The Southern Vipers threw Ella McCaughan in at the deep end in the inaugural season of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in 2020, asking her to open that batting alongside Georgia Adams when Danni Wyatt was on England duty. But McCaughan performed creditably, aged only 17: she compiled 172 runs in her six innings, and while her strike rate was a restrained 59.10, she fulfilled the necessary anchoring role to perfection as the Vipers went on to lift the trophy at Edgbaston. She also bowls part-time legspin, though was not called upon in her first season in a Vipers shirt.

ESPNcricinfo staff