Sophie Ecclestone has revealed she struggled to leave her house following England’s dismal Ashes tour last year, but believes the team can move on by winning a home T20 World Cup this summer.
England’s premier spin bowler considered walking away from cricket a year ago following the fallout from England’s whitewash in Australia and refusing to be interviewed by former team-mate Alex Hartley, who had criticised the team’s fitness levels.
A day before Charlotte Edwards’s side ramp up World Cup preparations with the first of a three-match T20 series against India in Chelmsford on Thursday, Ecclestone spoke of her personal growth after stepping back from the sport last June to prioritise her wellbeing.
“I was speaking to a psychologist once every few weeks when I was going through a bit of a rough patch,” Ecclestone said. “I feel like there was a time when I didn’t leave my house for five days so it was a bit of a tough period. It wasn’t just cricket, it was life as well.
“Obviously when life isn’t great, cricket is going to take a turn for the worse too. I wasn’t enjoying the environment and I just wanted to run away. It was a really tough time but I’m back now and I’m enjoying playing for England with a smile on my face.”
Elaborating on her mental health struggles, she added: “I’m so grateful to the people I have around me, my team-mates. Lotte [Charlotte Edwards] has come in and been so supportive. Looking back, Jon Lewis, the former head coach, was massive for me in that period of time when I was going through a bit of a struggle with my mental health.
“I feel like it’s not spoken about as much as it should be. Obviously, it’s being spoken about more, but everyone goes through their highs and lows. I was that person who, when I was younger, probably thought, ‘I’ll never need to talk to a psychologist, I’m fine’ but it was really cool to come out that side and know that I’m stronger.”
Having failed to lift a major trophy since their watershed World Cup win at Lord’s in 2017, Ecclestone believes victory on home soil this summer would be the perfect way to right the wrongs of last year’s tour. “We lost 16-0 in the Ashes, that’s just the facts. I feel like it has to move on now,” she said. “We’re a new team, it’s been and gone. You can’t beat a World Cup at home to put things right and perform like we know we can.”
Ecclestone also staunchly defended England’s fitness levels, which have been scrutinised over the past 18 months.
“People don’t see what happens in training all the time,” Ecclestone said. “They don’t see how hard the girls work. I know after every T20 last summer there were three of us doing bike sessions at 10pm. Nobody sees that and we’re not there to show that off.
“As a team, we’re ridiculously fit. If someone is quick to judge, I’d love them to come into an environment for a day and see what everyone does. It’s crazy how much people do. It’s been a big turning point and we’re in a great position to go to this World Cup and we’re confident that we can succeed.”
England open their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on June 12.