Charlotte Edwards Cup team of the week: Who makes our XI?

The Cricketer looks back on the best performances from the first three rounds of Charlotte Edwards Cup action

Lauren Winfield-Hill (Northern Diamonds)

She’s only played two matches due to injury and was dismissed a duck in one of those but her knock of 96 from 51 deliveries against Lightning was Lauren Winfield-Hill at her big-hitting best. The wicketkeeper smashed 12 fours and four sixes in her mammoth knock – the highest individual score of the tournament to date -  and spared none of the bowlers, notably hitting Kathryn Bryce for three consecutive sixes.

Georgie Boyce (Thunder)

Emma Lamb usually gets the headlines for Thunder with the bat but while she has enjoyed a bright start to the season, scoring 129 runs, Georgie Boyce has been even better: 146 runs at a strike rate of 119.67, two half-centuries – including a high score of 71 against Lightning – and 18 boundaries. Only England international Amy Jones scored more runs than Boyce in the opening three rounds – not bad for a player whose highest score in the competition last year was 34.

Aylish Cranstone (South East Stars)

Like Boyce, Aylish Cranstone appears to be a very different T20 player in 2022. Last season, she scored 74 runs in five innings; this season, she already has nearly double that (140 runs) in three innings. She’s masterminded both of Stars’ successful chases from the top of the order, posting knocks of 56 not out and 66 not out against Sunrisers and Western Storm, respectively. Her dismissal for 18 against Central Sparks was possibly a match-winning intervention from Issy Wong.

^{Georgie Boyce [Jan Kruger/Getty Images]}

Amy Jones (Central Sparks)

Amy Jones is building towards something truly monstrous with the bat. She began her Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign with a sedate (by her standards) 52 (44) against Western Storm before ramping it up slightly against South East Stars, scoring 40 runs from 28 balls. However, against Sunrisers, she was nearly unstoppable, smashing 80 runs from just 49 deliveries. She comfortably leads the run-scoring charts with 172 runs at a strike rate of 142.14 and has hit more sixes than Lightning and Thunder combined.

Grace Scrivens (Sunrisers)

But for an overthrow, Grace Scrivens would have been the toast of Chelmsford. The 18-year-old scored 56 runs off 42 balls and took 4 for 33 with ball against Western Storm, only for her good work to be undone by a costly 20th over – 18 runs came off the final six balls to hand Storm a one-wicket win. That aside, Scrivens was excellent, and it was a display of her maturity that she stood up to bowl at the death. She’s performed solidly in her other two matches and has 100 runs and five wickets after three rounds.

^{Issy Wong [Ben Hoskins/Getty Images]}

Issy Wong (Central Sparks)

Yes, she opens the batting for Sparks but given the depth of top-order talent and her past as a middle-order finisher, Issy Wong won’t mind slotting in at No.6. The pacer was outstanding against South East Stars, blasting 45 runs from 28 balls (five fours, two sixes) before taking a highly economical 1 for 14 – including that crucial Cranstone wicket – to strangle Stars’ batters in their chase. She also picked up 2 for 28 against Western Storm and currently boasts a pleasing economy of 6.58 from 12 overs – down from her career economy of 7.31.

Charlie Dean (Southern Vipers)

Nothing about Charlie Dean’s figures scream out at you, rather the young offspinner has just gone quietly about her business, taking 2 for 17 against Thunder and 3 for 23 against Lightning. Of Vipers bowlers to bowl more than four overs, only Anya Shrubsole can match her economy of 5. Dean also scored 20 runs from 22 balls against Lightning, suggesting she has a future as an anchoring batter.

Katie Levick (Northern Diamonds)

It’s a source of constant surprise that Katie Levick is yet to be capped by England. The leggie has been the standout bowler in the first three rounds, picking up a competition-leading nine wickets while maintaining an economy of 5.44. Against Thunder, she conceded eight runs in her opening over before bouncing back at the death to finish with 4 for 22 and masterminded their collapse from 136 for 1 to 147 for 7. And she followed it up against Southern Vipers with figures of 5 for 15 – her maiden Charlotte Edwards Cup five-for and the first of the season.

^{Amy Jones [Ben Hoskins/Getty Images]}

Hannah Baker (Central Sparks)

18-year-old Hannah Baker took just one wicket in three appearances in 2021 but already has five to her name this season. Rather like Levick and Dean, the right-arm spinner is striking the balance between economy and wickets, conceding just 4.72 runs per over – the lowest economy of players to bowl more than four overs. The pick of her performances? 2 for 19 against South East Stars, with Bryony Smith and Alice Capsey her scalps in Guildford.

Grace Potts (Central Sparks)

The third Sparks bowler in this XI and like Baker, a player who has started the 2022 season with a bang – only Levick has taken more wickets than Potts’ seven. The 20-year-old pacer was very effective against Stars, picking up 4 for 36, including three at the death. A player to watch going forward.

Lauren Bell (Southern Vipers)

The Southern Vipers pacer was smashed about a bit against Diamonds, conceding 27 runs in two overs, but was in electric touch against Lightning. Opening the bowling, she ripped through Marie Kelly and Sarah Bryce inside the powerplay before collecting the prize scalp of Tammy Beaumont to reduce Lightning to 41 for 3. She finished the match with figures of 3 for 12.