Sophie Ecclestone tells England to ‘do it for Heather’ ahead of World Cup final

England meet Australia in the final of the Women’s Cricket World Cup on Sunday in a bid to defend their 2017 title

Sophie Ecclestone has received a lot of praise England Captain Heather Knight for the team’s inspiring effort Women’s Cricket World Cup Final.

Knight led England to the World Cup title in 2017 as the team beat India in the nine-run final in front of an enthusiastic Lord’s crowd. She is once again leading the team for what may be their last chance to lead her country to a World Cup final.

The task is big. England have won this competition three times, although never on foreign soil. And they’re up against Australia, who have won this competition a total of six times. But the turnaround in this tournament so far has been incredible – England have lost their first three games but have won every game since to secure a place in this final.

“To come back like we did, Heather is very proud of this group and what we’ve achieved,” Ecclestone said of that change of form. “We get along so well as a team. We want the best for each other. So when we go out and play cricket, we do it for each other.

“When we lost three out of three there were a few tears in the dressing room. The turning point was a couple of encounters just to say we have nothing to lose now let’s put everything we do on the training ground into it Play and go out without fear which I think we did hopefully on Sunday we can go out and do it for Heather.

Ecclestone’s personal tournament is representative of what the whole England team has been through. After being knocked out by 77 runs in the opening game against Australia, she found her best form and is the competition’s top wicket-taker with 20 to her name.

The left-armed spinner now ranks first in the ICC’s ODI Bowling World Ranking for the first time, making it the best in the format and T20. She broke the record for most goals won by an English player at a Women’s World Cup by six wickets against South Africa in the semi-finals.

“I didn’t have a great day against the Australians. Coming back the way I did makes me really proud of myself,” added Ecclestone. “It’s something I’ve worked hard for, I’ve been trying to get a five for a while. It is a very proud moment for me and my family.”