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ENGLAND READY FOR TOURNAMENT SPECIALISTS THE WEST INDIES AT LORD’S

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Media release

  • Top two sides in Group B face off with a semi-final position on the line
  • The pair met two years ago in Dubai when the Windies beat England to knock them out
  • Interim captain Charlie Dean ready to step up in the absence of Nat Sciver-Brunt

Charlie Dean insists that England are ready for the twin challenges of soaring temperatures and an in-form West Indies side at Lord’s in a crucial ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 encounter.

With both teams having won their first three matches in England, the winner is guaranteed a semi-final spot, while the loser at the Home of Cricket will need to wait for the final round of matches to clinch a place in the final four.

Two years ago, the sides met in the final game of the group stages of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, when a six-wicket win for the Caribbean nation saw them progress to the semi-finals at England’s expense.

But Dean, who is filling in for the injured Nat Sciver-Brunt as captain once again, believes England are up to the challenge posed by the Windies, as well as the extreme heat which is expected.

She said: “It was quite warm batting with the helmet on. As cricket players, we play cricket in other countries where the weather is very similar. 

“It’s a bit different with it being this hot at home. But we have lots of cooling methods and make sure we fuel up. It’s about being ready to get out there. It’s an evening game so might be a bit cooler.

“Our standards keeping 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.”

That strong record includes a memorable victory in 2016, when Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin and Stafanie Taylor were three of the stars.

The trio are still crucial to West Indian hopes, but others have also stepped up in their three wins so far, Shemaine Campbelle with 90 against New Zealand, Aaliyah Alleyne taking crucial wickets to beat Scotland and Karishma Ramharack then chipping in with the ball to help see off Sri Lanka.

The experienced spinner revealed that a decade on from that World Cup title, there is a sense that this West Indian team is also capable of something special.

Ramharack 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.

“It’s coming from not just Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, players are putting their hands up. We are not expecting to go down without a fight, that is really important for us as a team.

“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.

“There is a bond that we are creating through winning.”