ELIZABETH BOTCHERBY: Taking a positive approach has been the defining feature of Lewis' tenure in charge and the spinner believes their tactics will make them an intimidating prospect at the T20 World Cup
Sarah Glenn has promised England have "so much more" to offer at the T20 World Cup after showcasing their positive, attacking mindset in a high-scoring warm-up game against South Africa.
Rapid half-centuries from Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, and Nat Sciver-Brunt catapulted England to 246 for 7 in Stellenbosch but they were forced to battle hard to hang on for a 17-run victory following a remarkable chase led by Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk.
Glenn and 22-year-old quick, Lauren Bell, were the pick of England's bowers, taking combined figures of 6 for 61 while their teammates were pummelled around the park.
"Yesterday's game was quite a challenge for us, quite an exciting game [but] we're feeling in a good place at the moment," Glenn said. "It was good to see us put up a fight and it was very hot conditions as well.
Sophia Dunkley cracked 59 off 19 balls in Stellenbosch (ICC)
Alice Capsey marked her return with a punchy 61 (ICC)
"Chasing down that total, South Africa did a really good job and put our bowlers under pressure, so it was nice for us to have to think, 'What options do we have?'. There are definitely going to be moments like that in the World Cup and we need to be ready for it. It was a really good run out for us.
"It's all about peaking at the right time. We've already seen some amazing cricket [and] we're really proud of the cricket we've played, but there's so much more in us which is the exciting part."
Reflecting on England's batting performance, she continued: "I thought Dunks [Sophia Dunkley] started it off so well. She's so powerful but held her shape and played really strong shots, and I thought our middle order did really well coming in. It can be quite tough sometimes to keep up with someone who is going so well, but it didn't look difficult. We weren't playing messy shots, we were being really skilful and always looking for the boundary option, so it was really special to watch."
England's positive, attacking mindset is the brainchild of new head coach, Jon Lewis, and Glenn believes the biggest change between the side heading into the 2023 T20 World Cup and the one which missed out on a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games is an emphasis on focusing on their own performances rather than fixating on their opposition.
"The options are there to play three spinners or just two spinners. We'll do what's best for the team but it's amazing that we even have these options"
"We've always had the right mindset in terms of what we wanted to achieve – to inspire and entertain everyone; the difference is now we're piecing it all together," she said.
"In the past, we've focused on the opposition which is important to do, to talk about match-ups and what might work, but we've been focusing on ourselves and always taking the positive option. We're just looking to put the bowler under pressure, put the batter under pressure and since we've gone with that mindset, I think we're more intimidating.
"We're letting the other side know that's what we're going to do and if we can keep developing that, I think we'll be really successful.
"We're sticking to our strengths and trusting the process of playing positive cricket. We're looking to be super aggressive and make [the opposition] second guess things and not always taking the safest option. We're not playing reckless cricket, we're doing it smartly, and we see that clicking together as a team."
How England balance their spin attack is among the key questions heading into the tournament (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
The Jon Lewis era faces its first real test in South Africa (PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)
In South Africa, England's spin trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Glenn and Charlie Dean, who announced herself on the T20I stage against West Indies in December, can be expected to be at the heart of England's game plan. At present, it's unclear if all three players will feature in the same XI but as a unit, they are under the same "aggressive" instructions as everyone else, rather than being expected to occupy a holding role.
"We're all under the same mindset. We want to be aggressive, always looking to take wickets, and [Lewis] is encouraging us to always look for the aggressive option.
"We're coming together as a unit. All three of us are so different in how we bowl and how we attack, so we talk about how we want to be aggressive in our own way and communicate what the wicket's doing which he is enjoying. I think it's quite a special thing between us three.
"The options are there to play three spinners or just two spinners. We'll do what's best for the team but it's amazing that we even have these options. It's good that the coach has tough decisions to make because it shows how much of a stronger unit we are."
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