Charlie Dean offers much-needed glimpse of England's future

Among the criticisms of this England team during a so-far dismal winter has been the suggestion that not much changes. The majority of this side won the World Cup five years ago and most of the same group were then beaten in consecutive Ashes series.

So, Charlie Dean is a rarity: young blood, born out of the regional structure founded with exactly this in mind. She has been developed at Southern Vipers, under the tutelage of Charlotte Edwards. Heather Knight had hardly seen her bowl until midway through last summer, when she captained Dean in The Hundred and subsequently threw her the ball on an ODI debut a month later.

She has scarcely looked back since, and England backed her in the one-off Test against Australia. But that Dean found herself out of the side when the World Cup began, at the expense of the need for an extra seamer and the inherent fear of appearing a batter light, spoke to the challenges for youngsters coming into a squad that has for a long time felt as difficult to fall out of as to become established in. With notable exceptions, experience has tended to win out.

Of England's last 12 ODI debutantes, only three – Sophie Ecclestone, Alex Hartley and Sophia Dunkley – have made more than 10 appearances, a record that is now seven years old. Among the other nine, of which Dean is obviously one, Freya Davies is another. She is 26 now and has been a relentless feature in national squads since 2019 and yet somehow has only played six 50-over matches for her country.

Success has mostly allowed for the status quo to remain intact. And, of course, until the belated arrival of full-time domestic deals in 2020, it was only natural for that to be the case, with the 17 centrally contracted players always likely to be better placed to represent England than a county structure that was entirely amateur, full of admirable cricketers who found gaps in their own work schedules to train. But that is no longer the case, and Dean is far from alone in being ready to make the step-up.

^{Charlie Dean claimed four wickets in England's win over India (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)}

Her regional teammate, Lauren Bell, is in New Zealand as a travelling reserve, though can only be selected in case of injury or illness. Her time must come in the coming months, as with Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Issy Wong and Eve Jones, all of whom have earned the right either through performances back home or the possession of raw talent that England should not ignore as they begin planning for a new cycle.

Given the way the winter has gone, changes are a necessary inevitability. On that front, the organisation of an A tour to run alongside the Ashes defeat was a move in the right direction.

Because, as Dean showed against India in a display that just about kept her team's World Cup hopes alive, some of the next generation need wait no longer, certainly not now that the current side – full of great servants to the game – are struggling for form and wins.

Dean bowled 8.2 overs of exemplary off-spin, enticing four wickets out of India's middle and lower order in a masterclass on a pitch that hardly once moved off the straight. Instead, she dealt in drift and angles, adopting an attacking line outside off-stump to beat Harmanpreet Kaur and Sneh Rana in the flight with beautiful deliveries in her first over, both well caught by Amy Jones.

Twice, she had Pooja Vastrakar trapped in front as she attempted to sweep: the first was marginally outside the line and a review saved her, only for Dean to then fire in a quicker, flatter ball that left no doubt. For India's part, they could only nurse their lowest score of the last four World Cups.

On the back of this, Dean really shouldn't be left out again for a while. She should be given the opportunity to build the same rapport with Ecclestone that Sarah Glenn and Mady Villiers had been working at before both fell in the pecking order. Their partnership can be a major strength for England through the middle overs.

^{Dean was playing in just her second match of the tournament (Michael Bradley/AFP via Getty Images)}

Clearly, she has already formed a relationship with Gareth Breese, an off-spinner in his playing days and now England's spin coach. She credited him immediately afterwards with her four-wicket haul, recounting a discussion between the pair after the defeat against South Africa.

Dean wasn't alone in her improvement from that disappointment; for one, England fielded much more like a team with a title to defend, led by Tammy Beaumont who threw herself all over the ground, while Dunkley took the kind of catch to remove Mithali Raj that simply wasn't being taken in three defeats that were characterised by the generosity of their sloppiness.

There was still time for the batting to offer up its own concerns: Danni Wyatt's promotion to the top of the order has generated four runs in two games, and that position is showing no signs of sorting itself out.

But after a desperately poor week, England needed a response. And they got one from the youngest player in the team, which itself was an important sign for the future.