The making of Dean – England’s independent captain

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The making of Dean – England’s independent captain

One afternoon at Lord’s could explain Charlie Dean.

He was in tears in the off-field after Deepti Sharma’s Mankad dismissal forced him during the dramatic and controversial one-dayer against India in 2022.

A picture of the incident even appeared on the wall of his living room.

“We wanted a wall where we picked our most famous cricket moments – or most important moments,” said Dean’s teammate and former Hampshire and Southern Vipers teammate Emily Windsor.

“We chose each other, and I have Charlie.

“It was rude to him at first but it meant he might laugh about it.”

That day is no longer important to Dean in his career.

Two weeks on, following Nat Sciver-Brunt’s calf injury, the 25-year-old upped the ante to guide England into the T20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday evening.

At the beginning of May he had never been England captain but now he must be wondering why people are making such a fuss.

“His energy is contagious to our team and he leads the way in that sense,” England player Alice Capsey said.

“He’s been a great captain and everyone feels at ease under Charlie,” added spinner Sophie Ecclestone.

On the field, Dean’s spell as a team leader has been marked by that silence. In games shortened by rain, or the heat of the World Cup, he never looked sad.

“I like to be calm and in control,” she said. “I guess I’m not being very clear.”

Windsor knows that’s not always the case.

“On the field or off the field Charlie? They’re two very different things,” he said.

“We had a mini basketball hoop in our living room, just like you do.

“We spent three hours doing trick shots and celebrating like idiots.

“He’s a shy person, but you don’t see that on the pitch.

“I saw him one day and I joked about how mature he is now. I called him boring because he has the responsibility of being a captain, but he will always be.”

‘Silent Badge’

Born in the Midlands – his football team is Derby County – Dean learned cricket at Havant Cricket Club in Hampshire, where his father Steven played after a successful Minor Counties career in the 1980s and 90s.

Windsor, aged three, coached Dean in junior cricket before they moved on to the Havant boys’ sides and broke into the first XIs of Hampshire and Southern Vipers.

“There are cricketers who like to watch the game they talk about. He is a silent badge,” said Windsor. “You watch a lot of cricket but not in your face.”

A regular for the England team, Dean made his county debut for Hampshire at the age of 15, where his early seasons coincided with the final years of England coach Charlotte Edwards’ playing career.

“The thing that puts him in a good place is that he’s learning cricket well,” added Windsor.

“That’s why we see him as a leader now. He always seemed smart about cricket.”

Dean and Edwards first met when Dean was a “very shy” 10-year-old but when he made his England debut in 2021, it was Edwards, then Vipers coach, who was invited to present the 20-year-old with his first cap.

Such a rapid rise denied Dean, who was young at the club, the opportunity to captain the side, as he had done coming up to the Hampshire and England academy teams.

Before this summer his only real managerial experience was two seasons at The Hundred with London Spirit, when injury ruled out former England captain Heather Knight. She was preferred over Australia’s Beth Mooney and current New Zealand captain Melie Kerr – two more experienced players.

“My sense was that Charlie was highly respected on the team,” said Trevor Griffin, former coach of the Spirit. “He had connections.

“It was always going to be an important step, but the most important thing for me is the curiosity he has about this game, he understood how it is played, he understood well the organization and communication in the team.”

Learning from the past captain to give England a secure future

Former England captain Heather Knight has been an inspiration to Dean at domestic and international level [Getty Images]

Dean and Knight’s careers have become increasingly intertwined in recent years.

They are teammates at Spirit, England and now Somerset, where Griffin coached until last year.

They are also part of an English guitar trio – called The Guitar Ramen Sisters or, as 35-year-old Knight says, Grandma and Two Kids – with Issy Wong.

Knight was also the first person Dean mentioned when he was asked to give a word of encouragement as captain.

“I saw bits of Heather in her,” Griffin said. “The way he wakes up, he prepares, he doesn’t change and he communicates with other players.

“I remember the Kia Super League game when we were under the pump but he looked at Heather and thought, ‘We’re good here because Heather is good’.

“Charlie also gives that feeling of confidence.”

Dean will happily return to the ranks for Thursday’s semi-final against South Africa, with Sciver-Brunt deemed fit to play.

This remains, without a doubt, Sciver-Brunt’s group.

But in recent weeks he has also been a vision of England’s future without their full circle – a future, at least at a leadership level, that may not be as scary as feared.

Dean won’t be the one to lift the trophy at Lord’s if England go all the way, but he has played his part.

That wall may need updating.