Sophie Ecclestone is England women's leading T20 wicket-taker. This year marks 10 years since spinner Sophie Ecclestone's England debut, and yet she is only 27. She was the teenage sensation who quickly became the first name on the teamsheet, and in 2024 she overtook legendary fast bowler Katherine Sciver-Brunt to become England's leading T20 wicket-taker.

It had been a career that, up until 18 months ago, had known nothing but success. But England's miserable Ashes tour at the start of 2025 put its players under a spotlight of scrutiny like never before, and the combination of a tough time on the field and some struggles away from the game led to Ecclestone questioning the future. "It was such a tough period - there was a time where I didn't leave my house for five days," says Ecclestone, who is preparing for her fifth T20 World Cup when it begins at Edgbaston on 12 June. "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 revealed that speaking to a psychiatrist had played a pivotal part in her turnaround, though she admits that she previously did not think she would ever end up needing to take that step. She also credits former England head coach Jon Lewis and current coach Charlotte Edwards for their support, and says that overcoming the struggles has given her a better perspective in terms of being a leader for younger players coming through.

"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," Ecclestone adds. "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."

Ecclestone considered quitting after difficult Ashes. Wyatt-Hodge available for England in timely boost. England batters are giving me headaches - Edwards.

During the Ashes, Ecclestone made headlines for refusing an interview with former team-mate turned broadcaster Alex Hartley, who was working for Australia's Channel 7. Hartley, who won the World Cup with England in 2017, had questioned England's fitness levels after the team's early exit from the T20 World Cup in 2024. The team's fitness was subject of debate for some time afterwards, but when Edwards was appointed as coach, she said that the players would be "held accountable" for their fitness standards and that it was a "non-negotiable".

"[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," Ecclestone said. "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."

Accusations of cosiness and complacency also followed the team after the defeat in Australia, and after so many years of individual success, Ecclestone became subject of criticism, but says she is now better equipped to handle the "highs and lows" of international sport.

Ecclestone insists that she will still be active on social media during England's World Cup campaign, which begins against Sri Lanka, as the cricketers seek to emulate football's Lionesses and rugby's Red Roses with a home triumph. England's last World Cup win also came at home in 2017, but they have fallen short in global tournaments since, most recently losing to South Africa in last year's 50-over semi-final.

Though Ecclestone and England are cautious of looking too far ahead, she is very honest about how much it would mean to win the trophy after such a difficult time. "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."

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