The women's Hundred 2024 came to its conclusion this weekend, with London Spirit pipping Welsh Fire to win their first-ever title. With only just over a month to go until their opening match in the T20 World Cup, here's what England should learn from the competition, and how it might have affected their plans.
England's home summer was finished before The Hundred started. Two whitewashes over significantly weaker teams three months out is far from ideal preparation for a major tournament, but England would've come out of them with a solid idea of what their squad would be. However, individual performances, both good and bad, in The Hundred, may have given Jon Lewis and the selectors food for thought over potential wildcards to include and established names to potentially leave out.
The Hundred has been the main breeding ground for players to make a case for England selection since its establishment. Alice Capsey burst onto the scene in the first edition of the competition and made her international debut a year later. Last year, Maia Bouchier and Tammy Beaumont forced their way back into the T20I squad for England's winter tour to New Zealand, Bouchier firmly entrenching her spot at the top of the order.
In many ways, it's become the sole feeder for England's squads, with performances in the competition prioritised over those in regional tournaments. However, with only an ODI series against Ireland the only international cricket between now and the T20 World Cup – and the bulk of the squad unlikely to play in that series – performances in The Hundred could hold even more importance to securing a seat on the plane to Bangladesh.
The top six
England's top six has been settled for the entirety of the summer. However, it's still slightly unclear who will take the second opener's slot alongside Danni Wyatt. While Bouchier took her opportunity to make the position her own in New Zealand, she faltered slightly in the international series at the start of the summer, and had a poor Hundred. She scored 116 runs across eight innings which included two ducks, and averaged just 14.50. Sophia Dunkley was recalled to England's T20I lineup for two games across the summer, but fared little better than Bouchier in The Hundred, with 152 runs at an inferior strike rate. Beaumont also had a less productive competition than the standard she set last year, meaning England's premier three options will go into the World Cup without a run of form behind them.
Realistically, England will still back Bouchier as their starter, but will likely include a spare batter in their squad. In the absence of others banging down the door – 14 of the top 20 runs-scorers in The Hundred this season were overseas players, with Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Capsey and Wyatt making up four of the remaining six – Dunkley will likely still get the nod in that role.
The spinners
The triumvirate of world-beating spinners at England's disposal means there's no doubt that all three of them will feature heavily in the World Cup. Sarah Glenn finished second in the wicket-taking charts in The Hundred, while Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean took a handful each.
What could raise selectors' eyebrows is Linsey Smith's returns. She was the leading wicket-taker across the competition off the back of her recall for England earlier this year. With Sciver-Brunt and Dani Gibson providing balance in the middle-order, it's not out of the question England could field four spinners on turning surfaces in Bangladesh. Regardless, Smith has made her case to at least be in the squad for the World Cup.
The seamers
England's seam attack is more open than their spin. Lauren Bell is nailed on as the first-pick quick, but where the rest sit is less clear. During the international summer, Lauren Filer deputised when required with Freya Kemp also returning to the fold. However, Kemp had a poor Hundred, taking just one wicket and recording five single-digit scores in eight innings. Filer also struggled for effectiveness, but there were signs of progress in finding ways to limit runs, and her extra pace could prove to be a key difference on Bangladesh pitches.
With England's seam-bowling all-rounders – Sciver-Brunt and Gibson – it's hard to see them playing more than one specialist seamer in an XI. If Filer makes the grade alongside Bell, with Smith and a spare batter in Dunkley also in the squad, that leaves one extra space alongside the predictable XI. In need of a spare pair of gloves for the trip, like last time out in 2023, they could turn to Lauren Winfield-Hill, as the only keeper who showed any kind of form in The Hundred. Bess Heath was picked in England's squad that toured New Zealand earlier this year, but only made it out of double figures once in her eight Hundred innings for Northern Superchargers.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
