Sarah Glenn celebrated her return to the England side with 1-18 in their six-wicket win over South Africa in the opening T20 international; Watch the second T20I live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday. Coverage begins at 2pm, with the first ball at 2.30pm.
Last Updated: 22/07/22 11:33pm
Sarah Glenn returned to the England side for the first time in six months in their series-opening T20 win over South Africa
Sarah Glenn was happy to end her “fangirling” days by helping England beat South Africa by six wickets in their T20 series opener at Chelmsford.
The leg-spinner returned to the international scene for the first time in six months and took 1-18 in an emphatic victory on Thursday, the hosts clinching the multi-format series. The two teams meet in the second T20I on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 2.30pm.
Glenn had been reduced to a spectator since the Ashes at the start of 2022 after she opted out of playing in the 50-over World Cup, citing the demands of life in bio-secure bubbles during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Watch the best of the action from the first T20 international between England and South Africa.
But the 24-year-old is back in the T20 squad, which is the same group who will represent England in the Commonwealth Games later this month, and was thrilled to help Heather Knight’s side beat South Africa for a fourth match in a row.
“I think it was what I needed,” Glenn said. “It was a really tough decision and it was quite hard seeing the girls but I was just fangirling from home.
“I have been watching the girls from home [this summer] and it has kind of inspired me because I am like, ‘come on, I want to do that’ and to help the team push it forward.
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Heather Knight praises England’s clinical performances so far in the summer after they wrapped up a series win over South Africa in the first T20 match.
“You can easily be a bit nervous and put pressure on yourself, which I kind of naturally do in every game I ever play. I always get a bit nervous but, for me, seeing how much they have dominated has made me want to be on the pitch even more.
“I want to be a part of that so that was nice for me coming into the team.”
Had Glenn travelled as a reserve to New Zealand for the World Cup, it would have meant close to three months in strict living conditions after she was part of the touring party for the disappointing Ashes series down under.
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During her time back home in the spring, the Central Sparks bowler worked on both the technical and psychological side of things. She has enjoyed a fruitful few months since both domestically and in two England A outings.
Glenn added: “I did a lot of training sessions by myself, just figuring out things with a clear head and that just helped so much. It has made me have so much more clarity coming into this summer.
“There were a few things I wanted to make changes with my bowling. I did a few drills and I found with a shorter run-up, I felt a bit more stable and more rhythmic so that has allowed me to work on my variations like the googly, yorker, pace off, things like that.
“With all of that, I practised it in pre-season so I knew I had it in the locker and I could just keep it simple for the summer. I think both have helped massively.”
Leg-spinner Glenn will hope to show off some new tricks over the coming weeks. After facing South Africa at her New Road home on Saturday and concluding the T20I leg of the series at Derbyshire on Monday, England will switch attention to the Commonwealth Games.
The Hundred is also on the horizon in August but Glenn is trying to take things slowly, despite her obvious excitement at cricket being part of the Birmingham event.
“I am trying really hard to keep it game by game,” she said. “For me I will use these games to really nail my game and focus on each one so that I am ready for the Commonwealths.
“Then that will kind of help with the Hundred, but I will take it game by game because it is going to go very quickly.”
Watch the second T20 international between England and South Africa, from New Road in Worcester, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday. Coverage begins at 2pm, with the first ball at 2.30pm.