On February 21 the latest edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup will begin in Australia, with 10 teams eyeing up a spot in the final on March 8 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The organisers are targeting a full house on International Women’s Day; it’s a reflection of how far the women’s game has come since the inaugural tournament, held 11 years ago in England and won by the hosts. The ECB’s introduction of full-time contracts came five years later, followed by the start of the Women’s Big Bash League in 2015 and then a seminal World Cup in 2017.

To revisit 2009 is to go back to a radically different time, but one that was special for an all-conquering England side. They arrived at the tournament in June having won the 50-over World Cup in Australia just three months earlier. With an Ashes series to follow later in the summer, the aim was clear: world domination. Three members of that side – captain Charlotte Edwards, batter Claire Taylor and left-arm spinner Holly Colvin – spoke to wisden.comabout how the 10-day tournament unfolded.

After returning from Australia with one World Cup trophy in tow, confidence was high, but with full-time professional contracts yet to emerge, preparations weren’t what you might have thought them to be…

Holly Colvin: I remember coming back from Australia where we’d just won the World Cup, and the first thing I did was get a cleaning job at my local sports club.

Claire Taylor: We weren’t all in one place in the country or concentrating on cricket full-time. I went back to work, and the other girls went back to work or were studying.

Charlotte Edwards: I remember we used to get together once a week before the tournament. It was very different to what it looks like now.

Taylor: In between the two tournaments, we talked a lot about this mantra we had for 2009, which was world domination.

Colvin: That was the plan. We had a massive summer: to win the World T20, the Ashes and bag all three for the ultimate trifecta.

Taylor: I’dgot out in the chase in the one-day World Cup final and I’d watched Holly hit the winning runs, which was such a relief, but I was determined that I was going to take responsibility, and I was going to be there when the winning runs were hit. Nicola Browne bowled one in the slot and I knocked it over the top. The first feeling was relief; we’d achieved the goals we’d set. We lost just one game that summer and went on to retain the Ashes. World domination: tick.

Edwards: Running on the pitch at Lord’s to win a World Cup was pretty special. To have our friends and family as well – that’s what we’d missed in Australia. To share that day with your nearest and dearest – it was a day you’ll never forget. I remember waking up the next morning quite hungover and I walked out of my room and on the floor was The Times with a picture of me on the front page on a Monday morning. We’d never seen that type of coverage before. On every paper, if we weren’t front page, we were back page. That was a moment to savour.