The first half of 2025 has been a whirlwind for England’s women.
It started with a demolishing at the hands of Australia, which resulted in an upheaval in leadership, before the new era under Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt inflicted a similarly dominant thrashing on West Indies.
But that win came with the warning not to get carried away, considering the weak opposition, and to expect a much tougher examination once India arrived for five T20s and three one-day internationals.
That warning has been delivered immediately as the tourists have taken a 2-0 lead, with the opportunity to seal the T20 series at The Oval on Friday.
Of course, adjusting to new leadership will always take some time to bed in, and this could be seen as a good thing for England to be tested by high-quality opposition before the autumn’s World Cup in India – something they did not have before the fateful series against Australia.
However, these two defeats felt all too familiar – and England have barely competed in either.
Under pressure, catches have gone down, bowling plans have become muddled and the batting has not fired, particularly struggling against spin.
England, Sciver-Brunt and Edwards have had a sharp bump back down to earth.