On the eve of the ICC Women’s World Cup in Australia, England captain Charlotte Edwards talks to Sportsister about her side’s ambitions for the tournament.
Tell me about how your preparations for the World Cup have gone?
It’s gone really well. We finished the season in September so we have had a little bit of a break and then we went to India in November for a training camp for two weeks which was really productive for the girls. Since then we have been training most weekends up in Loughborough, at the national academy. I think we have done as much preparation as we can do and we just need to get outside now and start playing.
So what exactly does your training involve? Do you doing any kind of cross training?
It is mainly all cricket, but obviously we have been set up fitness programmes by our trainers too so we are pretty much looked after in that department, and then we are left to do our skills with our one to one coaches.
It’s been quite a tough winter, we have worked really hard on our fitness as that’s one area that we can always improve on. We are as well prepared as I have seen an England team be going in to a world cup so that bodes well.
What are your expectations of the team out there?
We are in the middle of a really good run at the moment. We are 14 matches unbeaten but I guess that counts for nothing now though. We have got a huge amount of confidence from that so we believe we can win it and that’s half the battle.
But we are under no illusions; there are some other great teams out there and we have just got to be playing at the best of our ability from March 7th to the 22nd. We believe we can win but also realise we have got to play really good cricket as well.
Who are the favourites?
I would say Australia, they are the current holders of the World Cup so they will be the team to beat especially being on home soil. But India and New Zealand will be tough opposition for us too. It’s probably going to be one of the closest World Cups I have played in since I began.
How many have you played in?
This is going to be my fourth World Cup now so I am a bit of a veteran now! But it is my first one as captain, so a really special one for me. It has always been a dream to play and captain a World Cup side. The only dream left now is to win it so I will be doing as much as I can to lift that trophy on the 22nd March.
Does that make it a more nerve racking prospect this time around?
No, I don’t think so. I am going in with a better team and like I say we have been fully prepared for this. I am not putting a huge amount of pressure on myself. What will be, will be and all I can say is that we are in a great place at the moment and hopefully that will see us through the tournament.
Which country are you most looking forward to playing?
Any game we are playing against Australia is a massive game, so I am sure the girls will be looking forward to that one. It’s equally important that we are up for any game in this tournament because any slip ups may mean we are out of the tournament so every game will be treated the same. But with Australia there is an extra edge between the two teams.
Are there any younger players that we should be keeping an eye on during the World Cup?
We have got a young side with a couple of really talented youngsters. Sarah Taylor our wicket keeper and batsman and Holly Colvin who is a left armed spinner have been stand out performers for us in the last couple of years and we will be hoping a lot from them in the World Cup.
2009 is a big year for women’s cricket, with the World Cup in Australia in March, the ICC World Twenty20 here in June and the Ashes here in July. Which of these three is the most important to you as a player?
They are all really important but all I can think about at the moment is the World Cup and I think possibly that would mean the most to me having played in four and it is the ultimate honour in the game.
The 20/20 World Cup in England will be really special and if we got to play the final at Lords I am sure that would have to be the highlight of my career; playing in front of what could be a big crowd and at the home of cricket. It’s quite hard to choose but Lords in the summer would be really special.
Charlotte Edwards; Members of the England cricket team;
Are you feeling positive and happy about the rise of the 20/20 game?
Absolutely, I think it’s a great form of the game and I love playing in 20/20 cricket. Personally I have done really well and the team have done well so we will again be going in with a lot of confidence at that tournament. It has done huge amounts for cricket and especially the women’s game.
The final and the semi-final will be played before the men’s final and semi-final. The semi-final will be at Trent Bridge or the Oval and then the final will be at Lords so that is going to be a great concept.
Hopefully that will reach the women’s game out to a bigger audience and help increase the popularity of it.
Absolutely, that’s the main thing for me that we can get out of this 20/20 World Cup, what with the extra media coverage it is going to be going out on a global scale. Hopefully the profile of the game will be raised and we have got a massive opportunity to do that in the next six months.
How is your involvement in the Chance to Shine programme going?
It has been brilliant for me to be involved in it and just to have the impact that I have had; going into schools and hopefully aspiring a lot of young girls especially to play cricket. I think there is no better person than England players to go into these schools as role models. From what I have seen it has had a massive impact.
I have just loved giving a bit back really because I started out as that youngster in a primary school all those years ago so it’s great to be there and inspire these young girls to play.
What do you think is the biggest hurdle for girls to overcome if they want to play cricket?
I think it is traditionally seen as a men’s game but that is changing and now there are so many opportunities for girls to play cricket. I think now they start seeing us as role models and seeing us on TV and hopefully we are having some success.
I think now they will choose cricket in front of some other sports if they like it and it is definitely going from strength to strength with more girls playing the game which for us is great to see.
Who are your cricketing heroes?
I didn’t have a female role model which is sad really and I think it’s great now for these girls to see women playing cricket. I didn’t know there was an England women’s cricket team until I was 12 so we are getting out to these girls earlier and earlier now. Ian Botham was one of my role models but I think it is even more special if girls can have a female role model.
Louise Hudson, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
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