Acting captain Charlie Dean has defended the choice to pull England players from domestic fixtures for an army bootcamp, insisting the experience was crucial for the squad to “gel together.”
The 15 players selected for the T20 World Cup skipped last week’s One-Day Cup matches to attend the camp at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Earlier in the season, they also missed One-Day Cup games for England training in Loughborough.
Reflecting on the time with the British Army, Dean told BBC Sport: “Missing a game or two doesn’t seem like a big setback when we truly believe that was productive for us. Getting together as a T20 squad was something we needed to do. We’ve had some really constructive conversations.”
England have not played competitively since October, spending the time since in internal training camps as they prepare for the T20 World Cup they will host this summer. The team returns to action on Sunday at Chester-le-Street for the first of three one-day internationals against New Zealand, with Dean leading England for the first time while Nat Sciver-Brunt recovers from a calf injury.
“We’ve had camps all winter where we were probably fighting for places,” Dean said. “That pressure to secure a spot in the T20 World Cup squad creates a tough environment. We felt we needed to come together and move forward as one. The camp helped make that happen, building group cohesion. Our goal this summer is to win a World Cup.”
England’s men have previously held bonding trips ahead of away Ashes series. On this occasion, Dean said the women’s team faced “a bit of running, burpees, press-ups and getting yelled at.” The 25-year-old added: “It was a different training environment that pushed us but also brought us closer. Everyone bought into it. We had a calm day on Thursday, then Friday morning felt completely different—running down to join the troops. It was a shock to the system, and a few giggles disappeared quickly once we got a talking to. We knew we had to get on with it.”
Off-spinner Dean will become the 20th woman to captain England in an ODI after all-rounder Sciver-Brunt was ruled out of the entire series. The captain’s absence is described as precautionary, and she is expected to return for the three-match T20 series against New Zealand starting May 20. “Nat’s fine,” Dean said. “She’s with us in Durham doing light training. Her injury isn’t too serious. It’s good that we can work closely and hopefully make the transition smooth. Captaining these ODIs feels like perfect timing to gain a bit of experience before the World Cup.”
With Sciver-Brunt injured, Alice Capsey ill, Tammy Beaumont left out, Sophia Dunkley rested, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge absent due to the imminent arrival of her first child, England’s XI in Durham will have a fresh look. Emma Lamb could open with Amy Jones, while batters Jodi Grewcock and Kira Chathli, along with 18-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman, are all in the squad and may feature.
