Edwards Appointed England Women's Head Coach

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Charlotte Edwards has been appointed head coach of the England women’s cricket team.

The former England captain replaces Jon Lewis, who was sacked in the wake of the 16-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia over the winter as the tourists lost all seven games on a chastening tour.

Edwards led England to the 2009 50-over World Cup and T20 World Cup titles, while she also won three Ashes series outright in an 10-year spell as captain between 2006 and 2016.

The 45-year-old has since prospered as a coach, winning the Women’s Premier League with Mumbai Indians in 2023 and 2025 and The Hundred with Southern Brave two years ago.

Edwards guided the now-defunct Southern Vipers to three Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy titles and two in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, with the latter a T20 tournament named after her following a stellar playing career in which she scored over 10,000 international runs.

She was appointed Hampshire head coach in the new women’s domestic county set-up but will now leave that position.

England also need a new captain with Heather Knight – who succeeded Edwards as skipper in 2016 and went on to win the 50-over World Cup on home soil a year later – removed from the job following the Ashes hammering.

Edwards ‘relishing the prospect of winning trophies’

Edwards, whose first game in charge of England will be against West Indies at Canterbury on May 21, said of her appointment: “I am so delighted to once again be part of the leadership of the team.

“I cannot wait to take this team forward and drive us to success. It means the world to me to have the three lions on my chest again.

“Leading England as captain was my life for 10 years and I will forever be passionate about this team and our legacy. We have such a talented group of players, and I am excited about working with them and improving them both as individuals and as a team.

“We have the immediate challenge of two home summer series, and then it’s straight into the ICC Women’s World Cup in India this autumn, with a home ICC Women’s T20 World Cup next summer.

“There’s also the mouth-watering prospect of the first ever Olympics for women’s cricket in LA 2028. I’m relishing the prospect of winning trophies and taking this team forward.”

‘Charlotte was the outstanding candidate’

The ECB’s managing director of England Women’s cricket, Clare Connor, said: “When we drew up the criteria it became apparent very quickly that Charlotte was the outstanding candidate.

“She has the experience, passion and expertise to lead this team to success.

“The results she has achieved as a head coach in multiple environments since retiring as one of the greatest ever England players is testament to her relentless drive and the standards she sets for those around her.

“She is a proven winner; she has won repeatedly as a player and now as a coach.

“She possesses a deep knowledge of the game, both in England and across the world, and she understands the importance of creating an environment that is both challenging and supportive.”

Who will succeed Knight as England captain?

Potential replacements for Knight include vice-captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, off-spinning all-rounder Charlie Dean – who worked under Edwards at Vipers – and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone.

England A are currently touring Australia with former U19 captain Grace Scrivens leading the T20 group and Durham skipper Hollie Armitage in charge of the 50-over party, so those two players could be outside candidates to succeed Knight.

England’s senior side play six white-ball games (three ODIs, three T20s) at home to West Indies from May 21 followed by five T20s and three ODIs against India in June and July.

They will then travel to India in the autumn for the 50-over World Cup – a tournament they finished runners-up to Australia during the 2022 edition in New Zealand.

England host the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup and will be looking to win that event for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2009, having lost to Australia in the 2012, 2014 and 2018 finals.

England’s results in the previous two T20 World Cups contributed to Lewis’ sacking with the side eliminated in the semi-finals by hosts South Africa in 2023 and then dumped out in the group stage in the UAE in 2024 following defeat to West Indies.

That second loss came as the team put in a ragged fielding display under Sciver-Brunt’s stewardship, dropping five catches, while Knight was off the field with a calf issue she sustained when batting.

Ashes results: How England were humbled

What went wrong for England in The Ashes?

Sky Sports’ David Ruse:

England’s Ashes campaign was blighted by missteps, with an inability to bat against spin, regular fielding blunders and bizarre words and behaviour criticised.

Premier spinner Sophie Ecclestone refused to be interviewed by former team-mate Alex Hartley after the latter questioned England’s fitness in the wake of the T20 World Cup exit months earlier.

Plus, coach Lewis suggested the tourists not matching up to Australia athletically was down to “cultural differences”, saying their opponents benefitted from an outdoor lifestyle.

Players also insisted England were not far off this all-conquering Australia side but the results told a different story and Edwards will not only need to produce results but also win back public support.

Seamer Kate Cross has said the Ashes trouncing had probably lost England fans, and the rebuilding process will began with that T20 series at home to West Indies from May 21, live on Sky Sports.

Edwards has the pedigree to transform England’s fortunes and a dominant summer against West Indies and India would be a start, although the acid test will come in the World Cup in the subcontinent later in the year.

England have hired a winner, now the team must become winners again – and truly test a juggernaut of an Australia side.

They have not won a World Cup (50-over or T20) since 2017 and their last Ashes triumph came back in 2014.