Alice Capsey admits the last couple of years have not always been smooth. Eleven T20I innings came and went without a fifty, and the questions – both external and self-imposed – grew louder. A frank winter chat with head coach Charlotte Edwards set the tone for what followed.
“This winter was a brilliant opportunity to go away and marry up some of my ideas with some of their ideas,” Capsey explains. “We had three camps throughout January, February, March, so that was a brilliant opportunity to work with our batting coach and also bowling and fielding, all aspects of the game, and have that time to myself where I could go away and spend a bit of time improving.”
The six-month gap between England’s 50-over World Cup semi-final defeat last October and the current campaign gave Capsey room to breathe. No international fixtures meant hours in the nets, little victories, and an ever-expanding notebook. She wanted sharper options through the off-side, tougher plans against spin and, just as important, to trust them once the lights came on.
“My game through the offside, and then playing spin, different ideas, different plans and things like that, which I feel like there probably has been quite a big shift in being able to trust those things,” she says. “The amazing thing was that we were able to put a plan in place.”
Come May, the results started popping up. An unbeaten 74 while opening against New Zealand – Danni Wyatt-Hodge was on maternity leave – ended that lean streak. Two weeks later she peeled off 82 from No. 4 versus India. Those scores, plus 5, 28 and 40 so far at this World Cup, read modest on paper yet point to a player who now looks settled in the middle order.
“I feel in a better place. My batting feels in a better place, and I feel like I’m being able to execute better plans,” Capsey says. “I still think there’s a lot of growing that I can do and there’s a lot of growing that I want to do. At the minute it’s a massive focus on just contributing to games of cricket for England and winning this World Cup.”
Selection, she notes, was the first winter goal. Staying in the XI is the next. The way she talks – genuine, a bit rapid, occasionally looping back on herself – reflects that mix of satisfaction and unfinished business.
Former England opener Lydia Greenway likes what she sees. “Capsey’s always had power down the ground,” Greenway tells the BBC. “The difference now is the confidence to hit square, especially against spin. That makes bowlers work a lot harder.”
Edwards agrees, if slightly more cautiously. “We spoke about controlling the innings,” she says. “Alice can change a match in 10 balls, but knowing when to push and when to absorb pressure is key.”
England, unbeaten so far, might need precisely that judgement. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt remains sidelined with the same calf issue that ruled her out of the build-up fixtures. She is training, but medical staff have not set a return date. Her absence pushes extra responsibility onto Capsey at No. 4 and, at times, with the ball when another spin option is handy.
New Zealand await at the Oval next. They have to win and hope other results fall their way. England simply want to keep rhythm before the knockouts. On a slow surface, Capsey’s improved spin play could again be central.
She is not getting carried away. “Throughout the winter, the main goal was to get selected in the squad. Once you achieve that, it’s then about pushing your case to getting into the XI. I’ve been really happy with the way I’ve been able to contribute.”
There is still a flicker of the teenager who broke through in 2022, but the 2026 version sounds older, slightly battle-scarred, and, crucially, armed with a plan she believes in. That alone marks progress.
