Luff will huff and puff until England come calling

Sophie Luff says the England selectors will not be able to ignore her for long if she can continue the prolific run of form she has enjoyed this summer.

The Western Storm captain has registered four consecutive scores over 50 in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, including an unbeaten century. She averaged 84 after the first five matches.

Despite this Luff has not been part of the England training camp at Derby, but she has not given up hope of representing her country.

“I’m hitting runs and I guess that counts for a lot, but ultimately, I've got to keep churning them out,” Luff told TCP. “Hopefully if I keep doing that then they can’t ignore me for long. But it's not something I'm thinking about. Ultimately my job at the moment is to lead Storm and to score a bulk of runs for them.

“I feel in a really good place. It’s obviously a lot more enjoyable when you're scoring runs. I've taken on responsibility as captain and I know that my role in the side is to score a bulk of runs as well.

“To be able to contribute to Storm is really important to me and to be able to lead by example for the younger girls, that’s important for me too. To be delivering the goods, albeit in a condensed season, is very special.”

Luff, 26, has long been tipped for an England spot since her days captaining England schoolgirls and the England Academy. She has been one of the most consistent run scorers in domestic cricket and has relished the opportunity to bat for long periods in this year’s new competition. A key member of the Storm side which won two Kia Super League titles, she also played a vital innings in the 2017 final.

On her appointment as England’s new head coach earlier this year, Lisa Keightley offered Luff hope of an international call-up. The pair worked together during Keightley’s time as head of the England Academy. On taking over the reins of the senior side, Keightley singled out the Storm skipper as one of the strong fringe players in her sights.

Luff was encouraged by her former mentor’s support: “It's nice to know that I've worked with her before and I guess she recognises that I may still have something there to offer to England.

“But it's just about me scoring as many runs as possible and seeing what happens. Never say never. I definitely haven't given up hope. It's just about staying in the moment, taking each game as it comes.”

Luff took over as captain of the new-look Western Storm side this year as part of the new regional structure in women’s domestic cricket. It was a proud moment for the Taunton-born batter.

“It's a real privilege and an opportunity and a challenge that I was really looking forward to.

“We've got Lisa Pagett as director of women's cricket, who created and helped evolve Western Storm as a brand. We've already got a fan base. It was crucial to keep the name, keep as many players as we could and evolve.”

With new regional domestic contracts, players like Luff – who previously had to juggle playing for Somerset and Western Storm with her coaching commitments – can now focus fully on cricket.

“I haven't had that luxury before,” she says. “So, it's an opportunity that I'm really excited about. Coaching is definitely going to take a backseat.

“I want to make the most of this opportunity. I know that it won't come around again. I don't want to look back in two or three years’ time and think ‘what if’. I’ll be putting all my energy and time into becoming a professional cricketer. I’m going to have to get used to saying that!”

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Luff has been encouraged by how Storm have performed this summer. It’s a side which includes some experienced heads and some exciting youngsters, who have had the chance to showcase their talents with many international stars away in the England training bubble.

Storm won three of their first five games, losing twice to eventual qualifiers Southern Vipers. Luff believes her team could have potentially won both matches but have learned from the experience and have plenty to build on for next year.