ICC Women's World Cup: SWOT analysis of England

23rd July 2017 will go down as a glorious day in the history of English cricket as the women's team won their fourth World Cup in front of a capacity crowd at the Home of Cricket to break millions of Indian hearts. 

The summit clash of the mega event will go down as one of the most incredible days in the history of women's sport as the 2017 edition of the mega event created a revolution, especially in India with millions of young kids trying to emulate the heroics of their idol. 

As the England players rallied around their skipper when she lifted the coveted trophy, it marked a new beginning for the Three Lions with Heather Knight at the helm. 

In over four years to this day, the England side has undergone a plethora of changes in personnel and will be keen to defend their title when they set foot at the Seddon Park on Saturday, 5th March for their opening encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan. 

While the reigning champions did not have an ideal start to their World Cup build-up as they are entering the high-voltage tournament after losing the multi-format Ashes series away from home.

Despite the stutter, England's opening batter Tammy Beaumont shared insights on the performance of the side ahead of the World Cup in a virtual press conference. 

"I feel like a lot of people have sort of written us off in a way. I remember we had a lot of people trying to call us favourites last time, and you know, we're still the holders of the World Cup, so I think you write us off at your peril, really," she said. 

With the defending champions vying for their fifth title, we at cricket.com help you with a detailed analysis of the side ahead of the World Cup. 

Strength

While the batting unit of the Three Lions let them down in the Ashes rivalry, the team have incorporated a fearless style of play and taken advantage of the field restrictions, with Beaumont at the forefront.

In the 39 innings played thus far since the 2017 World Cup, England have scored 1787 runs, with a boundary every 9.4 deliveries in the powerplay, which is the second-best among the top-five nations.

One of the primary reasons for their blazing start in the field restriction is the consistent performance of Beaumont along with Knight.
The opening batter is the leading run-scorer across the world since the last extravaganza with 1721 runs in 40 innings, followed by the skipper in seventh place with 1332 runs in 39 innings.

With the middle order fairly inconsistent in the recent series, the onus of the side will rely heavily on the duo to guide the team through to safety challenging conditions. 

Weakness 

One of the vital cogs in the playing XI of the defending champions, Sophie Ecclestone, will play a crucial role in the fortunes of the side in the land of Kiwis. 

While the left-arm spinner is second on the list of leading wicket-takers since the last World Cup with 52 scalps in 36 innings, her recent outings will be an area of concern for the team management of the England side.

In 14 innings since 2021, Ecclestone had picked 18 wickets at a strike rate of 45.7, which is the second-worst among players with a minimum of 15 wickets. 

Another area of concern for the side would be the lack of stability at the top of the order with Beaumont. While they tried Danni Wyatt at the top of the order for a couple of games, they have opted to use the series of Lauren Winfield-Hill in the last few series.

While the right-handed batter has often helped the side get off to a flyer, her inconsistency has been one of the weaknesses of the side. The 31-year old has not scored a half-century in the last two years and will look to make amends in the upcoming event.

Opportunity

Despite not having an ideal start as their lead-up to the World Cup, England have plenty of firepower in their squad to turn things around and kickstart their title defence in an emphatic fashion. 

With the likes of Natalie Sciver and the emergence of Kate Cross, the team looks settled in the bowling unit, with veteran pacer Katherine Brunt leading the attack. 

Over the years, the Three Lions have produced dominant performances at world events and will look to repeat their journey of the 2017 World and give Brunt a fitting farewell in probably her last hurrah at the iconic tournament. 

Threat

While England look like a solid unit on paper and have been one of the most consistent teams in the women's circuit, the team has a plethora of youngsters in the squad. 

With the pressure of defending their world champions tag rocketing through the roofs, the team could be hampered by the inexperience in the side. 

While there ain't any doubt on the ability of their mainstays, the youngsters are yet to showcase their potential at the international level.  

Squad: 

Heather Knight, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt.

Fixtures:

March 5 vs Australia 

March 9 vs West Indies

March 14 vs South Africa

March 16 vs India

March 20 vs New Zealand

March 24 vs Pakistan 

March 27 vs Bangladesh