“We play to entertain and we play to inspire, that’s our England team motto” Alice Capsey reveals.  

​

The young breakthrough cricket star is leading the way with her fearless mentality towards excelling in sport. 

Since bursting onto the scene - by playing a leading role in the Oval Invincibles’ 2021 ‘The Hundred’ title win - the teenager’s relentless impact has seen her described as an “incredible” athlete, who is “fearless” and a “future superstar” of the sport.  

​

For reference two of the biggest names in cricket, England captain Heather Knight and former England men’s captain Nasser Hussain, provided those endorsements.  

Alice delivered further evidence of her undoubted talent by driving England to victory against Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener, with the joint-fastest half-century in the tournament’s history.

​

It came in her first international since breaking her collarbone in December. On the same day Alice also learned ‘Delhi Capitals’ had agreed to pay £75,000 for her services during the Women’s Indian Premier League auction.  

​

The women’s game of today is unrecognisable to that experience by those of previous generations. Life-changing sums of money are being exchanged and there is both the prospect and pathway for girls to become not only world leading, but globally-renowned stars.  

​

“I want to be remembered for starting this transition in the women’s game where we’re seen as brave, fearless and have this freedom to express ourselves,” Alice states.  

​

Women’s Sports Alliance (WSA) Founder Jordan Guard spent the day with the ground-breaking cricketer to bring a part of her story to life. 

​

​

From Competitive Child to Combative Cricketer

​

Alice describes herself as the “youngest of five in the family” and as such growing up she would often be brought along to watch many of her older brother’s cricket matches.  

​

From the age of three she would be “entertained” along the side lines, playing catching and gradually it became more of a focus in her life. She credits her family for providing the foundation which led to a professional career. 

“It started as a way of keeping me occupied so my mum didn’t have to deal with me for a few hours – kind of babysitting – and then I guess it became a way of keeping me out of the house and stop me being destructive or annoying,” she says with a laugh.  

​

“I began wanting to throw it further and hit harder and I was kind of doing everything in extremes because I was very competitive.  

“You can see that in how I play now, it’s not really about technique – it’s about hitting the ball as far as possible!” 

 

Alice has certainly excelled with the bat and ball in the years since and by the age of 13 she was “taking things more seriously” after her talent was identified by Surrey.  

​

Two years later she joined up with the England Academy as a “pathway” to the professional game began to formulate.  

​

Fast-forward to 2023 and the now 18-year-old can count Surrey, South East Stars, Oval Invincibles, Melbourne Stars and Delhi Capitals as teams who all call on her services across various formats of the domestic game.  

​

“I think it's really exciting as a young woman in cricket,” say Alice.  

“I feel really fortunate to come into a cricket off the back of the 2017 World Cup which really created a spark of engagement and particularly since the Hundred (was launched) there’s a lot more talk and opportunities around women’s cricket.  

“There's obviously issues within it – you've got the pay, you've got small things about kit and having the right size kit that fits a female instead of a man.   

“Then you've just got the persona that people put with ‘women in sport’ but I think (the culture) within cricket is changing rapidly.” 

 

​

Being a Role Model and Gaining Perspective

​

Having the chance to visit schools and give talks to young children is one of the areas away from playing she enjoys the most, as it gives her the opportunity to share her enthusiasm.  

​

She has also gained perspective from speaking with more senior members of the England team.  

​

“I was at a camp in Loughborough and they were like, ‘I really envy you coming into the game at this time where, like you're getting paid’ because this is just my second year as a professional and earlier in their careers, they had to fund themselves.”  

​

“We’ve got the Hundred, the BBL (Big Bash League), this new IPL (Indian Premier League) so I know I’m very fortunate.” 

 

 

Overcoming Adversity and Attention

​

Her rise has, in her own words, been “incredible” but it is not a journey which has come without challenges.  

​

Her performances have brought attention as well as expectation from fans and media alike, which is not something the cricketer immediately felt comfortable with.  

“The last few years has been a bit of a whirlwind,” she reveals. “I've gone from probably no-one knowing who I am, to now being an England player.  

​

“It's a bit contradictory, I've always wanted to be the person who kind of ‘steals the show’ and wins the game, but also doesn't take credit, because I don't like being the centre of attention.  

​

“I'm really confident in cricket, but then out of it I'm a massive introvert so the media side of things has been challenging.  

​

“I’d done no interviews and then after scoring 50 at Lords (in her second game for England) I had to do 14-15 interviews and then get used to being spoken about as well as critiqued.”  

​

Alice insists the analysis and attention has “not changed” her as a person, but she is improving when it comes to focusing on what information and opinions she should listen to. 

 

 

"Freak" Injury Almost Ended World Cup Hopes

​

In December Alice feared her dream of competing for England in this year’s T20 World Cup may be over after suffering a “freak” collarbone fracture while fielding for the national side against the West Indies. 

​

She was operated upon within 48 hours and had a metal plate as well as seven screws inserted to fix the problem. 

​

“I’ve been through a rollercoaster of emotions really,” she admits to the WSA. 

“I’ve watched the dive back and it doesn’t look like I landed that awkwardly, but I ended up breaking it into little pieces. 

​

“The support I’ve had from the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) has been incredible through the surgery and during rehabilitation and now.  

“It's mental to think that I'm now playing in a World Cup, but it's amazing.” 

 

​

England's World Cup Prospects

​

England won the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009 with defending champion Australia (five times) and West Indies (once) securing victories at subsequent editions.  

​

Alice is confident her team can return to the top of the podium this year in South Africa.  

​

“There's such a great vibe in the group at the moment and everyone believes we can win it,” she reveals.  

​

“It’s a really nice environment with a great mix of youth and senior players who also have the backing of great staff and performed well in the West Indies tour.  

“The staff and team have been brilliant and really filled me with confidence by messaging while I was away (during rehabilitation) and it’s really exciting.” 

 

​

Her Future Beyond the World Cup

​

In addition to continually “smashing sixes” and hearing the “crowd go crazy” Alice has profound hopes for the future of the sport, as well as the promotion of the women’s side.

 

“I want it to be more like the men's game where there really high standard at regional level with more counties playing as that creates a massive pool of players for England,” she states.  

​

“I want girls of five-six thinking they don’t only have to play netball or hockey and that cricket is an option, so that comes from the schools as well.  

“Cricket is a great sport professionally now and I’ve made a career out of it, but it’s also about participation, making friends, memories and taking opportunities.  

“As an 18-year-old starting their career, seeing this change in mindset, it's really exciting and you can see how more girls are getting into it.  

“A lot has changed for me in the last few years, but I’m not changing as a person because I still want to go out, play ridiculous shots, be free and enjoy myself which I hope others will see and be inspired by.”