The new face of women's cricket: English, Asian and a winner

At little more than 5ft tall Isa Guha does not strike you as the most likely of secret weapons. However, when the England women's cricket team begin their World Cup campaign against Australia in Pretoria next week, the 19-year-old medium-fast bowler from Berkshire will be one of their main reasons for hope.

At little more than 5ft tall Isa Guha does not strike you as the most likely of secret weapons. However, when the England women's cricket team begin their World Cup campaign against Australia in Pretoria next week, the 19-year-old medium-fast bowler from Berkshire will be one of their main reasons for hope.

"People say that because I'm short I get a lot more skid off the pitch," says Guha, the first woman from an Asian background to play for England. "They say I'm quite deceptive. I've never played against the Australians, so I hope I can surprise them. If you look back over the last two years the improvement in our team has been amazing. Everyone's game has improved."

The emergence of Guha has personified the team's revival. Having pioneered the game, England's fortunes had plummeted to such an extent that a victory at home to South Africa two summers ago was their first Test win in eight years. A win over Ireland in the last World Cup had been followed by nine successive defeats, while Australia recorded a clean sweep of Test and one-day international victories in England in 2001.

However, after winning their last three series - at home and away to South Africa and at home last summer to New Zealand, the world champions - England will go into the World Cup in South Africa as one of four countries with a realistic chance of success. Australia are favourites, with India and New Zealand also expected to perform well.

Guha, the player of the series against New Zealand, grew up in High Wycombe, her father and mother having emigrated from India. "I started playing cricket with my brother in our back garden when I was eight," she said. "The garden was long and thin, so it was perfect for us to play cricket in. We'd use a crate as the wicket. We broke quite a few windows."

Having initially played in boys' teams, Guha joined a women's club in Reading and made her England debut at 17. Her international career was interrupted by A levels but resumed after she won a place at University College, London. Last month she broke off from her second year of biochemistry studies - which she will resume in January - in order to play in the World Cup and in this summer's Ashes series.

"I've never really seen myself as a role model, but if others see me as that then it's something of which I'd be very proud," Guha says. "It would be great if it encouraged other Asians into the sport. I've been lucky in that my parents have always supported me with my cricket, but I've seen so many young Asian girls who don't keep up their sporting interests after the age of 12 or 13.

"Asian families tend to encourage their children to focus a lot more on their studies. And if their friends aren't going to play sport, then they won't either. I was brought up in a very English community and in quite a westernised family, which is probably one of the reasons why I carried on with my sport. I also started playing cricket with boys when I was very young and there was never any conflict, but I know that might be more difficult for some Asian girls.

"There are more girls playing cricket generally today and I've been to quite a few coaching sessions where I've seen a number of Asian girls. I think you have to keep inviting them and pushing them to play. The parents have also got to be encouraged, because you need them to support you with things like travel."

Despite the rise in interest in cricket - it is estimated that more than two million girls play the game in England - Guha says that none of her university or former schoolfriends play and that she sometimes has to step back from the student lifestyle in order to maintain the standards of professionalism demanded by England. "I've never really been one to eat fast food or drink a lot, but sometimes I do choose to stay in when my friends are going out because I'm thinking about my fitness," she says. "We get very good support in terms of training, fitness and nutrition and you have to be disciplined. If you're going to be tired at training, what's the point?"

The team, coached by Richard Bates, meet once a month during the winter at the National Academy in Loughborough and Guha has one-on-one training sessions with a coach at Middlesex. Only 10 years ago the England players were asked to contribute £500 each to the cost of a tour of India, but today National Lottery grants help them with their travel and training costs. The introduction of a "Super Fours" domestic tournament, in which the country's best 48 players are split into four teams, has also played a key part in raising standards.

Guha names Ian Botham, Malcolm Marshall and Darren Gough as her cricketing heroes and her return of 5 for 22 in the series-clinching victory over New Zealand at Derby last summer as the high point of her career so far. "I don't usually open the bowling, so my job is to be accurate and tie the opposition down," she says. "But you want to bowl as many wicket-taking deliveries as you can and you need to be looking to hit the off stump. And if you can slow your opponent down they'll play a bad shot eventually."

Bates is confident that England will perform well at the World Cup and sees Guha as a key figure in the future. "She works hard off the field, she gets stuck in when she's on the pitch and she enjoys her cricket," he said. "I'm sure that other young Asian girls out there in our domestic cricket will see that and that can be an inspiration for them to go to the very top."