Women's T20 World Cup: England overcome 'weird' experience of beating Ireland on day of WPL auction

1 year ago 54

The Women's Premier League (WPL) auction was a revolutionary time for women's cricket.

The apical picks person received life-changing sums of money, unprecedented not conscionable for cricket but for women's squad athletics successful general.

Yet England's players had to acceptable speech their feelings of anticipation, excitement and imaginable disappointment to absorption connected a group-stage lucifer against Ireland successful the Women's T20 World cup.

It's unsurprising that spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who was bought for £180,000 and past took 3-13 successful England's four-wicket win, said it was a "weird day".

Ecclestone, batter Sophia Dunkley and all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt learned their destiny successful the auction earlier the match, portion their team-mates had to hold until the extremity to observe whether they'd landed a woody oregon gone unsold.

"There has been a weird vibe astir the group," Ecclestone told Test Match Special aft the game.

"I was rather fortunate I knew earlier I came out, due to the fact that I cognize a fewer of the girls didn't cognize until conscionable now."

"The girls did truly good to conscionable ore connected us. We didn't privation it to beryllium an elephant successful the country truthful we person spoken astir it a lot, but arsenic soon arsenic we got connected the autobus contiguous we were conscionable tuned into the game.

"I americium truthful arrogant of everyone for however we've gone astir it."

World fig 1 T20 bowler Ecclestone was selected by England manager Jon Lewis' UP Warriorz, portion Dunkley was picked up by Gujarat Giants for £60,000.

All-rounder Sciver-Brunt was England's highest-earner successful the auction arsenic she was bought by Mumbai Indians for astir £320,000 - the aforesaid magnitude arsenic Australia all-rounder Ash Gardner and down lone India superstar Smriti Mandhana, who went for £340,000.

Sciver-Brunt's woody volition marque her 1 of the highest-earning pistillate sportspeople successful England, but her wife, accelerated bowler Katherine, went unsold successful the auction.

So did explosive top-order batter Danni Wyatt, who was a astonishment omission. Both had entered themselves astatine the highest reserve terms of £50,000.

England kept comparatively subdued astir their signings, but determination were vastly contrasting scenes successful the India campy - videos connected societal media showed Mandhana receiving hugs from her team-mates arsenic the squad watched the auction unfold unneurotic successful the squad hotel.

And Gardner was visibly delighted arsenic she was congratulated by team-mates astatine Australia's grooming session.

Understandably England's players - and those from Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand who besides entered the auction and played connected Monday - had to effort and not dwell connected the WPL to absorption connected a World Cup.

"It was precise weird actually, we tried to person a squad gathering earlier we got connected the autobus and each the Indians were watching it successful our edifice and we had to determination the gathering due to the fact that determination was tons of cheering and evidently they were enjoying themselves," said England skipper Heather Knight.

"It's thing we've ne'er experienced and you don't often get it successful the men's crippled erstwhile it's connected a lucifer time - truthful we were trying to negociate it arsenic champion we could, trying to bash what individuals wanted.

"Now it's astir regrouping, immoderate happened successful the auction doesn't alteration the worth of those players to america arsenic a team.

"We request to get backmost unneurotic and absorption connected yet what we're present to do, archetypal of each marque the semi-finals and effort and triumph a World Cup astatine the extremity of it."

Four England players, including Knight, received their deals during the match.

Alice Capsey smashed the joint-fastest 50 successful the past of the Women's T20 World Cup, blissfully unaware she had earned a £75,000 woody with Delhi Capitals.

Knight went unsold successful the archetypal circular but was selected by Royal Challengers Bangalore for her basal terms of £40,000 conscionable arsenic England took the last Ireland wicket.

Fast bowlers Lauren Bell, who took 1-17 against Ireland, and Issy Wong, who is simply a travelling reserve, some earned £30,000 contracts astatine UP Warriorz and Mumbai Indians respectively.

It meant 7 England players were selected overall, leaving different 20 entrants unsold.

"Naturally it is 1 of those things wherever radical are astir apt going to consciousness near retired and it is however that gets managed going forward," erstwhile England bowler Isa Guha told BBC Sport.

"It is simply a fantastic accidental for those playing successful the tourney and I'm definite the girls that haven't been selected volition beryllium blessed for them."

Some players felt highs, galore others lows, but England present person to marque definite they enactment unneurotic to absorption connected their purpose of winning a World Cup.

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