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Pressure can do strange things in sport.
It can provide clarity – Trent Alexander-Arnold can calmly slot in his penalty against Switzerland to book England’s place in the semi-final of the European Championships, or Keely Hodgkinson can time her race to perfection for Olympic 800m glory.
Or it can provide chaos, which was the unfortunate outcome for England’s cricketers at the Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Most notably in the field, they crumbled under the weight of expectation – the five dropped catches will take the headlines, but the way their heads dropped so quickly in the face of West Indies’ batting aggression was concerning.
But more so, is the fact that this is not the first time.
Against South Africa in 2023 the body language similarly slumped after things did not got to plan and on the field they looked like 11 individuals rather than one team.
The same happened in Dubai, despite coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight’s insistence that England have got smarter, have adapted their desire for attacking cricket to suit various situations, and have improved their on-field communication.
It is harsh to attribute the 2023 result to Lewis, who was very early in his tenure, and it is harsh to attribute this one to Knight, who was not on the field for the second innings because of a calf injury.
But England are the second-best team in the world behind Australia, with a vastly improved domestic system and The Hundred boosting their player stocks and chances to play in high-pressure situations.
Of course, T20 cricket is unpredictable and in a 10-team competition with net run-rate playing such a crucial part, the brutal format can see a team knocked out by just one defeat, as England have learned.
Still, for England, anything less than a semi-final is a disappointment, a group-stage exit even more unprecedented – especially against a team they have beat in 13 successive T20s and have much less investment and resources.
After an unbeaten home summer and a thrilling Ashes series last year which saw England beat world champions Australia in both white-ball formats, Knight’s side should have been brimming with confidence and in their first three games they rightfully played in that manner.
Again, though, they have fallen short the minute that intensity has been applied. They have talked the talk, but could not walk the walk.
