Women’s T20 World Cup: Lynsey Smith rises to world number one

Smith, now 31, played nine T20Is in his first spell for England. He took 13 wickets, had a bowling average of under 15 and an economy rate of just over one run a ball.

Many, perhaps most, would see this as a success, but Smith, who describes himself as a perfectionist, did not find positives at the time. He then lost his England contract.

“It’s hard to explain really, but growing up as a kid, having these goals to play for England,” Smith said.

“Then you go out there and you put all this internal pressure on yourself, which is not helpful.

“I just wanted everything to be perfect, every ball to be perfect, which is just unrealistic.

“When I lost the contract, the kid who grew up wanting to play for England and loved playing with their mates, I just lost all sight of it.

“At that time playing cricket was not a fun place for me.”

At this point Smith considered walking away from the game entirely, but he found love back with Northern Diamonds, Hampshire, The Hundred and other franchises in the league. He also worked as a community coach for Leicestershire.

He was brought back in 2024 after five years away and Smith has been a mainstay since the appointment of coach Charlotte Edwards, who heads into the home World Cup as the world’s top bowler.

He’s a “very different player and person” now, though some of those old tendencies remain.

“Me and Bailey (England pacer Lorraine Bell) joke about it a lot,” Smith said.

“We’re obviously the opening partnership and the yin and the yang.

“I’ll have lists and I’m very organized in terms of how I plan my days and stuff and she’s obviously far from a fairy.

“It’s great for him where he really helps me.”