Maia Bouchier: England opener completes redemption arc but Heather Knight form a concern

When Maia Bouchier dropped her third catch against West Indies during England’s shock elimination from the Women’s T20 World Cup, the camera picked up an expression of both heartbreak and complete disbelief on her face.

On that day, England were shell-shocked as they went from being one of the pre-tournament favourites to having their entire team dynamic scrutinised.

But fast forward exactly two months and things could not be more different for Bouchier.

Heartbreak was replaced by a beaming grin and a youthful giddiness as she kissed the England badge on her helmet, an uncontrollable release of emotion in an embrace with batting partner Nat Sciver-Brunt upon reaching three figures on her Test debut.

If her maiden century in all formats against New Zealand in July was the coming-of-age knock, this was the redemption arc.

The 26-year-old is a regular in England’s white-ball sides at the top of the order but given the infrequency of women’s Tests, in Bloemfontein she was learning on the job.

But crucially, she was guided by three of England’s most established players, firstly sharing a 53-run stand with Tammy Beaumont to overcome South Africa’s new-ball threat and then visibly growing in confidence during another fifty stand with captain Heather Knight.

With Sciver-Brunt, though, who scored the fastest women’s Test century during their stand of 174, Bouchier was faultless as the pair batted with a one-day strike rate for almost 30 overs while barely breaking a sweat.

South Africa had no answers, as they kept bravely pitching the ball up in search of wickets but that simply fed into Bouchier’s strength, with 52% of her runs scored straight down the ground.

Bouchier’s introduction to international cricket was a frustrating one, a young player packed full of potential who struggled to find a permanent space, often with a tendency to suffer skittish lapses in concentration just when things were starting to click.

So while the glorious timing of the straight drives and the fast hands that whipped the ball through the leg side were a delight to watch, equally pleasing was the way she took on the responsibility of opening, winning the mental battle and as a result likely cementing herself at the top of the order in all three formats for the upcoming Ashes.