Lauren Bell says England are “really confident” going into their crunch T20 World Cup game against India having put the ‘Mankad’ controversy of last summer behind them.
Both teams are unbeaten at the tournament and meet in a Group 2 showdown in Gqeberha which is expected to pose the toughest task to date in South Africa for Heather Knight’s side.
England won their opener against the West Indies by seven wickets and the following game against Ireland by four wickets, but India have been boosted by the return of star batter Smriti Mandhana, who was the most expensive player at the Women’s Premier League auction on Monday.
Saturday 18th February 12:30pm
Bell said: “It’s a really big game. India are obviously a great opposition but I think we’re going in really confident. We’ve been playing really good cricket and moving in the right direction in the way that we’re playing at the moment.
“Our batters and the way they’re playing, we can really take on the India attack. As a bowler unit we’re growing in confidence.
“We want to be really confident and really aggressive and that’s how it will come out in the game because that’s how we want to play our cricket.
“I count myself so lucky to be part of a team that’s so confident and striving so much to win a World Cup. We’re in such a good position and the mood around the camp is that we’ve got a really good chance. I’m lucky to be part of this squad.”
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Heather Knight’s England beat Ireland by four wickets in their second match at the T20 World Cup
The last time these two sides met, India beat England in controversial circumstances to complete an ODI clean sweep last September.
Deepti Sharma opted to ‘Mankad’ Charlie Dean, running out the England batter at the non-striker’s end in her delivery stride, leading to a chorus of boos from the Lord’s crowd.
The dismissal sparked a debate that went all around the world, but seamer Bell says it has not been spoken about ahead of Saturday’s clash.
“England as a team have put that behind us and hopefully India have as well. It’s a fresh World Cup and a fresh game so that’s the focus,” she said.
“We don’t think about it and don’t talk about it as a team. There’s been no discussion about backing up in your crease. That’s just something that happened in the summer and it’s been left there for sure.”
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Watch the best bits of Alice Capsey’s 21-ball fifty against Ireland, the fastest half-century by an England women’s player in T20 internationals
Bell fetched around £30k as she was added to the UP Warriorz line-up at the inaugural WPL auction as some eye-watering sums were splashed on the top talent in a seismic shift for the women’s game.
However, not everyone landed a money-spinning deal, with some England players going unsold.
“It was a strange day on Monday,” said Bell. “The mood around the camp was different to what we’ve ever experienced before but as a team we chatted and once we got there and our phones were handed in the sole focus was on the game, and I think we did really well as a team to focus on that and getting the job done.
“When we got our phones back, everyone found out the news and everyone was up to date on what was happening.
“My initial reaction was shock but it was obviously a bittersweet moment for some of the girls who didn’t quite get what they wanted and someone else got picked up. It was exciting and also a weird day.”
England face India in Gqeberha on Saturday from 12.30pm. Watch every T20 World Cup match live on Sky Sports.
