After returning in fine form for the warm-up game against India and the opening two matches of the T20 World Cup, Sciver-Brunt has been ruled out of England’s next two matches at this stage, against Scotland and West Indies.

“Not ideal that she’s missing the next two games but Deano’s going to take charge and it’s obviously a really exciting place to be back in charge and captain at the World Cup,” Ecclestone said. “Charlie’s obviously captained recently. It’s been really cool to play with her for a bit and it’s quite nice for her to not come in blindsided now. She’s been captain for a few games of England now, so it’d just be like a duck to water again, I reckon.

“It’s pretty weird not to have Nat in a World Cup game, but Charlie’s been amazing… she’s been such a great captain, everyone feels so calm under Charlie and I feel like we’ve actually not even spoken about it recently. It’s just the norm that if Nat’s not fit, then Charlie’s captain and that’s fine.”

Were it not for a vintage 19-ball 47 by Stafanie Taylor and two mini-collapses at either end of the Scotland innings, sparked by Hayley Matthews and then Aaliyah Alleyne, they might have caused an upset.

Carter could be in doubt to face England after she battled with a leg injury during a gutsy innings, but Scotland have a number of other players who pose a threat and of whom their opponents are well aware.

“You’ve got the likes of Kirstie Gordon, who’s started playing for them again, and the Bryce sisters (Sarah and Kathryn) – I’ve played with them both at different teams – so to be bowling at them and playing against them, they obviously take games away from opponents, so hopefully it’ll be a good competition.”

Slater expected qualifiers Scotland to try and make a similarly sharp start against England as they had against West Indies.

“It just comes from confidence, knowing we deserve to be here and knowing that if we actually play our best and bowl well, a good ball is a good ball no matter whose hand it’s coming out of,” Slater said. “So just trying to take that element out of it, of like, ‘oh my God, I’m bowling at XYZ’. A good ball is a good ball on whatever pitch, whoever you bowl it at, and whoever’s bowled it.

“It’s the exact same. We don’t need to approach any game any differently. Just keep doing the basics well and hopefully do that for a little bit longer in those high-pressure moments and you get over the line in a game like that.”

Slater, who has played plenty of cricket at Headingley with Yorkshire and Northern Superchargers, said her side had learned a lot from their seven-run defeat at the hands of West Indies. That near-miss, combined with a 40-run win over Ireland in their first match of the tournament, has only fuelled Scotland’s resolve to make waves in a group which, rather than the opposing ‘group of death’, is shaping up as the group of opportunity.