Given how composed Alice Capsey has recently looked in an England shirt, it\u2019s hard to imagine her getting nervous \u2013 but with only days to go until England\u2019s World Cup opener on Friday against Sri Lanka, she admits she is struggling. \u201cI doubt I\u2019ll sleep very well [on Thursday],\u201d she says. \u201cI think it might take me a little while to wind down and switch off from all the nerves and excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Capsey has been through a lot since she first came to public attention five years ago at the age of 16 by scoring a blazing half-century at Lord\u2019s<\/a> in the Women\u2019s Hundred: this will be her fourth World Cup. But she is acutely aware that a home tournament brings pressure on a whole different scale. \u201cThis is a once-in-a-career opportunity,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got an amazing opportunity as a team to create some really special memories, not only as a group, but for the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Her desperation to emulate the success of the Lionesses and the Red Roses<\/a> is apparent \u2013 and Capsey also has memories of England\u2019s most recent World Cup triumph at Lord\u2019s in 2017 to spur her on. \u201cI was in the crowd, and I remember telling my mum when they were lifting the trophy: \u2018Wow, I want to do this. This is so cool.\u2019 The atmosphere at Lord\u2019s was unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, she has the chance to fulfil that ambition, with her mum and a huge contingent of friends and family watching on. \u201cThe Capsey Massive will be there for sure. They\u2019ll definitely make themselves heard. They\u2019re just as excited as we are.\u201d<\/p>\n Capsey is now a global star who will earn \u00a3130,000 playing for Birmingham Phoenix in this year\u2019s Hundred, but she loves nothing better than heading home to the dairy farm in Surrey where she grew up. It\u2019s her family, she says, who kept her grounded during an exceptionally difficult two years which began when she was dropped from England\u2019s T20 side in November 2024. Two months later, she shared in the 16-0 Ashes humiliation<\/a>, contributing only 24 runs across four matches.<\/p>\n Capsey surpassing her highest score for England against India this month. Photograph: Mike Egerton\/PA<\/p>\n \u201cThe amazing thing is that family are there for whatever you need,\u201d she says. \u201cRegardless of whether things are going well or not, they\u2019re always in your corner. They\u2019re always going to love you regardless. They\u2019re always going to turn up.<\/p>\n \u201cAs much as the Ashes was a difficult time, and it did at points feel like it was all-consuming, being able to go out for dinner with mum and dad and hear what they\u2019d done that day, whether it be see a botanical garden and a different flower that mum really liked and wanted to have in their garden \u2013 it put things into perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n Her eve-of-World-Cup routine, then, will involve reading carefully through her notebook to remind herself of her plans against the Sri Lankan bowlers, before checking in with the family WhatsApp group. \u201cOne thing I love getting is a picture of my [almost 2-year-old] niece at bath time in the evening. Those sorts of things really bring me back down to earth.\u201d<\/p>\n Arguably, being dropped in 2024, ended up being a blessing in disguise. For the first few years of Capsey\u2019s international career she struggled to live up to her reputation as England\u2019s Next Big Thing, and now admits she felt under pressure to stand and deliver: \u201cI got sucked into trying to be a boundary hitter.\u201d Not being selected showed her that the strategy wasn\u2019t working, forcing her to sit down with batting coach Alex Gidman and figure out a different approach.<\/p>\n Capsey announced herself aged 16 scoring a match-winning half-century for the Oval Invincibles in 2021. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield\/ECB\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The Australian legend Ellyse Perry, she says, was an inspiration. \u201cShe\u2019s someone who is very classical, plays the ball on its merit. She\u2019s adapted her game and raised her strike rate, but she hasn\u2019t changed the shots she plays \u2013 she\u2019s not switch-hitting it for six, but she\u2019s trusting her timing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a timer of the ball, I\u2019m about finding the gaps, not trying to force it. For me, trusting my strengths is a big thing. I definitely feel I\u2019m in a much better place as an all-round cricketer this summer than I was last year.\u201d<\/p>\n