Alice Capsey accepts there is no quick fix to England’s struggles following a trying past 12 months.
England’s T20 World Cup group stage exit and Ashes whitewash loss last winter led to Charlotte Edwards’ appointment as head coach but their woes have continued with three losses in four T20s to India.
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They head into Saturday’s dead rubber at Edgbaston dogged by scrutiny on their fielding after several dropped catches, while their batters have looked especially susceptible against India’s spinners.
England trail 3-1 to India in the five-match T20 series (Martin Rickett/PA)
England, though, have been accused of winning bilateral series and crumbling at global events so Capsey sees the upshot of being put under pressure now by India, even if she knows there are no quick fixes.
“We’re not going to flip a switch and suddenly we’ve got a 100 per cent catch rate or we’re nailing our wide yorkers or we’re having 80-run partnerships every single game,” she said.
“It’s not going to happen overnight but we’re doing so much work behind the scenes to create that second nature where we do go out on to the pitch, we’ve got experience we know we can fall back on.
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“To be put under this amount of pressure is great because it means we’re talking about it, we’re coming up with different ways to be better. It’s only when you’re put under pressure, you’re going to learn.”
England have repeatedly put down chances in the field in the past year which have proved costly and young all-rounder Capsey admitted it is an aspect of their game that must improve.
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1st T20: Trent Bridge, June 28 – India won by 97 runs
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2nd T20: Bristol, July 1 – India won by 24 runs
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3rd T20: Kia Oval, July 4 – England won by five runs
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4th T20: Emirates Old Trafford, July 9 – India won by six wickets
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5th T20: Edgbaston, July 12
“There’s no hiding away from the fact that our fielding hasn’t been up to standard,” she said. “Stats don’t lie, we’ve dropped a lot of catches at really pivotal points in important games.
“It could be that we’re feeling the pressure or we’re putting too much pressure on ourselves after what has been a tough 12 months.
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“We’re on a journey and we all know exactly how much work we need to put in and we are putting that work in.”
England’s hardships have mirrored Capsey’s own downturn in form with a high score of 25 in her last 11 T20 innings, having been in and out of the side in the past year and unable to find a settled role.
Alice Capsey, right, has not made a score of 30 in her last 11 T20s (Nigel French/PA)
It is a far cry from when she initially thrived after being thrust into the spotlight aged 16 in The Hundred before debuting in England’s white-ball sides either side of her 18th birthday.
“Deep down I know how much I’ve still got to learn, I’m nowhere near where I want to be,” Capsey, still only 20, added.
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“I want to be the best batter in the world, no doubt about it. Every player who plays international cricket will want to strive to be the best.
“If you don’t have a goal to strive for, it makes putting in the work a little bit harder.
“Whether it’s realistic or unrealistic, at this point it probably doesn’t really matter because if you’re striving to get better, more often than not, you’re going to get better.”
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