Sophie Ecclestone is the world’s No. 1 bowler in each ladies’s white-ball codecs – however, forward of the 2024 Ladies’s T20 World Cup, this is our tackle the England spin, affectionately nicknamed ‘Eccy’ What else do athletes know?
In an unique interview, as Sky Sports activities Version Through the collection, Ecclestone – an enormous Everton fan – revealed it was former England defender and blue-nosed Phil Jagielka who offered her alter ego.
“I hated it at first, so everybody began calling me it as a result of I hated it,” Ecclestone mentioned.
“Eccy was somebody who loved life, liked purchasing and liked her footwear.”
And pink. “Eccy”——play her Sky Sports activities Version Provable – love pink.
“If I stroll out of a lodge and I am not sporting pink, ladies all the time ask, ‘Are you okay?'” she mentioned.
“I do not know the place it comes from. After I was youthful I used to be a tomboy – by no means had a costume purchased for me, I might by no means let my hair down, by no means put on make-up or something like that – however I really feel like I’ve simply grown up a little bit bit.
Ecclestone’s tomboy roots meant she wasn’t baffled when she was the one lady taking part in junior cricket at her native membership, Alvanley Cricket Membership in Helsby, Cheshire.
Ecclestone confirmed superb potential from an early age, rapidly coming into the England nationwide workforce as a youngster and making his worldwide debut in 2016 on the age of 17.
“It occurred in a short time for me,” she admits. “After I was 16 I used to play cricket for my very own leisure, for fun.”
Regardless of now being a participant on the elite degree of the game, the 25-year-old has carried that into her England profession.
“I wish to take pleasure in myself,” she mentioned. “It is higher to maintain a steadiness. We work laborious, so we play laborious.
“There’s a whole lot of stress if you’re within the highlight, so the ladies and I wish to get out as a lot as doable.”
Ecclestone strikes the proper steadiness, she is England’s all-time main wicket-taker in T20 cricket with 126 wickets in 86 video games at a mean of simply 14.65.
Earlier this 12 months, Ecclestone additionally broke the ladies’s report for the quickest 100 ODI wickets, with the left-arm spinner equaling Australia nice Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s 64 report, however surpassed her in innings pitched (63).
Regardless of Essie’s dominance on the worldwide stage, she has to date didn’t carry a trophy with England, who performed 50 matches on the 2017 World Cup earlier than she was totally built-in into the squad.
Since then, Ecclestone and England have twice been crushed into the semi-finals of the Ladies’s T20 World Cup, ending runners-up in that match (2018) and defending the title within the 50-over format (2022).
“We misplaced a couple of occasions within the World Cup semi-finals [and finals]I gave myself 24 hours to consider it and felt depressed and unhappy about it,” she mentioned.
“However cricket strikes so quick and you need to hold transferring ahead.”
The primary probability to maneuver on is one other tilt within the T20 World Cup title race within the United Arab Emirates this month – each sport sky sports activities reside – The formidable Ecclestone is definitely conscious of the legacy she finally left on the sport.
“Enjoying cricket, I’ve probably the greatest jobs on this planet – I get to journey and play my sport,” she mentioned.
“I need folks to recollect me as a man who had enjoyable, loved the sport, however once they completed the sport, I additionally ended up being No. 1 on this planet.”
All the perfect Eccy.
Sky Sports activities Version is a brand new social-first collection that tells the must-know tales of elite feminine athletes in their very own distinctive approach, as they get the possibility to design and direct their very own cowl shoots. Watch on the Sky Sports activities YouTube channel.
Watch each match of Ladies’s T20 World Cup 2024 sky sports activities resideThe competitors begins with the opening match between Bangladesh and Scotland in Sharjah on Thursday, October 3, and ends with the ultimate in Dubai on Sunday, October 20. You can also live broadcast through NOW.