ICC Women's World Cup: England will aim to be aggressive, says Laura Marsh
'Three years ago I probably wouldn't have imagined I'd still be playing'
Thursday 19 October 2017 09:33, UK
When England walk out for the opening fixture of the ICC Women's World Cup on Saturday against India, one member of the squad will be more thankful than most to be taking part.
Spinner Laura Marsh spent over a year-and-a-half on the sidelines following a shoulder injury to her bowling arm in 2013, questioning whether she would ever represent England again. But two operations and a lot of hours spent in the gym doing rehab later, Marsh is back in the national side.
The journey hasn't been straightforward though, especially when she was overlooked by head coach Mark Robinson for his first squad after taking charge in November 2015.
However, Marsh is feeling confident on the eve of the World Cup, having forced her way into the team last year with a string of impressive performances, including taking 3-7 in the warm-up win over New Zealand on Wednesday.
"I was out of the game for a while so it's always going to be difficult to get back to the level you need to be at and then stay there," Marsh tells Sky Sports, who will show all 31 games of the ICC Women's World Cup, including England's seven group games, live across its platforms.
"But I've been back in the [England] environment for a reasonable amount of time now and I feel comfortable in my role in the squad.
"I still get a bit of shoulder pain but it's come through two ops really well and three years ago I probably wouldn't have imagined I'd still be playing never mind featuring in a World Cup.
"It's taken a while for me to get through the physical and mental barriers, but luckily I'm now at the point where I can focus purely on the cricket."
At 30-years-old, Marsh is entering her prime as a bowler. She has the most wickets by an English female spinner in one-day cricket and was the second highest ODI wicket-taker for England in the past 12 months.
Part of the 18-strong cohort given a new two-year central contract by the ECB in December, Marsh has become an essential figure of a redeveloped England under Robinson.
With Charlotte Edwards and Lydia Greenway no longer part of the set-up, both left out by Robinson - and subsequently opting to retire - as he attempts to refresh a side that has not won a major tournament since 2009, Marsh is one of the most experienced players left.
However, she believes the positive approach Robinson has introduced benefits the new recruits coming into the side.
"We've got a young squad but we've done really well over the last year and the confidence is growing all the time," says Marsh.
"Younger players play with a bit of freedom and go out there and express themselves, and that's what we've tried to do over the last year: play an aggressive brand of cricket and hopefully we can do that in the World Cup, too."
Live ICC Women's World Cup
Eight years ago, England were held up as the leading nation in women's cricket as they won both the World T20 and World Cup, as well as retaining the Ashes.
Since then more countries have invested in their women's team and the gap in standards has decreased.
And as one of only three in the current squad to beat Australia on their own turf that year and win the World Cup, Marsh is better placed than many to reflect on the magnitude of this summer.
She said: "It was an amazing achievement to win in Australia. We had a great bunch of girls, we all knew our roles in the side, and I guess we clicked at the right time. It was an amazing achievement and something I really hope this group of girls can replicate.
"This is probably going to be the biggest tournament women's cricket has seen. The profile of the game has grown a lot and I think that makes for a really exciting tournament. There's going to be pressure, probably a few nerves around too, and we've got to use that to our advantage, as well as the home crowd backing.
"It's the pinnacle of what a player wants to play in for their country, and obviously we've got the chance to do something really special and lift the World Cup on home soil."
England have made it to the semi-final or further in all but one of the previous five international tournaments since they last lifted a trophy.
Each time a familiar foe came to spoil the party, Australia proving victorious time and again in the crunch matches.
Yet Marsh contends that is down to England's mistakes rather than other sides getting the better of them, in particular, their semi-final defeat to Australia in the 2016 World T20.
"We crumbled a bit under the pressure," Marsh admits. "We didn't quite make the run chase as we would have liked. Fitness and fielding were two parts of the game that weren't strong enough for us, and that's something we've focused on in the last year.
"We've had to look at ourselves a bit more and look at what we need to do to win those games. As opposed to being beaten by them [Australia], I think we've let ourselves down."
Robinson moved quickly to ring the changes following that disappointing defeat, going to great lengths to improve the skills identified as costing England a place in the final.
They now have the opportunity to make amends for those mistakes, starting on Saturday. But whatever the outcome in the World Cup, Marsh is going to enjoy her time back in international cricket.
"Robinson's been brilliant," says Marsh. "He's so passionate about the women's game, making us the best players that we can be and shaping the culture to create leaders within the group. It's a very different feel to England sides of old but it's an exciting one and as an older player it's thrilling to be involved in that."
Watch the ICC Women's World Cup live on Sky Sports, starting with England Women against India Women on Saturday - live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports Mix from 10am. Every match will be shown on a Sky Sports platform. Check out the full schedule here.
