Written by Paul Eddison, Sportsbeat
Honesty has been the watchword for England’s women as they look to move on from the disappointment of last month’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
A strong campaign was halted in the final group match in Dubai as England’s fielders felt the heat of losing to the West Indies and missing out on a chance to reach the semi-finals.
Opener Maia Bouchier was one of those who struggled to make three catches under high balls.
The 25-year-old admits it hasn’t been easy to move on from the disappointment, but frank talks within the camp before the team depart for South Africa this weekend helped put the World Cup debacle to rest.
“In conversations about the tour, people are using this training camp as an opportunity to reset and talk about what we can do before we get to South Africa,” Bouchier said as MCC launched its ‘Battle for a Better Future’ sustainability “He said. work out.
“I think there’s about a week left until the first game after I arrive. So we want to leverage talking as a team. We’re making more of an effort to communicate and talk honestly with each other about the game.
“I definitely reflected on that game and talked to a lot of people about it.
“Maybe those moments will happen, and I think there will always be ups and downs in your career. I try not to overthink the moment as much as possible. Because I am an overthinker. The only way to frame it is to see what we can do better next time. That’s what we’re trying to do and that’s what we ask of everyone on the team.”
MCC’s Batting For a Better Future campaign aims to leverage the club’s unique and independent position within cricket to highlight the challenges climate change poses to the sport.
Bouchier has been a member of the England team for three years, making valuable contributions to the top tier in both the 20-over and 50-over formats.
In South Africa, she could soon enjoy all the international honors by making her Test debut.
And that will be a particularly poignant place as she throws the red ball for her country.
“I love South Africa. Half of my family is in Cape Town.” said Bouchier, whose team is scheduled to leave the country this Saturday.
“I think it will be a really special moment if I make my Test debut. I’ve worked really hard on my game over the last two years, mainly on the mental side. “I worked hard technically, but the mental aspect was where I developed the most.”
South Africa have reached the finals of the last two T20 World Cups and are expected to pose a real threat to England, having overtaken an all-conquering Australian side in the semi-finals of the most recent tournament.
Bouchier knows only too well how good they are, and this series has become even more important ahead of the 2025 Women’s Ashes and 50-over World Cup.
She added: “It will be a really good challenge. You saw how well they played and how they deserved to win that competition, but New Zealand came out of nowhere. It’s surprising, but it’s also really exciting to be able to see a game like this at the World Cup. South Africa are a very good team at the moment so we need to talk about how to attack and press.”
Leave at final par – Maia Bouchier spoke at the launch of MCC’s Batting For a Better Future campaign. For more information, please visit: www.lords.org/better-future.
