Sophia Dunkley was a supporter in the stands the last time England won a major women’s cricket tournament.
Now the 27-year-old is part of the team looking to win a trophy on home soil – and inspire the next generation of young girls.
It was in 2017 that Dunkley joined 24,000 fans at a sold-out Lord’s to watch England beat India by nine runs in a pulsating 50-over World Cup final.
At the time, the London-born opening batter had just turned 19 and was a year away from making her own international debut.
“It was cool to be there at the final,” Dunkley recalls in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com. “It was a really special day.
“Seeing how many people were at the game was really inspiring for me. It was something that really helped me kick on and give me that drive in my career.
“At that time, we didn’t see many sold-out women’s internationals in England. So, to see that atmosphere and see the effect that it had, it opened my eyes to what could be.”
Now, nine years on from that momentous match, England will again host a major women’s tournament in the form of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup from 12 June to 5 July.
England have not actually won the T20 World Cup since its inaugural edition in 2009, which was also the last time it was held in the UK.
“It’s such an amazing opportunity to do something special in front of our home fans,” adds Dunkley. “I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to do that this year.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/womens-t20-world-cup-england-sophia-dunkley-exclusive-batter-inspire-next-generation
