'england Face Questions After Bump Back Down To Earth'

The first half of 2025 has been a whirlwind for England's women.

It started pinch a demolishing astatine nan hands of Australia, which resulted successful an upheaval successful leadership, earlier nan caller era nether Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt inflicted a likewise ascendant thrashing connected West Indies.

But that triumph came pinch the informing not to get carried away, considering nan anemic opposition, and to expect a overmuch tougher introspection erstwhile India arrived for 5 T20s and 3 one-day internationals.

That informing has been delivered instantly arsenic nan visitors person taken a 2-0 lead, pinch nan opportunity to seal nan T20 bid astatine The Oval connected Friday.

Of course, adjusting to caller activity will ever return immoderate clip to furniture in, and this could beryllium seen arsenic a bully point for England to beryllium tested by high-quality guidance earlier nan autumn's World Cup successful India - thing they did not person earlier nan fateful bid against Australia.

However, these 2 defeats felt each excessively acquainted - and England person hardly competed successful either.

Under pressure, catches person gone down, bowling plans person go muddled and nan batting has not fired, peculiarly struggling against spin.

England, Sciver-Brunt and Edwards person had a crisp bump backmost down to earth.

England are without erstwhile skipper Heather Knight, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, and she will almost surely slot consecutive backmost into nan mediate bid because they are crying retired for her stableness and calmness erstwhile things are not going to plan.

There is simply a peculiar interest astir nan opening partnership. Danni Wyatt-Hodge has scored 1 tally successful her past 4 T20 innings, and 87 runs successful her past 8 - pinch 52 coming from 1 sound successful Australia.

The opening guidelines has passed 50 conscionable erstwhile successful 8 matches, averaging little than 15, and England person been 9-2 chasing 211 astatine Trent Bridge and 2-2 chasing 182 astatine Bristol earlier slumping to 113 each retired and 157-7.

There person been good knocks from Sciver-Brunt and Tammy Beaumont, making a half-century each, pinch nan second an action to move up nan bid if Edwards wants to spell successful a different guidance astatine nan top.

"She'll surely beryllium vulnerable. I'd astir apt measure wherever Danni's astatine - sometimes if a player's going really badly, they request to beryllium taken distant from nan spotlight and fixed that break to reset," said Knight connected Sky Sports aft nan 2nd defeat.

"Tammy's done brilliantly today, 1 bully spark successful nan England innings and her earthy spot is opening nan batting, truthful that is an action there.

"Paige Scholfield is personification who mightiness travel in, she tin bat astatine nan apical of nan order, but I deliberation her champion position is astir apt successful nan middle. She's had a superb 12-18 months successful that attacking role."

Sciver-Brunt understandably did not remark connected whether location would beryllium immoderate changes successful nan contiguous aftermath of nan Bristol defeat, saying she had "full confidence" successful each nan players.

She besides highlighted England's important betterment successful nan powerplay, wherever they restricted India to 35-3, but India's counter-attack appeared to drawback nan bowlers disconnected defender and they deviated from their plans.

In nan powerplay 33% of their deliveries were connected a bully statement and magnitude astatine a run-rate of 4.2, but that dipped to 15% successful nan mediate overs arsenic India added 103-1 and 11% successful nan last 4 overs arsenic Amanjot Kaur and Richa Ghosh took nan crippled distant from England.

Lauren Bell was 1 of fewer England players to travel distant from nan Ashes pinch in installments and has continued that shape this summer, taking 2-17 astatine Bristol arsenic she now leads nan onslaught pinch much-improved maturity and consistency.

She executed her slower-ball scheme effectively, mounting nan section accordingly and forcing India's batters to set to her.

But India person been smart, and England person not responded quickly enough. Linsey Smith, who starred against West Indies pinch her left-arm spin, has been intelligibly targeted pinch 0-41 from 3 overs astatine Trent Bridge and 0-37 disconnected 3 astatine Bristol.

It is unfamiliar territory for England, who are truthful ascendant astatine location - anterior to nan Windies series, they had won 79.3% of their completed white-ball games astatine location since 2020.

They should not beryllium written disconnected aft conscionable 2 matches against a broadside that are turning into genuine World Cup contenders, peculiarly connected location turf, and it is not yet crunch clip for England aliases Edwards successful position of whether they tin move this around.

But nan caller coach is said by those astir her to beryllium ruthless, and unafraid to make reliable decisions if champion for nan team.

This is England's first situation nether her leadership, and really Edwards responds to it will uncover conscionable really overmuch has really changed successful nan set-up which was antecedently accused of cosiness and complacency.