Sophie Ecclestone: English spinner and No 1 bowler in the world in her ‘Eccy’ alter ego, she loves pink and cricketing ambition | Cricket News

Sophie Ecclestone is the world’s No.1 bowler in both women’s white-ball formats – but, ahead of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, what else do we know about the England spinner nicknamed ‘Eccy’?

In an exclusive interview as part of Sky Sports Editions series, Ecclestone – a massive Everton fan – said it was the former English defender and bluenose Phil Jagielka who provided him with his alter ego.

“At first I hated it, so everyone called me because I hated it,” Ecclestone said.

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“Eccy is a person who loves life, loves shopping, loves shoes.”

And pink. ‘Eccy’ – as she is Sky Sports Editions can prove it – love the color pink.

“If I come out of the hotel and I don’t have pink on, the girls are always like ‘are you okay?’ she said.

“I’m not sure where it came from. When I was younger, I was a tomboy – never asked for clothes, I wouldn’t let my hair down, I wouldn’t go near makeup or anything – but I felt like that. I was just a bit big.”

Ecclestone’s tomboyish roots meant she was unfazed as the only girl playing junior cricket at her local club, Alvanley Cricket Club in Helsby, Cheshire.

Showing incredible potential from a young age, Ecclestone was fast-tracked to England at a young age, making his international debut in 2016 aged just 17.

“It happened very quickly for me,” he admits. “When I was 16, I played cricket for fun, for a laugh.”

And, despite now working at the elite level of the sport, the now 25-year-old has had a career in England.

“I like to enjoy myself,” she said. “It’s best to get a balance. We work hard, so we play.

“When you’re in the spotlight, there’s a lot of pressure situations, so me and the girls like to get out as much as we can.”

Striking the right balance, Ecclestone is England’s all-time leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, his 126 over 86 covers coming at an average of just 14.65 each.

Earlier this year, Ecclestone also broke the record for fastest woman to 100 ODI wickets, the left-arm spinner equaling Australian match great Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s 64 for the mark but bettering her in terms of number of innings bowled (63).

For all his dominance on the international stage, trophies with England have so far eluded Eccy, with England’s 50-over World Cup in 2017 coming before he had been fully included in the team.

Since then, Ecclestone and England have twice been beaten semi-finalists in the Women’s T20 World Cup and have also been runners-up in the tournament (2018) and in the 50-over format when defending their title (2022).

“We’ve had a couple of defeats in the World Cup semi-finals (and the final), and I’ve given myself 24 hours to think about it, mope and be sad about it,” he said.

“But cricket moves fast, you have to move on.”

The first chance to advance comes in another tilt at the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates this month – with every match live on Sky Sports – and the ambitious Ecclestone must have been aware of the legacy he ultimately left behind in the game.

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“Playing cricket, I have one of the best jobs in the world – I get to travel and play my sport,” she said.

“I want to be remembered as someone who had fun, who was happy but also number one in the world when it was over.”

Eccy is running.

Sky Sports Editions is a new social-first series that tells the stories that elite sportspeople need to know in a way that is unique to them, as they are given the opportunity to style and direct their own cover shoot. Watch on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.

Watch every match of Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 live on Sky Sportsstarting with the tournament opener between Bangladesh and Scotland on October 3 in Sharjah and ending with the final in Dubai on October 20 also streamed with NOW.