After a maiden Test five-for, Sophie Ecclestone has nothing to prove to anyone

Sophie Ecclestone has put in a monumental shift for England over the last two days at Trent Bridge.

That was recognised by her teammates when she took the catch Darcie Brown lobbed back to her after lunch, when they locked her in a mass embrace to celebrate her maiden five-for.

Over the previous four sessions, not only had Ecclestone taken half the wickets they needed, she had bowled 46 overs and two balls. That’s 276 deliveries or half a day’s play. It’s also the third most overs ever bowled for England women in a Test match innings, one ball less than Helene Hegarty in 1958 and 19 less than Gillian McConway in 1987.

However, where Ecclestone’s work differs from Hegarty and McConway’s is in the distribution of labour between the rest of the bowlers. In 1958, D

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