London, June 25 (IANS) England captain Charlie Dean said her side will continue striving for higher standards despite securing a place in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, after the hosts defeated West Indies by 38 runs at Lord’s.
The victory ensured England became the first team to qualify for the last four, with a game still remaining in the group stage.
England’s progression was built on a commanding batting effort that saw multiple players contribute to a total of 186/7 before the bowlers restricted the West Indies chase. While pleased with the outcome, Dean stressed that neither she nor the team were prepared to become complacent.
“I’m never satisfied, I guess. I always want to keep getting better. And yeah, I still think I can put in better performances than I did today. I was really happy with the processes that I went with. I think I followed those a little better today. So, happy, but always, always learning, always getting better,” Dean said post match.
The result marked another successful step in England’s campaign, and Dean acknowledged the significance of achieving the team’s primary objective of reaching the knockout stage ahead of schedule.
“It’s brilliant. It’s what we set out to do today and in the tournament. So to get over that line with the game to spare feels great,” she added.
England’s innings was anchored by Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Heather Knight, but Dean highlighted the collective contribution of the batting unit after the hosts crossed the 180-run mark in challenging conditions.
“For all of that is to chip in as well. You know, different people scoring runs. Heather and Danny, the standouts. Yeah, everyone chipped in and to get up to that score at Lord’s, I feel like we had a really good chance,” Dean mentioned.
Although England controlled large portions of the match, the fielding effort was not flawless, with several opportunities going to ground. Dean admitted there was room for improvement, even while noting the positives in creating chances.
“You know, obviously, a few catches went down. You know, they all looked like pretty hard chances. So the fact that we got to those balls that maybe we previously wouldn’t have. Yeah, but I don’t think the fielding was particularly good. The fact that we created enough chances, hopefully, we can cling on to a few more of those when it might mean a bit more. It’s a game to get better,” she stated.
With England sitting atop Group B after four consecutive victories, Dean’s message was one of progress rather than perfection, as the hosts look to refine their game further before the knockout stages begin.
–IANS
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