England Women's Squad to Miss Domestic Matches for Army Training

England's women's cricket team will skip domestic matches for an army camp to focus on decision-making and high-performance skills.

England Squad to Miss Domestic Matches for Army Camp England's squad for this summer's Women's T20 World Cup will forego this weekend's domestic matches for a camp with the British Army. The 15-strong group will focus on 'decision-making, resilience, and delivering high performance when the pressure is turned up,' according to the management. The camp will take place at an undisclosed location in the UK, a week before the team's first international match against New Zealand on 10 May. This move comes as the team prepares for a home World Cup campaign, which will begin against Sri Lanka on 12 June. ## Manager's Comments on the Army Camp The England and Wales Cricket Board's managing director of women's cricket, Clare Connor, expressed her confidence in the decision, saying, 'We are extremely lucky to be able to send our newly selected World Cup squad into one of the best high-performance environments in the world.' She added that the experience will be 'priceless when it comes to performing in some of the pressure moments that a home World Cup will undoubtedly bring.' ## History of Army Camps in Cricket Army camps are not a novel concept in cricket. Prior to England's victory in the 2010-11 men's Ashes, the squad participated in a five-day army boot camp in a German forest. Although the camp was credited with bonding the team together, a repeat camp held in Staffordshire before the 2013-14 tour is often cited as the start of a doomed campaign. Similarly, Charlotte Edwards' England have been holding intra-squad camps as part of their preparations, missing a round of domestic 50-over matches earlier this month for a camp focused on T20 skills. ## England's World Cup Preparations With the World Cup campaign beginning against Sri Lanka on 12 June, England's women's team will face stiff competition. They have failed to win any of the six World Cups held across formats since their famous victory at home in 2017, with the presence of leaders in the squad and their ability to perform under pressure often questioned. The team will meet on Thursday for the series-opener in Chester-le-Street, and it is unlikely that players will participate in Wednesday's round of domestic matches.