Alice Capsey set to make history at 2026 Women's T20 World Cup on home turf

England's Alice Capsey will become the first player to appear at three Women's T20 World Cups before age 22 when hosting in 2026.

England's young stars in T20 World Cups Fourteen England players have featured at a Women's T20 World Cup before turning 22. Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Taylor, Anya Shrubsole, Holly Colvin, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge all played at two tournaments while still 21 or younger. This summer, 21-year-old batter Alice Capsey is on track to break new ground by becoming the first England player to compete at three editions of the competition before her 22nd birthday. She will also make her first appearance at an ICC event on home soil. ## Capsey's excitement for home World Cup Capsey described the opportunity as "pretty cool" in remarks ahead of England's T20I series against India. She reflected on how amazing it has been to participate in past events, saying, "Being part of any World Cup is pretty cool, but to have this kind of host advantage, but also having friends and family [watching], hopefully getting some amazing crowds in, we're all pretty aware that it's probably a once-in-a-career opportunity, and we're so excited for that." ## Rising form before the tournament Capsey arrives at the World Cup in excellent form, having recently posted her two highest T20I scores. She struck an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls against New Zealand in Derby to kick off the hosts' T20 summer with a win. Then she dominated with an 82 off 43 in the most recent match against India in Taunton, helping secure a 2-1 series victory. Though England lost their warm-up against Australia by five wickets in Cardiff, Capsey still top-scored with a 36-ball 45 and bowled Beth Mooney. ## Flexibility in batting roles Capsey began the summer opening the batting while Danni Wyatt-Hodge was on maternity leave. She enjoyed the experience, saying, "I've really enjoyed the opportunity [to open], and I think it's definitely something that gives me the flexibility within the powerplay to play my natural game, and I guess get a start, and then try and expand from that once we get out of the powerplay." She batted at number four in later fixtures, showing her adaptability. ## Coach praises Capsey's impact Capsey's strong start to the season has given head coach Charlotte Edwards plenty to consider when finalizing the batting lineup for the World Cup. Wyatt-Hodge has returned with scores of 29 and 5, while opening partner Sophia Dunkley has managed just 98 runs across six T20Is this summer, with a high of 26. With 51 T20Is under her belt, Capsey feels experienced enough to handle any role and sees competition for top-order spots as beneficial. ## Capsey's self-belief and adaptability Capsey reflected on her growth, noting how she has figured out a consistent approach in recent years. She said, "I feel like, especially over the last couple of years, I've kind of figured out a bit of a template for how I want to go about things, so I feel a lot more relaxed and a lot more at peace with how it goes." She has batted from one to seven or eight, gaining experience in many situations. "I think there's competition for places in our whole squad now, which is really exciting. I think what [Dunkley] and Dan [Wyatt-Hodge] have done at the top of the order has been incredible over the last couple of years." ## Overcoming tough periods Capsey endured a difficult stretch under former coach Jon Lewis. At the 2024 T20 World Cup, she managed only 21 runs across three innings as England exited at the group stage. In the Women's Ashes that followed, she scored just 18 runs across three ODIs and played only the final T20I after Australia had already claimed the series. She credited new head coach Charlotte Edwards with helping her rediscover a playing style that suits her strengths. ## Rebuilding under new leadership Capsey praised Edwards for understanding how to get the best out of her without forcing changes. She explained, "I think she's been brilliant for me in terms of understanding how to get the best out of me, not trying to be someone who I'm not, and trying to stick to my strengths, especially in T20 cricket. Previously, maybe a couple of years ago, I fell away from that, I went to more of a style of that I wanted to hit every ball to the boundary, and that's probably not how to get the best out of me." ## Preparation amid schedule gaps England faced criticism for a long gap between T20I series, with no international matches after the ODI World Cup semi-final exit in October 2025 until a May 2026 series against New Zealand. Despite the limited schedule, Capsey feels well prepared thanks to intra-squad camps since the start of 2026. She said, "There are so many opportunities around the world now that cricket is becoming an all-year-round sport. Coming off the back of a World Cup and then straight into Big Bash, actually having that three-week period where I could just decompress, reflect on the summer and the winter, and to have a bit of time at home with family and friends was really important." ## Intensive training camps build confidence England held three camps in Oman, Stellenbosch, and Pretoria across three months, mixing skill work, team bonding, and competitive cricket. Capsey said, "We had Oman, Stellenbosch and Pretoria, so we had three camps across three months where we were able to develop skills, we were spending time together as a group and also getting some competitive cricket in, so I feel like it was a really nice balance. It felt like we got a bit of everything, and that's probably the most prep we've ever done for a summer, and I don't think that that's a bad thing." ## Capsey's childhood dream at Lord's The 2026 Women's World Cup will be England's first on home soil since winning the ODI title in 2017 at Lord's. Capsey remembers watching that final as a 12-year-old and feeling inspired. She said, "That final was the first game I'd been to watch England Women play. So it was a pretty cool first international game. I just remember seeing the stands and the atmosphere was amazing at Lord's. Them lifting the trophy, I just remember turning to Mum, being like, 'I want to do this, that's so cool.'" ## Inspiring the next generation With England hosting, discussions have turned to how success could boost women's cricket in the country. While previous leadership's 'inspire and entertain' slogan was dismissed by Edwards, Capsey believes winning games naturally leads to inspiration. She said, "If we're winning games of cricket, we are entertaining, we are inspiring, we are making little boys and girls pick up a cricket bat, just doing it our way." ## A journey from The Hundred to World Cup final Capsey first announced herself at 16 in 2021 during The Hundred, hitting a match-winning 59 for Oval Invincibles at Lord's. A World Cup final at the same ground would mark a full-circle moment. She said, "That would definitely be a dream come true, and a bit of a 'pinch me' moment. Obviously looking back now to think that that happened, and what's unfolded in the last four years is pretty incredible. To have that opportunity in a home World Cup to play at Lord's, I'd snap your arm off today for it."