By Steve Beauchampe

It has been a whirlwind 14 months for Rosalie Birch.

It began with a successful tour to Australia with the England under-19 side.

And now she is on the road again with the senior England Women's team, this time in South Africa.

In between, the 20-year-old from Sussex used her time well, transforming herself from an undistinguished medium-pacer into an off-spin bowling all-rounder with a knack of taking wickets.

It is a change of style which she initiated in Australia.

"I stayed on playing club cricket for an extra four months, which saw me through much of the English close season, playing at a good standard and in a fresh cricketing environment.

"I'd been bowling medium pacers but somehow it had all gone wrong. My coach at Sussex had suggested I try off-spin. I was unknown in Australia so no-one had expectations of me, the pressure was off."

Back in England, Birch continued the experiment, first in the Super Fours competition, then for her county and club sides.

Last summer could hardly have gone any better for Birch.

"Winning the County Championship - and emulating our male counterparts at the same time - was amazing. It reached the point where we just didn't expect to lose," she said.

It's a great time to be involved in the England set-up Rosalie Birch

Progress to the England Women's team was the icing on a very rich cake and in two Tests and three one-day games against South Africa last summer, Birch contributed with bat and ball, capturing 14 wickets and notching a Test best score of 62.

"I can't remember a time when I didn't want to play for England. I thought everyone had that ambition, but my progress in the last year or so has been something of a dream."

Birch is supported in her cricketing career by a bursary from The University of Sussex, where she is a first year linguistics student. However, family backing has also been vital.

"We're a sporting bunch. My youngest brother has progressed with Sussex to regional level while my parents, who still watch me play, helped enormously in the early days, driving me to games and training sessions.

"But they've always known to give me space and independence to develop in my own way."

Now on her first senior international tour, Birch is determined to use every moment to her - and England's - advantage.

Clare Connor is Brich's skipper at county and international level

"I want to play a role in every game, and developing my bowling makes me a multi-dimensional cricketer, so that if I fail with the bat, I can contribute with the ball, or vice-versa.

"I'd like to average over 30, but in limited-overs cricket, unless you're a top order batsman, team targets and the immediate state of play usually dictate your approach.

"As for bowling, I've found South African pitches slow and low, but better than we'd find early season in England.

"However, it's my first time here, and I'm learning all the time from simply walking down the street absorbing the culture, to being surrounded by international quality players."

Like every other England player, Rosalie Birch has one eye on returning to South Africa for next year's World Cup.

"In the last year we've climbed from fifth to third in the world rankings and it's a great time to be involved in the England set-up. But it's happened because we've got a strong squad, so maintaining my place is going to be tough, which is how it should be."