England head into en-w vs wi-w at Lord's on Wednesday knowing a win over the West Indies sends them straight into the knockout semi-finals. Charlie Dean said the target is simple: one more victory, and England stay unbeaten at their home ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
Dean on England’s one-win task
“It’s really important for us to win one more game to get us through to the semi-finals,” Dean said ahead of the match. She added: “That is the job at hand and what we want to do. The West Indies are an explosive side and they are notoriously good in World Cups as well. To be able to get one up on them would prove how good a place we are in as a team.”
That leaves England with a clear, immediate reward for Wednesday’s result. Win, and the side moves directly into the knockout semi-finals with one group-stage match still to play.
Lord’s heat and West Indies form
Temperatures in north London are expected to rise into the mid-30s, and Dean said England have planned for it. “It’s a bit different with it being this hot at home. But we have lots of cooling methods and make sure we fuel up. It’s about being ready to get out there. It’s an evening game so might be a bit cooler,” she said.
She also said: “It was quite warm batting with the helmet on. As cricket players, we play cricket in other countries where the weather is very similar.” England have remained unbeaten so far, but the West Indies arrive with their own momentum after beating Sri Lanka in Bristol by five wickets, a match in which Karishma Ramharack took two wickets. The West Indies are unbeaten at the tournament and won the T20 World Cup in 2016.
New Zealand for England
The complication for England is simple. A loss on Wednesday could leave their final group game against New Zealand deciding the last spot in the knockout stages. Dean said England’s standards keep getting better, and that the hot conditions are a chance to show they can handle the load without losing control of the contest.
“Our standards keeping getting better and better so being able to work hard and prove we can do it in the heat is a good opportunity but it’s not something we are particularly thinking about. We know we are able to perform under those conditions,” she said. England can settle the issue at Lord’s; if they do not, the route to the semi-finals gets longer and runs through New Zealand for the final group game.
