England spinner Sarah Glenn believes nobody can afford to take their spot for granted as competition for places rises ahead of the T20 World Cup.
The international season gets under way at Edgbaston on Saturday when England take on Pakistan in the first of six white-ball matches in front of an expected 15,000 crowd.
Head coach Jon Lewis has shown a ruthless side in his squad selection, overlooking established batter Sophia Dunkley, exciting seamer Issy Wong and the consistent Hollie Armitage. Tammy Beaumont, meanwhile, is included only for the ODI leg.
And, with the next global tournament coming up in Bangladesh less than six months away, Glenn thinks the battle for shirts is a show of strength.
“The progress in regional cricket has been amazing in the last couple of years, the game is growing more and more,” she said.
“Even though those amazing players are left out it still feels like they are part of the group and they could come in any minute. It also feels like anyone else could be dropped out at any minute.
“Obviously you don’t want to be dropped but it’s a special place to be in terms of how competitive it is and how we’re pushing the game forward. It makes you work hard on your game as well and it’s positive signs to see that happening.”
Despite her outlook, Glenn’s place looks fairly untouchable for the time being. The leg-spinner has formed a strong unit with left-armer Sophie Ecclestone and off-spinner Charlie Dean, with all three currently ranked in the top six in the global T20 rankings.
Lewis described the trio as “the envy of the world” in India last year but Glenn knows there are alternatives around the circuit, including current squad member Linsey Smith.
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May 11 – 1st T20, Edgbaston
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May 17 – 2nd T20, Northampton
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May 19 – 3rd T20, Headingley
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May 23 – 1st ODI, Derbyshire
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May 26 – 2nd ODI, Taunton
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May 29 – 3rd ODI, Chelmsford
“I definitely feel we are quite a strong trio but it also feels like you could make a swap at any time,” she said.
“We’ve seen so many talented spinners in the regional set-up perform consistently so the pressure is always on to keep your place. It might appear solid at the time but we know deep down we’ve got to keep performing to keep our spot. It’s a very level playing field for selection and that’s an exciting prospect for our chances of winning the World Cup.”
Glenn was forced out of England’s most recent series in New Zealand with concussion after taking a bang to the head while fielding. She has suffered with similar head injuries earlier in her career but insists the cautious approach of the medical team mean she has a clean bill of health.
“I did feel symptoms – I’ve had concussion before so as soon as it happened I thought I’d got it. You’ve just got to build up gradually and not go too intense, too quickly.
“I followed the protocol, which I think was 12 days with no competitive cricket and really rested up. I’m always impatient and want to get back in the field but they were really good with me and I’m in a good place now where I don’t have to be cautious and can crack on with my training.”
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