MUMBAI: Sophie Ecclestone’s desion to choose cricket over football has finally paid dividends. But it was not until 16 that she decided to pursue it seriously. A year later, she made her England debut in 2016. Today, she is now the top-ranked bowler in ODIs and T20s. Turning out for UP Warriorz, the left-arm spinner currently is the purple cap holder in the Women’s Premier League with 13 scalps.
Her numbers for England are equally impressive as well. In T20s, she already has 97 wickets in 70 matches at an impressive strike rate of 15.8 and economy rate of under six. In ODIs she has 87 scalps in 55 ODIs with an economy rate of 3.68 and strike rate of 34.6.
Ecclestone was initiated into the world of sports at a very early age and all she remembers is playing cricket or football with her elder brother James and her father Paul in their backyard.
“Days were spent playing cricket or football. On Saturday’s I followed them to the cricket club. On a few Saturday’s my mother would want me to go grocery shopping with her but I always chose to go play cricket. Now, she is my biggest fan,” Ecclestone said.
The club Ecclestone is talking about is the Alvanley Cricket Club in Helsby, Cheshire, where her father was a co-ordinator. She grew fond of the game and chose to become a leftarm spinner. She credits her brother for her journey.
Ecclestone soon moved up the ranks at Alvanley and made her debut in 2011. In 2013 she moved to play for Cheshire before being spotted by Lancashire, who onboarded her 2015. And as everyone knows, she donned the England colours for the first time in 2016 against Pakistan in Bristol during a T20.
“I always played cricket to enjoy it. Never thought about the landmarks. Very excited for me and my family that I’m No 1 in the world,” said Ecclestone.
Ecclestone, who stands nearly 6 feet tall, uses her height and her bag of tricks, including an arm ball, to fox the batters.
Though she is excited to be the top bowler in the world, winning a major trophy with England is her prime objective. While she sat out England’s 2017 ODI World Cup triumph due to exams, she has encountered disappointments in the big tournaments— England finished runners-up to Australia in the 2018 T20 World Cup and the 2022 ODI World Cup where she was the highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps.
That’s why Ecclestone has put the idea of becoming England’s captain in the back burner until she achieves her goal of winning a major trophy.
“I’m not thinking too far ahead. First target is to win the World Cup,” she said. Of late, she is also focussing more on her batting. “I have been getting a few more opportunities. I spend a lot of time in the nets.” In the last two matches, she has hit the winnings runs for Warriorz.
Her numbers for England are equally impressive as well. In T20s, she already has 97 wickets in 70 matches at an impressive strike rate of 15.8 and economy rate of under six. In ODIs she has 87 scalps in 55 ODIs with an economy rate of 3.68 and strike rate of 34.6.
Ecclestone was initiated into the world of sports at a very early age and all she remembers is playing cricket or football with her elder brother James and her father Paul in their backyard.
“Days were spent playing cricket or football. On Saturday’s I followed them to the cricket club. On a few Saturday’s my mother would want me to go grocery shopping with her but I always chose to go play cricket. Now, she is my biggest fan,” Ecclestone said.
The club Ecclestone is talking about is the Alvanley Cricket Club in Helsby, Cheshire, where her father was a co-ordinator. She grew fond of the game and chose to become a leftarm spinner. She credits her brother for her journey.
Ecclestone soon moved up the ranks at Alvanley and made her debut in 2011. In 2013 she moved to play for Cheshire before being spotted by Lancashire, who onboarded her 2015. And as everyone knows, she donned the England colours for the first time in 2016 against Pakistan in Bristol during a T20.
“I always played cricket to enjoy it. Never thought about the landmarks. Very excited for me and my family that I’m No 1 in the world,” said Ecclestone.
Ecclestone, who stands nearly 6 feet tall, uses her height and her bag of tricks, including an arm ball, to fox the batters.
Though she is excited to be the top bowler in the world, winning a major trophy with England is her prime objective. While she sat out England’s 2017 ODI World Cup triumph due to exams, she has encountered disappointments in the big tournaments— England finished runners-up to Australia in the 2018 T20 World Cup and the 2022 ODI World Cup where she was the highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps.
That’s why Ecclestone has put the idea of becoming England’s captain in the back burner until she achieves her goal of winning a major trophy.
“I’m not thinking too far ahead. First target is to win the World Cup,” she said. Of late, she is also focussing more on her batting. “I have been getting a few more opportunities. I spend a lot of time in the nets.” In the last two matches, she has hit the winnings runs for Warriorz.
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