- 10 year veteran at 27 years old
- Became England’s leading T20 wicket taker in 2024
- Struggles away from game led to questioning the future
Sophie Ecclestone has opened up about her struggles with mental health, after England’s miserable Ashes tour last year. The combination of a tough time on the field as well as struggles off the field led to Ecclestone questioning her future.
She was the teenage sensation, when she made her T20 debut against Pakistan in 2016. She quickly became the first name on the team sheet, and in 2024, she became England’s leading T20 wicket taker, overtaking Katherine Sciver-Brunt.
However, England’s terrible Ashes tour in 2025 put the whole team under a spotlight like never before. The combination of that and some struggles off the field led to Ecclestone questioning the future. She said “It was such a tough period – there was a time where I didn’t leave my house for five days. It wasn’t just cricket, it was life generally, and when that isn’t great, cricket takes a turn for the worse. I wasn’t enjoying the environment and I just wanted to run away. But I’m back. Things are so different now. I can play cricket with a smile on my face again.”
“A bit of a rollercoaster”
Ecclestone revealed that talking to a psychiatrist helped play a pivotal role in her turnaround. Although, she does admit that she previously didn’t think she would end up needing to take that step. She also credits former head coach Jon Lewis and current coach Charlotte Edwards for their support. She also said that overcoming the struggles has given her a better perspective in terms of being a leader for the younger players coming through.
Ecclestone said “International cricket is so hard these days. You’re under so much more scrutiny than we’ve ever been before, especially compared to when I made my debut at 17. So for the girls coming in, it will be a bit of a rollercoaster. It’s important for them to know they’ve got people around to talk to and tell them it’s OK and that everyone has bad days and you don’t always have to be perfect.
“We’ve got to move on now [from the Ashes]. We’ve all put that behind us, and there’s no better way to put things right than a World Cup at home. I’ve got every faith in this side to do that.“
“It would be like a miracle ending”
England’s World Cup campaign begins against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on 12th June. The cricketers want to emulate football’s Lionesses and rugby’s Red Roses with a home triumph. England’s last World Cup win also came at home in 2017. They have fallen short in global tournaments since, most recently losing to South Africa in last year’s 50-over semi-final.
Though Ecclestone and England are cautious of looking too far ahead, she is very honest about how much it would mean to lift the trophy after such a difficult time. She said “The group of girls around me, I wouldn’t be here without them, they’re so supportive of me. I’m quite open with them about how I’m feeling most of the time, so to lift a trophy with those girls and to share a moment like that with them, it’s something | could only dream of. It would be like a miracle ending.”
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