England all set for bumper summer as Amy Jones and Sarah Taylor show rare strength in depth

As Eoin Morgan’s England side searches for that elusive World Cup crown, it is worth remembering that England - under Heather Knight - are, of course, reigning world champions

In among a huge summer of cricket, it says much for the enduring legacy of the 2017 Women’s World Cup that there seems little danger of Mark Robinson’s side flying under the radar.

In times gone by, a men’s calendar featuring a flagship global tournament and a home Ashes series may well have seen women’s cricket relegated to the footnotes of mainstream outlets and beyond the interest of the casual fan.

These days, though, are different days. And as Eoin Morgan’s England search for that elusive World Cup crown, it is worth remembering that England are, of course, reigning world champions.

The same game, the same name, but a triumph overseen by Heather Knight. Even two years on, the image of Anya Shrubsole, arms outstretched as a figure of immortality – her wings spread-eagled, remains the underlying visual souvenir of a game-changing month. Lord’s bowed to the unrivalled scenes. It was a tournament that changed opinions, fast-tracked the sport’s progress – commercially and otherwise.

Nat Sciver, Dani Wyatt and Sophie Ecclestone all featured in the Women’s T20 Challenge in India last month – another huge step for the game as its normalisation in the sport’s biggest hub continues to drive towards a fully-fledged Indian Premier League equivalent.

That triple success, however, will count for little if England come out second best from an enormous summer schedule.

First, there is the awkward, intriguing prospect of the West Indies – a side normally so reliant on the blockbuster pair of Deandra Dottin and Stafanie Taylor, but missing the former.

Then, the acid test arrives. Australia, their squad announced on Monday, will settle in as the main event. Meg Lanning, who missed the series the last time around due to a shoulder problem, returns to lead her side. Ellyse Perry may just be the world’s greatest pound-for-pound cricketer – any format, any gender. An absolute phenomenon.

^{Amy Jones has come into her own in Sarah Taylor's absence.}

Alongside that 15-strong squad is an urn – at least metaphorically. And it is an urn that England desperately want back. The two sides drew the most recent series in 2017, with those eight points apiece allowing Australia to retain the trophy they had bulldozed towards on their last visit to English shores in 2015.

It is a scenario that adds secondary value to a series that requires no additional billing. England themselves are in fine fettle. An ODI series defeat in India in February highlighted England’s issues on slow, turning pitches, but this was largely forgotten as Knight’s side responded with a severe whitewashing of Sri Lanka.

An appearance in the World T20 final in the last ebbs of 2018 gave further credence to the work being done by Robinson and his charges, although a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Australia was an early eye-opener to the scale of the task facing the class of 2019 as they seek to wrestle back the Ashes.

Indeed, a group stage loss to the West Indies in the same competition acts as a reminder of the Caribbean outfit’s immense talent. If Dottin and Taylor were the heralded duo, it was Shemaine Campbelle who saw her side home on that occasion – a four-wicket win that briefly threatened to derail England’s hopes of reaching the competition’s latter stages.

It was an occasion recent enough to remain fresh in the minds of both sides. Yet, as world champions, the assumption is that such mishaps are easily forgotten, quickly brushed off as off-days. Robinson will hope so and expect as much. Not so much a trip back to the drawing board as a day to delete from collective memories.

But as the two teams meet for the first time on this tour at Grace Road, Leicester, the visitors will be without Dottin; the star all-rounder remains out following shoulder surgery. England, meanwhile, will be without Georgia Elwiss, who herself has not returned to full fitness following a stress fracture to her back. The 28-year-old apart, England might suggest that they are as close to full strength as one might wish to find them.

Anya Shrubsole remains a key cog in England's wheel two years on from her finest hour.

The peerless Sarah Taylor returns, having missed the Sri Lanka tour to manage her anxiety issues, while veteran seamer Jenny Gunn comes back in. Sophie Ecclestone, named the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year in December, is also in the squad for the first two ODIs between the sides. She had been ruled out of the Sri Lanka tour with a broken hand.

Those inclusions, however, mean that the impressive Sophia Dunkley misses out. The 20-year-old all-rounder has been in terrific form for Middlesex and was part of the England side that reached the World T20 final.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of England’s squad comes in Taylor’s return. A world-class wicketkeeper, her place in the England setup has been as secure as anyone’s since bursting onto the scene in 2006 against India.

However, a batting average below 10 in her last six ODIs has coincided with the coming of age of Amy Jones, whose recent record has represented a return befitting a batsman of immense potential.

Scores of 79, 54 and 76 in Sri Lanka mean that, for the first time in 13 years, Taylor’s position may come under both threat. While it is true that class is permanent – and Taylor, of course, possesses such a characteristic in infinite abundance, the simple fact is that so too does Jones.

Whether there is space for both might depend on Yorkshire’s Lauren Winfield. An important member of England’s World Cup-winning party, she has reached double figures just three time sin her last nine ODIs. Her last ODI fifty came in November 2016.

In Tammy Beaumont, Knight, Sciver and Wyatt, the rest of the top six picks itself. It appears to be a case of making two names of three. A pleasant dilemma in many ways. Depth comes with the territory of being a strong side; a bulging player pool is the hallmark of a flourishing sport.

Hayley Matthews is a star of this West Indian side.

The same can be said of the West Indies; while Dottin’s absence is a loss for the game, there is a new star in town. Hayley Matthews, remember the name. Many are already familiar.

Well, at least they should be. The 21-year-old Bajan has become a vital part of her side, five years on from her international debut. The former javelin-thrower may hit a long ball, but there is far more to her game.

A West Indies career that began as a teenager with successive half-centuries against Australia and peaked with a match-winning 66 to win the World T20 in 2016 has continued to progress.

She made her first ODI hundred in her last appearance, racking up 117 at Bridgetown against South Africa. Even the very idea that she remains just 21 years of age seems a maddening, absurd thought. There are few talents more exciting in the women’s game.

Quite how England choose to deal with her – especially given her increased responsibility in the absence of the talismanic Dottin – will be of some interest to Robinson, as he looks ahead to the summer’s main event.

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The exclusion from this initial squad of the youthful triumvirate of Dunkley, Linsey Smith and Freya Davies highlights the immediate importance attached to these upcoming games.

All three took part in Sri Lanka, but with a dangerous West Indian side followed by an Ashes series on the horizon, Jenny Gunn’s return to the fold is testament to the value placed on English cricket’s experienced heads.

It may well be the seamer’s final opportunity against the Australians, while Katherine Brunt – now 33-years-old but as feisty as ever – is another who may well be considering her own future in the months to come.

Both have earned the right to go out on their own terms – two of the key figures from an unsurpassable era, both on and off the field.

As English cricket looks towards this transitional period, how those in charge would love to leave this summer behind with the Ashes regained and the future in steady hands.

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