From the stands to world No 1, Sophie Eccelstone’s World Cup journey is only just beginning

An England side without Sophie Ecclestone is hard to imagine but five years ago, when the hosts lifted the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup trophy aloft, the star spinner was watching from the stands.

Sophie Ecclestone is the leading wicket-taker at the tournament so far

The then 18-year-old had made the trip down to Lord’s to feature as a net bowler for England as they prepared for the 2017 final, not available for World Cup selection as she finished her exams.

Now, Ecclestone is leading the bowling attack as England look ahead to a semi-final against South Africa at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 and she is topping almost every table you can put her in.

“I actually only went to the final, I went down to train the day before at Lord’s because they needed a few net bowlers,” the left-arm spinner said.

“Me and my boyfriend and [domestic teammate] Ellie Threlkeld went and watched the game together from the stands, which was pretty cool. I'm much happier now to be on the field playing than watching in the stands.”

Ecclestone currently leads the wicket-taking charts at the World Cup, having taken 14 wickets across seven group games.

She is three wickets clear of her closest challengers, South African pair Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail.

The seam duo will come up against Ecclestone on Thursday as South Africa take on England in the second semi-final, with Australia and the West Indies squaring off the day before.

And while Ecclestone says it was always her goal to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, she has reached another personal milestone sooner than she expected.

During the early stages of the World Cup, Ecclestone climbed back to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Rankings for ODI Bowlers, overtaking