\n<\/p>\n
There is, of course, more to England’s improvement than a coach dressing like an ABBA tribute act.<\/p>\n
As well as Ecclestone’s catches – a leap at mid-on and a nerve-jangler as the ball dropped over her should at short fine leg – and Wyatt-Hodge’s run-out, Charlie Dean also pulled off a direct hit dismissal in the win over New Zealand and Wyatt-Hodge took a superb catch in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fitness and fielding were two of coach Charlotte Edwards’ priorities when she took over after the Ashes defeat. <\/p>\n The former captain, who sprinted on to the field to congratulate her players during the timeout after Ecclestone’s first catch, has calmly quietened talk of the issue.<\/p>\n In one of her previous roles at Southern Vipers, Edwards used an electric scooter to follow and observe her players during their fitness sessions and one of her first moves after becoming England coach was introducing minimum fitness standards.<\/p>\n The new standards include a two-kilometre time trial, 30m two-way sprints (effectively shuttle runs), a test to assess explosiveness through a squat and a vertical leap, and another which gauges a player’s maximum velocity.<\/p>\n England posted clips from the gruelling sessions on their social media accounts at the start of the season. Videos of boat parties posted on players’ own accounts are long gone under Edwards. <\/p>\n Wilton has been given free rein to improve England’s fielding. Without any international fixtures this winter, he was able to work with the players on their training camps in Oman, Stellenbosch and Pretoria.<\/p>\n There were more training sessions in the early-season gatherings at Millfield and Repton schools and at England’s cricket centre in Loughborough.<\/p>\n “Progress happens with dedication over time and putting the work in,” Dean said.<\/p>\n “All our careers we put in the work but especially the last year.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n