Jon Lewis is back in the Hundred, this time as London Spirit women’s head coach, and he will once again share a dressing-room with Heather Knight. Knight was named the team’s general manager only last week, so the pair who steered – and occasionally stewed over – England Women now find themselves rebuilding a Lord’s-based side chasing a second title.
Knight’s new off-field brief covers staff appointments and list management ahead of March’s player auction. Lewis, meanwhile, carries the on-field remit: selecting the XI, setting the style and, ultimately, being judged on results.
“This is a really exciting opportunity to play a part in shaping the future of this franchise,” Lewis said. “I am looking forward to building a team packed with talent and character, playing cricket that Spirit fans coming to Lord’s will get behind as we aim to win a second title this summer.”
A quick recap. Lewis took charge of England Women in late 2022 and, in the early months, things went nicely enough: a T20 World Cup semi-final, a clean sweep in India, a summer unbeaten against Pakistan and New Zealand, plus that memorable 8-8 Ashes comeback at home. The wheels loosened on last winter’s T20 World Cup group-stage exit, then fell clean off as Australia romped to a 16-0 points win in the away Ashes. By February he was out, Knight was relieved of the captaincy, yet both remain central figures in the women’s game.
Since then Lewis has kept busy. He guided UP Warriorz through the opening two seasons of the Women’s Premier League and, only a fortnight ago, started work as director of cricket at Gloucestershire. The county have agreed to him juggling the Hundred role – not unusual given the short window but still a sizeable workload.
London Spirit director of cricket Mo Bobat, who worked with Lewis in the England men’s pathway, pushed hard for the appointment. “I know first-hand his capabilities as a coach and his qualities as a person,” said Bobat. “He has a fantastic breadth of experiences, across both the women’s and men’s games, which will stand us in good stead in our pursuit of sustained success.”
Bobat added, “It’s particularly exciting to consider the potential of his professional partnership with Heather, whom he obviously knows well from his time with the senior England women’s team.”
The Spirit franchise, valued at roughly £295 million during the recent private-equity sale, have refused to stand still since lifting the trophy in 2024. Knight’s front-office switch frees up a salary-cap slot, and there is talk of reinforcing the top order as well as finding a left-arm seamer to vary the powerplay options. Lewis is expected to lean on his pace-bowling background – he was once the ECB’s elite fast-bowling coach and toured Australia with the men’s side in 2021-22 – but he has already spoken of the need for “batters who can win games inside 60 balls”.
From a player’s perspective, Knight is still pivotal for England, finishing the recent 50-over World Cup as leading run-scorer on their run to the semi-finals. The captaincy may have gone, yet the cover-drive remains intact. Whether she pads up for Spirit next year or stays upstairs with the laptop depends on auction dynamics, but nobody at Lord’s is ruling out a return to the middle.
For now Lewis starts the familiar task of staff meetings, scouting lists and, inevitably, a few coffee-fuelled debates with Knight. The targets are clear enough: assemble a balanced squad, reach the business end of August, and do it all without the drama that attended their last Ashes campaign. A modest ask? Perhaps. But Lewis knew what he was signing up for.
