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Glenn wants to be 'genuine all-rounder' after starring against West Indies

England celebrate a wicket (Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs)

England all-rounder Sarah Glenn has vowed to keep working her way up the order after top-scoring for the hosts in their second T20 win over the West Indies in Derby.

A convincing start saw England reach 34-0 inside the first four overs before a middle-order collapse left them reeling on 96-6, with Windies captain Stafanie Taylor taking 2-12.

But 21-year-old Glenn’s aggressive 26 from 19 balls – her highest T20 innings – propelled England to 151-8 from their 20 overs and piled the pressure back on the tourists.

West Indies reached 72-1 in reply before Glenn (2-24) removed Deandra Dottin to turn the tide in England’s favour, with the visitors falling 47 runs short as they finished on 104-8.

And after playing a key role with both the bat and the ball, Glenn insisted there is more to come from her batting as she noted the positives from her Covid-enforced break from cricket.

“It means a lot as I don’t want to just be seen as a bowler or a batter, I want to be seen as a genuine all-rounder and I’ve been working hard on my batting,” she said.

“It felt really special [to top score] with an England shirt on and I’ve been wanting to work my way up the order, so it was a special moment to get some runs.

“It’s always hard to bowl at these batters and you can end up going for a few runs. You just have to keep being brave and trust in your game to get the pay off and get them out.

“I think I started to get more confidence after the World Cup and playing against the top teams and then it’s been quite hard to keep that up with all the time off.

“But I think the time off did me well to just clear my head and have a complete break from cricket and coming back into it I was just really excited to be back playing.

“It meant I was playing with a clear head and I think that is when I play my best so I just want to keep doing that throughout the rest of these games.”

Following their opening win two days earlier, England resumed where they left off as Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt ensured the hosts continued to attack the powerplay.

But while it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Lisa Keightley’s side, Glenn believes there are clear signs the positive approach England are taking to their batting is paying off.

“I’m really happy with our performance,” said the Derby native. “We’re looking to try and throw the first punch as a team and I know we lost wickets through the middle.

“But us coming in and still being really positive was how we wanted to play, and I thought we did really well bowling-wise to control it near the back end of the innings.

“It was really special for me as this is the ground I grew up playing so it’s a special moment for me and I’m just glad I did the people at home proud as well.

“We’ve took time to build back up as a team and because of Covid we’ve had a lot of time off. There were a few cobwebs at the start, but I think we’ve done well to build it back up.

“I thought we were really sharp from game one and we carried that momentum into this game so hopefully we can now take it into the third game on Saturday.”

Glenn added that she is relishing being part of a young spin bowling contingent alongside Mady Villiers and Sophie Ecclestone after England took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

“We click really well together on and off the field and I feel I can talk to them about anything,” she said.

“We help each other on the pitch, talk about what the pitch is doing, how they’re playing, what’s the best ball, and then the time off the pitch is great as well.”