s tour of New Zealand last month after hitting her head on the turf attempting a catch during the third T20 match in Nelson, but the wait to finally get back to action is over and the leg-spinner is raring to go.
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Saturday 11th May 2:00pm
“We’re really excited,” Glenn said. “The team have come together for the last few days before this game and we’re shaping up nicely.”
“We know the World Cup will come around quickly but we also can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. It’s something that is in the back of our minds that we’ll keep working towards and continue to develop our game.
“We’re managing really well at the moment. Pakistan are a quality side and I think there will be so many pressurised moments in the game but it will be a good challenge for us. I’m really excited.”
Glenn forms a strong trio alongside left-armer Sophie Ecclestone and off-spinner Charlie Dean, and will be joined by Linsey Smith for the Pakistan series.
England white-ball squads to face Pakistan
England IT20 squad: Heather Knight (captain), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson , Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danielle Wyatt
England Women Metro Bank ODI squad: Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Wyatt
“I definitely feel we are quite a strong trio but it also feels like you could make a swap at any time,” she said.
“We’ve seen so many talented spinners in the regional set-up perform consistently so the pressure is always on to keep your place.
“It might appear solid at the time but we know deep down we’ve got to keep performing to keep our spot. It’s a very level playing field for selection and that’s an exciting prospect for our chances of winning the World Cup.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has already sold over 75,000 tickets for the Pakistan series and upcoming New Zealand tour in the summer, which is more than what they sold this time last year – which included an Ashes tour.
Earlier this year, the ECB announced the creation of a three-tiered domestic competition structure and a shift in the ownership model underpinning the women’s professional game.
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As well as the new structure, the ECB will invest an extra £4-5m per year in the women’s professional game from 2025-2028, taking annual investment up to £16m.
The plan will see the current eight women’s Regional teams evolve to become ‘Tier 1 Clubs’ and each will be ‘owned, governed, and operated by an individual First Class County (FCC) or Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)’.
“It shows where the women’s game is going and the progress we’ve had in regional cricket has been amazing over the past couple of years,” said Glenn.
“It’s a great step going forward and I think the fact that we’re attracting more crowds just purely for women’s cricket is great, so to be joined with the men’s, we’ve seen how effective that was in The Hundred, so I think it will provide more benefits for us down the line.”
“For a lot of the girls in the team, we didn’t have that growing up and obviously there were talented cricketers competing at the time but they weren’t on TV so I kind of grew up with male role models which isn’t a problem but I think the girls have more access now and they might think about playing cricket in the future.
“It’s really special and it almost feels like a bit of responsibility to give them what we couldn’t have and what we really wished for.”
Watch England Women face Pakistan in T20I and ODI series live on Sky Sports Cricket, beginning on Saturday May 11 from 2pm.
Women’s Vitality IT20 Series vs Pakistan fixtures – live on Sky Sports
May 11: 1st Women’s IT20 – Edgbaston, Birmingham, 2.30pm
May 17: 2nd Women’s IT20 – The County Ground, Northampton, 6.30pm
May 19: 3rd Women’s IT20 – Headingley, Leeds, 1pm
Women’s Metro Bank One-Day International Series vs Pakistan fixtures – live on Sky Sports
May 23: 1st Women’s One-Day International – The Incora County Ground, Derby, 1pm
May 26: 2nd Women’s One-Day International – The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, 11am
May 29: 3rd Women’s One-Day International – The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford, 1pm
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