It was against the West Indies in the dry heat of Dubai that England saw their World Cup hopes evaporate two years ago amid a catching meltdown for the ages.
Five dropped catches, all off opener Qiana Joseph, saw England beaten by six wickets in their final group game, their previous unbeaten record all for nought as they were unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament.
Now on home soil as they prepare to take on the Caribbean nations at Lord’s, the team are confident that those concerns are a thing of the past.
They will certainly be tested, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-30s in London on Wednesday evening, while the Windies are the other unbeaten side in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group B.
And Charlie Dean, captaining for the second straight game as Nat Sciver-Brunt nurses her calf, insists the team are ready for the test.
She said: “Our standards keep getting better and better so being able to work hard and prove we can do it in the heat is a good opportunity but it’s not something we are particularly thinking about. We know we are able to perform under those conditions.
“It’s really important for us to win one more game to get us through to the semi-final. That is the job at hand and what we want to do. The West Indies are an explosive side and they are notoriously good in World Cups as well. To be able to get one up on them would prove how good a place we are in as a team.”
They face a West Indies side who not only reached the semi-finals two years ago, they also won the whole competition back in 2016.
And spinner Karishma Ramharack revealed that there is a growing belief that this team are capable of making more history.
She said: “There is a small chat around the changing room, it’s 10 years later and superstitiously, there is not better place to do it than Lord’s, the home of cricket. We’re looking forward to putting on a show.
“This is a tournament that we show up in, we’ve done it previously. Three out of three, I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t have thought we would be here today but the fact we are finding a way is really important for us.”
Follow the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at https://www.icc-cricket.com/
