THE world is full to the brim with fluctuating emotions at present, and that certainly sums up Lauren Winfield’s last couple of months.

As a professional sportswoman, you would think the Yorkshire and England batter would be well versed in coping with the ups and downs - fighting for selection and trophies.

Nothing, however, could have prepared the 29-year-old for how things have gone during the first quarter of 2020.

On March 5, Winfield and her England team-mates were due to meet India in the semi-final of the World Cup in Sydney, only for rain to force an abandonment. The ICC ruling meant that instead of a reserve day, the highest ranked finisher would progress. And that was India, who came top of their group, with England finishing second in theirs. Then, India went on to lose the final against hosts Australia in Melbourne by a whopping 85 runs.

On March 13, Winfield married her Australian partner Courtney Hill, a sporting star in her own right with Leeds Rhinos, in Queensland with family, friends and team-mates all present.

In summary, she went from arguably the lowest point of her professional career to the high point of her life within eight days.

“That pretty much sums it up,” said the York-born star.

“The World Cup was absolutely devastating and it was actually quite painful to watch the final. There was definitely a part of you that felt we’d have given Australia a much better run for their money on the day, given the way the final played out.

“The pain of having to watch that, not getting the chance to fight your corner, was hard. But, fortunately, I don’t think anyone else will have to suffer like that again because I’m sure there will be some rule changes on rain days, etc.

“Then the wedding, a lot of the girls stayed on and did a bit of travelling around Queensland.

“To be honest, that was what everybody needed at that point, and it was awesome to spend some time with the girls.

“The wedding was obviously the best day, but it was also the best week in the build-up.

“If that had have been scheduled a week later, it wouldn’t have gone ahead. We were very lucky in that sense.”

And that is where coronavirus kicks in, to add another strand to Winfield’s weird and wonderful tale.

She has conducted this chat while living with Hill’s parents on the Sunshine Coast, an hour or so north of Brisbane, with no immediate prospect of a return home to England.

“Our flights back home were supposed to be on March 27, but Emirates have gone into total lockdown, so we can’t fly,” she explained.

“My family have also had their flights cancelled - mum, dad, aunties and uncles.

“Emirates initially said it was going to be a two-week lockdown and they’d review it. But at this stage, it hasn’t been lifted.

“Since then I’ve been in touch with the ECB, who’ve said, ‘As long as you’re happy and are doing everything we ask of you, we’re happy for you to stay out there until we have something to come home for. There’s no point coming back here and doing less than you’re able to do now’.

“We’re bunking in with Courtney’s family at the minute, while my mum, dad, aunties and uncles have got a unit just up the road from where we are.

“It’s crazy for everyone how the world’s been flipped on its head.

“But, putting things into perspective, I’m in quite a nice spot, right on the beach. There’s certainly worse places to be stuck, that’s for sure, and I’m lucky to be able to get outdoors a lot.”

While the weather has been sensational here in the UK for the most part, to some the idea of self isolating in tropical Queensland would sound almost dreamy.

However, make no mistake, Winfield has had her down moments.

“I have days where I think, ‘Are we going to have a cricket season, what am I training for?’ You have lulls in motivation, that’s natural,” she said.

“I had a day the other day where I got quite emotional. If we lose an entire season - you overthink things - we’ve got a (one-day) World Cup coming up in New Zealand next year and there could be no cricket leading into it.

“It’s mentally challenging, of course. But, jeez, there’s people doing it worse off than us! There’s the sense of perspective you need.”