Sophie Ecclestone on overcoming mental health struggles, fitness criticism and World Cup desire
During the Ashes, Ecclestone made headlines for refusing to be interviewed by former teammate and broadcaster Alex Hartley, who worked for Australia’s Channel 7.
Hartley, who won the World Cup with England in 2017, had questioned England’s fitness levels following the team’s early exit from the T20 World Cup in 2024.
The team’s fitness was the subject of debate for a time afterwards, but when Edwards was appointed coach he said he would be “held accountable” for the players’ fitness standards and that this was “non-negotiable”.
“[Those conversations] “It’s quite frustrating because people outside the group don’t see what’s going on in training, they don’t see how hard the girls are working,” Ecclestone said.
“I think people are too quick to judge. I don’t think we were ever fit, I just don’t think it’s fair.
“But we felt like we could make some moves in that area, and we did. As a group, we’re in ridiculously good form right now. If anyone wants to decide on that, I’d love for them to come into our environment on the day because it’s crazy how hard people work.”
Accusations of complacency and complacency also followed the team after the defeat in Australia, and after many years of individual success Ecclestone has faced criticism but says he is now better equipped to deal with the “ups and downs” of international sport.
Ecclestone insists England will continue to be active on social media during the World Cup campaign, which begins against Sri Lanka, while cricketers look to emulate football’s Lionesses and rugby’s Red Roses with home victories.
England’s last World Cup win was at home in 2017 but they have fallen short in global tournaments since then, most recently losing to South Africa in last year’s 50-over semi-final.
Although Ecclestone and England are cautious about looking ahead, he is honest about how meaningful it would be to win the cup after such a difficult period.
“I wouldn’t be here without the group of girls around me, they support me so much.
“Most of the time I’m pretty open with them about how I feel, so to lift a trophy with those girls and share a moment like that with them is something I can only dream of. It would be like a miraculous ending.”
