Sophie Ecclestone is top of the International Cricket Council’s bowling rankings in both the one-day international and Twenty20 formats. She has the fifth most wickets in T20 history, averaging one-and-a-half wickets an innings, and is the fastest woman to reach 100 ODI wickets, doing so in just 63 matches. So what makes the 25-year-old England spin bowler so effective? Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Telegraph Sport asked those who know her best to provide an insight into her success.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge,
England all-rounder

“I’ve faced her a lot over the years in the nets and games; the simple truth is that the thing that makes her hardest to face is that she’s just so tall. She doesn’t have to get up and over her front leg like most spinners. She just uses her height to get that beautiful trajectory. That makes it so hard, that dip she gets.

“She changes her pace subtly, almost every ball, which makes her so dangerous. Her height makes her strong and means she has that extra fizz on the ball. When she bowls on a pitch that is spin-friendly, it’s a nightmare to face.

“You do sense that the opposition are looking to just see her off, not take risks. When I’ve faced her in the Hundred, we tend to view it that, if we take a run a ball off Sophie, we’ve done a good job. She’s just so consistent, and her attacking mentality marks her out as the best. She loves bowling and taking wickets. It’s mad how young she is, 25.

“She keeps it simple: bowls straight, targets the stumps, and waits for batters to make mistakes. She very rarely bowls a bad ball. I’m very glad she’s in my team at the World Cup.”

Gareth Breese,
England spin-bowling coach

“The first time I saw her was when she was in a pre-World Cup camp in 2017. A couple of things stood out: how good she was already and how naive, if that is the right word, she was with field placings etc. She was a supremely talented young player but probably didn’t know about the tactical side at the time because, in age-grade cricket, she was so good she hadn’t had to think about tactics before.

“She has added so much to her game over the last seven years: her awareness, tactical nous, variation of pace. Her physical attributes, her height, are different to the majority of women’s cricketers, and she is so accurate. The fact that players are getting better, we’ve looked at trying to vary pace, how to bowl at a left-hander – domestically there are not many – and stuff like that. Sometimes I go in the nets as a left-hander because she likes variation on prep days but all I have is a forward defensive, so I don’t challenge her very much!

“One wicket that jumps out to me was getting Marizanne Kapp in the World Cup semi-final in New Zealand in 2022. We had been discussing how to leave a gap in different conditions to tempt players; she left a gap and Kapp turned the ball to midwicket and got out. She had realised the conditions, the situation, and went for it.”

Tammy Beaumont,
England batter

“She’s got height, flight, good pace and revs on the ball. If it spins she spins it. If it’s a wicket that’s going to skid on, she’s someone that can do you for pace. She very rarely tosses it up, so she’s really hard to read. You have to take pretty heavy risks against her and, even when you go hard at her and try to take her down, she comes back even stronger. She’s a real threat for any batter.

“Any time she plays at Manchester [it’s hard]. It spins, particularly in domestic cricket as we normally get a used wicket. It’s a T20 game and you get one which pitches on leg stump and goes over the top of off stump. That’s when you enjoy the challenge and normally you don’t have to chase too many because it’s normally a bunsen burner!”

Alex Reid,
Alvanley first-team captain

“Soph plays for us two or three times a season. I think she likes to be at the club and around guys she has known since she was five or six. And she loves playing with her brother. When she plays a game, she raises everyone else’s standards and gives lads a bit more confidence; it feels like she treats playing with us like playing in an England game because she’s so professional. She also brings fielding drills and technical skills back from England that help us out and give us fresh ideas.

“I joined the club five years ago from a local rival, so I’d played against her quite a bit. She was probably 15 or 16 when I first played against her and no one really knew much about her but you could tell she was good. Her consistency and accuracy, even at that age, was something you didn’t face every week. Then there came a point a couple of years later when you realised she is miles better than you. I remember she got me out, caught and bowled, when she was 17 or 18 and the picture was on Instagram the day after!

“Her height probably levels out playing with guys compared to the women’s game but the fact she bowls quite quick and so accurately and straight means you don’t get an opportunity to score any runs. When you’re facing guys you normally play against, you think if you concentrate for a couple of overs there will then be an opportunity to score runs. With Soph, she is so accurate you have to take a risk and do something you don’t want to do, which is obviously what she wants.”

Amy Jones,
England wicketkeeper

“Soph’s height is a big factor and she has always been so consistent. Her pace is a bit quicker than other spin bowlers in the women’s game. Most spinners bowl good pace but Soph is definitely quicker and over the years she has learnt to successfully change the pace quite subtly. She builds a lot of pressure that way, using the natural attributes and consistency she has to force batters to take risks.

“She can turn it and get bounce, particularly if it’s that kind of wicket. As a batter you can be very uncertain about which way it is going because she challenges both edges of the bat. Then there’s her pace; you need to be really decisive as to whether you’re coming forward or back. She rushes you.

“What makes it hard to face her also makes it quite hard to keep for her. It definitely took me a while to get used to keeping for Soph, mainly because of that pace. I’m a lot more comfortable now, but you can be rushed by that extra pace. I remember the Test match in Canberra [in 2022] when she got it turning and bouncing; that was one of my favourite spells of bowling to keep to.

“She’s very passionate, loves playing cricket for England and she brings a lot of energy for us as a team.”

Lauren Bell,
England fast bowler

“On the pitch she’s really competitive – if a player gets her for a boundary, she comes back fighting and if she makes a big play, there is a big celebration – but off the pitch, she’s a big softie. She is one of my closest friends in the team, she’s very caring, very welcoming.

“I’m quite a low-order batter, so I don’t really face her in matches. She is a very important bowler, so she is bowling at important times, which is not when I’m batting!

“The Ashes Test last year comes to my head instantly when thinking about her best wickets; she took those two five-fors back-to-back, taking all the biggest wickets in both innings, which was great to see.

“She wants to be England’s best bowler and that is why she is so successful. She wants to keep those standards. She is the best in the world. She’s amazing.”