Had they not been warm-up matches, England would have already easily defeated two of the most formidable obstacles preventing them from winning another World Cup. Although they may not be listed on the points chart, England starts the competition with a lot of confidence after defeating Australia (the 2022 champions) and India (the 2017 finalists) in the warm-ups.
Although the backbone of England’s team from their 2022 World Cup run is still there, there are noticeable changes even at first sight. Heather Knight guided England to a respectable Women’s Championship victory, but after a crushing 16-0 loss to Australia in the 2025 Ashes, she was removed as captain and Jon Lewis was fired as head coach.
Less than six months before the big event, Lewis was replaced by Charlotte Edwards, and Nat Sciver-Brunt was given the reins. Thus, this competition will be England’s first significant test under a relatively new alliance.
However, familiarity also has its comforts. There are still nine players from the 2022 World Cup winning team. After Amy Jones was promoted to the top of the order, Tammy Beaumont and her became a powerful opening combination. The return of Heather Knight and Danni Wyatt-Hodge gives the middle order a wealth of experience in addition to Nat Sciver-Brunt’s dependability, while Sophie Dunkley, Emma Lamb, and Alice Capsey provide flair.
In comparison, England’s bowling is a dangerous gamble, even though their batting order looks to be a safe pick. With four spinners, only two front-line pacers, and no Kate Cross or her background, this is a wager that might either be profitable or disastrous.
Perhaps England will feel most at ease when they begin as neither favourites nor dark horses. Not having a calm conviction and not carrying the weight of expectations.
by placing third in the 2022–25 ICC Women’s Championship, behind India and Australia. They lost to India 0–3, Australia 2-1, Sri Lanka 2-0, New Zealand 2-1, Pakistan 2-0, Ireland 2-1, and South Africa 2-1 in their series. Only at the start of the cycle did they lose to India out of the seven series they played.
Following England’s decision to select four spinners while excluding Kate Cross, the discussion of selections shifted from inclusions to exclusions. In addition, Sarah Glenn and Danni Wyatt-Hodge were summoned back to the side, leaving Maia Bouchier and Alice Davidson-Richards out. Despite packing their team with spinners, England may end up in a bind if the slow and low conditions don’t work out as planned. Additionally, the apple cart might be upset if one of their quicks were injured.
This over-reliance on the top-order is unavoidable given that Beaumont, Jones, and Sciver-Brunt have combined to score 57.2% of England’s runs in ODIs this season. Although their middle order appears to be strong on paper, they are relying more on potential than on actual results.
Sophie Ecclestone is coming off a turbulent time and is going into the tournament. Ecclestone took a lengthy break from the game due to an off-field argument, injury, and a turbulent Ashes before returning in the July home series against India. Ecclestone will be crucial to her team’s success in India as the captain of England’s almost multifaceted spin attack and by far its most seasoned player.
The team to beat in this competition is Australia. England should do this for a number of reasons. Every game they play in the World Cup is expected to get more intense, culminating in their penultimate group match against Australia. It may be necessary to win by then, not just to avenge the 2022 World Cup final and the Ashes, but also to advance.
England lost to Australia in the 2022 World Cup, just as it had started. Despite a terrible start, England won four straight games to make an incredible run into the semi-finals after losing their first three games. Before being doomed to a miserable end by well-known rivals, they then defeated South Africa to advance to the final.
Even though Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt want to do exactly what Heather Knight and Mark Robinson did in 2017, two formidable opponents—Australia and India—are once again in their way. England must be careful not to make a mistake that would allow South Africa and New Zealand to advance to the knockout stages, even though a semi-final appearance is likely. However, if England can duplicate their warm-up performance and defeat Australia and India, they should already have one hand on the trophy.
India
