In international women's cricket, England's women's cricket team represents the country. The England and Wales Cricket Board governs the team (ECB).
With 7,581 points and a rating of 126, England is presently ranked second in the ICC Women's Rankings. The English squad is one of the most successful in women's cricket history.
England played in the inaugural Women's Test series against Australia in 1934-1935. They won the series by winning two and drawing one of the three Test matches.
The 1960s were nothing short of a dream run for the English women's cricket team, as they lost none of their 14 matches during that decade.
In June 1973, they played their debut One-Day International (ODI) against International XI at County Cricket Ground, Hove. In 2004, they made their T20I debut against New Zealand at the same venue.
In international women's cricket, the England women's cricket team represents England and Wales. They have been overseen by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) since 1998, having previously been governed by the Women's Cricket Association. England has Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) status with the International Cricket Council. Heather Knight is their current captain, while Jon Lewis is their coach.
In 1934, they competed in the first-ever Women's Test match, which they won by 9 wickets. The two sides currently battle for The Women's Ashes on a regular basis. They won the first Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil in 1973, and have gone on to win the World Cup three more times, in 1993, 2009, and 2017. Following their victory in 2017, they were named the BBC Sports Team of the Year. They took part in the first Twenty20 International against New Zealand in 2005 and won the inaugural ICC Women's World Twenty20 in 2009.
As part of the England and Wales Cricket Board, the England women's cricket team represents both England and Wales. As a result, Welsh cricketers such as Lynne Thomas have represented England.
Cricket Wales has always backed the ECB, and the Wales women's national cricket team operates as a domestic side within the women's county cricket framework, participating in the Women's County Championship until 2019 and continuing to compete in the Women's Twenty20 Cup. Wales is part of the country's new regional domestic structure, as well as the Western Storm regional center, and is represented in The Hundred by Welsh Fire.
Achievements
England has won four ICC Women's World Cups, including the inaugural tournament in 1973. It also finished the second three times: in 1978, 1982, and 1988.
In 2009, England also won the inaugural ICC Women's World Twenty20. It also finished second twice, in 2012 and 2014.
England was considered favorites heading into the 2012 World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka following an 18-month undefeated record that ended only weeks before the event, in a series against the West Indies that England won 4-1. During this series, England was forced to make a late substitution for the tournament after Susie Rowe broke her thumb and was replaced by the uncapped Amy Jones. Following their group stage exit in the last World Twenty20, England was placed in Group A with Australia, India, and Pakistan.
England began with a win over Pakistan, although an uninspiring one. Following a 102-run opening partnership between skipper Charlotte Edwards and Laura Marsh, England scored 31 runs in their remaining seven overs to end 133-6. Pakistan never really threatened to produce an upset and were bowled out for 90, with Holly Colvin taking 4-9. Danielle Wyatt, on the other hand, had an ankle injury while bowling, limiting her bowling involvement for the duration of the group stage. Any concerns about England's initial performance were dispelled by a smashing nine-wicket win against India in their second game, which qualified them for the knockout stage.
England's last group game was against Australia, and despite the fact that both teams had already qualified, the encounter was considered a strong opportunity to acquire a psychological edge before a potential final match-up. Despite Katherine Brunt's thrifty effort, Australia finished with a score of 144-5, owing to Meg Lanning's 39 and Lisa Sthalekar's 38. This time, Marsh left early, leaving Sarah Taylor at the crease, but England struggled to keep up with the run pace, losing both Edwards and Arran Brindle. However, Wyatt's entrance at the crease resulted in a 65-ball partnership, propelling England to a comfortable victory, with Taylor finishing on 65* and Wyatt on 33*.
World Cup for Women's Cricket