Sophie Ecclestone, the talented England spinner, has created history by becoming the fastest woman to reach 100 ODI wickets
England made a 2-0 win against Pakistan in Chelmsford, with Sophie Ecclestone cementing her name into the records. She became one of the fastest female bowlers to take 100 wickets in 63 ODI internationals.
She broke the record by taking the wickets of three batsmen and helping England thrash Pakistan by 178 runs. Sophie Ecclestone began the series with 98 ODI wickets and levelled it up to 100. She got Umm-e-Hani out when the ball hit her leg instead of the stumps, which counts as an out.
Sophie Ecclestone's 100th ODI wicket! 🔥
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 29, 2024
She never stops amazing us 👏#EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/GcX8VjyoTn
Captain Heather Knight appreciated Ecclestone, saying, “I love captaining her.” The control she gives you as a captain and the attacking threat she gives you on both edges are cool,” she added. “It’s mad – she’s 25 and she’s already got 100 wickets, which is a pretty cool thing to do. I’m super proud of her.”
Then, Nashra Sandhu was next, and she got out too because another player caught her ball. So, Sophie didn’t hit the stumps, but she still got both players out and reached 100 wickets.
Sophie surpassed the record of Australian player Cathryn Fitzpatric in the record books by taking 100 wickets in 63 matches. Even though both female players took the same number of wickets, Ecclestone got there faster and took fewer turns to bowl.
“To have taken over 100 ODI wickets is pretty special. I’m not that good with stats, but it’s amazing to overtake them all and hopefully, I can continue.
“I feel like I play my best when I’m enjoying it and having a laugh with the girls on the field. Hopefully, I can keep enjoying it and stay there.”
Additionally, Nat Sciver of England also played well. She scored 124 runs and stayed on the field without getting out. It was the ninth time she had scored 100 or more in a match.
It was because of her that England managed to score a total of 302 runs only by losing 5 players. Pakistan gave their best but could only score a total of 124 runs before all the players were out
Ecclestone, a bowler, did something very impressive at just the age of 25. She hopes to win big competitions like the World Cup or the Ashes in the future.
England’s hot summer action continues with the upcoming White Ball series against New Zealand, which will begin in June.
