Day 59: England find questions in defeat

 When you win most of the time, it can mask problems you didn’t know you had or were willing to overlook. It was something that faced the Australian team after the 2017 World Cup. The balance of that side wasn’t right, and although Rachael Haynes could only get in that side as captain, she has since become an essential part of a team that has been at the top of the women’s game ever since.

While one loss by England isn’t anything to worry about, they got outplayed by New Zealand that hadn’t won an ODI in 11 attempts.

The form of Danni Wyatt is worrying. Wyatt has been out of form for some time. It is important for England that she finds a way to get back in the runs. With her firing at the top of the innings with Tammy Beaumont, it gives England’s middle order more freedom to attack later in the game.

After Heather Knight, Nat Sciver, and Amy Jones, is the batting that comes after that good enough to punish teams? It does come down to if there is enough talent coming through to push for a place in the top seven.

The problem is that since the outbreak of Coivd-19 domestic players have had no more than seven games to prove themselves and England’s contracted players even few. It makes it hard for selectors as they will always be tempted to go with what they know. It makes this summer of domestic and international cricket all the more crucial. If England isn’t scheduled any games during the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, every England contracted player needs to play games.

It’s not just the batters that are under pressure to perform. England’s pace attack has relied on Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole for too long. With Shrubsole injured and Brunt rested for the third ODI, England could not take advantage of early breakthroughs, and Amy Satterthwaite and Amelia Kerr took the game away from England.

How do England approach a team without Brunt and Shrubsole? Who are the bowlers behind them that can fire England to victory? Kate Cross and Freya Davies are obvious candidates. Then there are Tash Farrant and Katie George gives you a left-arm option that varies the attack.  

England will not want to rush Issy Wong, who, at only 18, is one of England’s most exciting fast bowlers; along with side Lauren Bell England have good young bowlers; you feel 2022 might be a year too early.

In Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn, England have two outstanding spinners. Both look to take the ball away from the right-hander, and maybe England will want to find an off-spinner which they have been missing since the retirement of Laura Marsh. Knight, of course, can fulfil that role, although she seems reluctant to do so.

One defeat doesn’t mean that England have to reinvent their approach, but it does make for an exciting summer as England look for new heroes they didn’t know they had.