Alex Hartley: Sophie Ecclestone could play first-class cricket for a men’s side

Writing in her column forThe Telegrapha day ahead of Ecclestone’s game-defining spell of 8-0-36-6 against South Africa, which sealed England’s path to the Women’s World Cup final, Hartley said that she had seen “a whole new level” from her fellow left-arm spinner during the tournament.

“There has been a lot of talk in the commentary box in recent weeks – who is better, Jack Leach or Sophie Ecclestone?” wrote Hartley.

“It is a debate we have been having a lot. You would not often compare men’s and women’s cricketers, but I genuinely believe Ecclestone could play first-class cricket for a men’s side, because she is just so good. In this World Cup, I have seen a whole new level from her in terms of her mindset.”

The six-wicket haul, Ecclestone’s career-best figures in ODIs, shot her to the top of the wicket charts in the ongoing tournament, with 20 wickets in eight games at 12.85.

“She has that fighting spirit you need to be the best,” Hartley said. “From the start of the tournament, I said Ecclestone would be the leading wicket-taker and that she was the best bowler in the world, and both are now officially true as she tops the world rankings as the best one-day international bowler in the women’s game.

“Some of it is down to natural talent, but she works incredibly hard on her bowling. Her points of difference and why she is so special begin with her height as a spinner.

“At 5ft 11in she is tall, so instead of trying to get the ball up and over, she can just bowl from her natural height and the ball is naturally above the batter’s eye line.

“She also hides her variations very well and is so quick. She is a genuine turner of the ball as well – a lot of female cricketers don’t turn the ball as much as she does. She has got it all.”

Ecclestone, 22, began her cricketing journey aged seven, playing alongside her brother at Alvanley Cricket Club, and signing with Lancashire in 2015. She made her international debut at 17 and rose to become the No.1 ranked T20I bowler three years later.

Hartley noted that Ecclestone is “one of the more switched-on bowlers”, and is able to adapt to any game situation, be it opening, middle overs, or death bowling.

“What is really interesting is speaking to her mid-over, about what she is going to do. She was on the microphone during one of the Women’s T20 Challenge games, saying, ‘This time I’m just going to bowl a little quicker, a bit slower’. We used to see Shane Warne do that when he played for Melbourne Stars. She is just so confident in her skills. It’s rare for such a young player to think about the game in this way.”