New Delhi [India], April 9 : England all-rounder Charlie Dean is targeting a timely return to international cricket after a back stress injury sidelined her since late 2025, with the home ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 firmly in her sights.
Dean has been working her way back to full fitness and is on track to return in the lead-up to the marquee tournament, a campaign she believes could be pivotal not just for the team but for the growth of women's cricket in the country.
"It feels huge for us. We want to put on a really good show, and we want people to come and watch women's cricket. Watching the football and the rugby last year, trying to see if we can make a similar event of it will be fantastic," Dean said, speaking to ESPNcricinfo.
"You go into World Cups, and you want to win, but even more so for it being a home World Cup. It feels like we could do a lot for women's sport and women's cricket in this country this year. There's a bit of pressure on that, but we're trying to twist that and view it as an exciting opportunity to have eyes on us, to be criticised, and for people to be watching and wanting to come. I think the girls are really up for the challenge of that," Dean added.
The prospect of a home ICC event brings with it the potential to be truly transformative, something Dean understands well, having been in the stands the last time England hosted a global women's tournament in 2017 at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.
It proved to be a defining moment, as England lifted the trophy with a memorable win over India at a sold-out Lord's Cricket Ground, with Dean among the crowd that witnessed history.
"I went to see a couple of games in Bristol with my dad because we just loved it," she said.
"We watched Australia-South Africa - not even just England games - just because of the event that it was. I took a lot from the win in 2017. The whole of Lord's was full [of fans] watching women's cricket, and I probably didn't realise before then that that was what it could be. It felt like quite a pivotal moment for my career, at least," Dean said.
England will kick off their campaign on the opening day of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 with a Group B clash against Sri Lanka, in a group that also features Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and the West Indies.
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