New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) A decade after making her England debut as a teenage prodigy, England all-rounder Sophie Ecclestone is preparing for another World Cup campaign with a renewed sense of perspective and a far greater understanding of life away from cricket.

Ecclestone, 27, despite having 10 years of international cricket experience, has been a key figure in England’s bowling. She quickly rose after debuting at 17, becoming England’s top wicket-taker in Women’s T20s in 2024, surpassing Katherine Sciver-Brunt. Success was steady until England’s poor Ashes in Australia this year, which was a turning point for her, both professionally and personally. The defeat led to intense scrutiny, and Ecclestone privately dealt with personal issues beyond cricket.

“It was such a tough period – there was a time where I didn’t leave my house for five days. It wasn’t just cricket, it was life generally, and when that isn’t great, cricket takes a turn for the worse. I wasn’t enjoying the environment and I just wanted to run away. But I’m back. Things are so different now – I can play cricket with a smile on my face again,” Ecclestone told BBC Sport.

Ecclestone revealed that seeking professional support became crucial in her mental recovery after a tough period. She never imagined turning to a psychiatrist but now sees it as vital. She credited former England coach Jon Lewis and current coach Charlotte Edwards for helping her through her career challenges. As a senior squad member, Ecclestone believes these experiences have also changed how she mentors young players new to international cricket.

“International cricket is so hard these days, you’re under so much more scrutiny than we’ve ever been before, especially compared to when I made my debut at 17. So for those girls coming in, it will be a bit of a rollercoaster so it’s important for them to know they’ve got people around to talk to and tell them it’s OK and that everyone has bad days and you don’t always have to be perfect.

“We’ve got to move on now [from the Ashes]. We’ve all put that behind us, and there’s no better way to put things right than a World Cup at home. I’ve got every faith in this side to do that,” the spin-bowling all-rounder stated.

Ecclestone was controversial during the Ashes after refusing an interview from her former teammate Alex Hartley, who was covering the series for Australia’s Channel 7. Hartley had questioned England’s fitness after their exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, sparking debate on conditioning and professionalism. When Edwards became coach, fitness was a top focus, which she called a “non-negotiable” standard. Ecclestone felt the criticism of the team’s work ethic was exaggerated and failed to reflect the effort players put in behind the scenes.

“(Those conversations) are quite annoying, because people outside the group don’t see what happens in training, they don’t see how hard the girls work. I feel like people are very quick to judge. I don’t ever feel like we were unfit, I think that was unfair. But we did feel like we could have made some moves in that area, and we have done. As a group, we are ridiculously fit now. If anyone did want to judge that I would love for them to come into our environment for the day because it’s crazy how hard people work,” Ecclestone said.

England heads into the home T20 World Cup amid expectation and pressure. Since their 2017 triumph, they haven’t won a global trophy and have often fallen short in ICC events, including last year’s ODI World Cup semi-final against South Africa. Despite setbacks and scrutiny, Ecclestone credited the squad’s bond as key to her renewed enjoyment of the game.

“The group of girls around me, I wouldn’t be here without them, they’re so supportive of me. I’m quite open with them about how I’m feeling most of the time, so to lift a trophy with those girls and to share a moment like that with them, it’s something I could only dream of. It would be like a miracle ending,” she stated.

As England prepare to open their campaign against Sri Lanka, Ecclestone enters the tournament not only as one of the world’s premier spinners but also as a player who has emerged from one of the most testing periods of her career with a fresh perspective and renewed motivation.

–IANS

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