Charlotte Edwards, England Women’s new head coach, is determined to remove the “F-word” from discussions around her team, focusing on fitness and public image improvement with a home T20 World Cup approaching.
A month after replacing Jon Lewis, Edwards has shared insights into her plans for change. At an April press conference at Lord’s, she outlined her vision: more domestic cricket with performance-based selection and altering public perceptions of the team. “We’ve got to look at our professional behaviours and how we go about stuff,” Edwards said. “We’ve openly discussed the team’s current perception, and we need to change it. The goal is earning the right to do so.”
England’s image took a hit following a sloppy defeat to the West Indies at the last T20 World Cup in Dubai, compounded by social media posts highlighting a day-off excursion that attracted negative attention. According to Edwards, controlling social media presence is a crucial step. “We’ve got to stop putting stuff on social media that doesn’t need to be there unless it positively reflects on them or us as a group,” she noted. “Even so, I want them to be themselves because that’s really important to me.”
Speaking again at Lord’s, now the venue for the World Cup final in July 2026, Edwards reflected on the team’s fitness after observing them at Loughborough. “It was clear from the winter—what I call the ‘F-word’,” she mentioned. “I wanted to see for myself, and I was really impressed by the standards. They’ve worked hard since the Ashes. But fitness is just a part of performance.”
Edwards stresses that cricketing skills and strategy are paramount. “The cricket and getting our game plan is more important to me. I think they lost many games due to a lack of cricket awareness. I want to instil in this group smart play: knowing when to be aggressive, when not to, and always playing to win. Big tournaments are about winning, and we need a consistent environment and a solid game plan to achieve that.”
The new captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, is key to this strategy. Having won two Women’s Premier League titles with Edwards at Mumbai Indians, she’s set to return from maternity leave, succeeding Heather Knight. “When I’ve worked with her,” Edwards hinted at a promising future for England under Sciver-Brunt’s leadership.
