England lose data edge but maintain aggressive intent

Late change of hosts to UAE sent a year's planning down the drain, so Heather Knight's team step into the unknown

- Raf Nicholson

Ever had one of those nightmares where you study your socks off for an exam but when you show up to sit it, the paper in front of you isn't the one you revised for? If so, you'll have some sympathy with England's predicament before the Women's T20 World Cup which starts today: not in Bangladesh, as originally intended, but in the UAE.

Twelve months ago, the England and Wales Cricket Board hired a head of cricket intelligence, Liam Sanders, and tasked him with helping to achieve something England have not managed since 2009: winning a Women's T20 World Cup. Sanders and his team gamed every possible scenario, including having the captain, Heather Knight, miss a match against New Zealand in July with just an hour's notice, mimicking what might happen if illness struck.

But in August, with civil unrest in Bangladesh, the ICC announced the tournament was upping sticks. For Sanders and his team, 12 months of work went down the drain. It was back to the drawing board, with a mere six weeks to rejig the plan.