Charlotte Edwards has agreed to take over as the new head coach of England Women after Jon Lewis was sacked in the aftermath of a painful Ashes whitewash.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has moved swiftly to get her in, taking less than a fortnight to finalise the move.
Edwards spent 20 years as an England international, captaining the side for 10 of those, and has built up a formidable coaching CV at home and abroad with a host of trophies at Southern Vipers, the inaugural Hundred title at Southern Brave and the Women’s Premier League with Mumbai Indians.
She had been linked with the job when Lewis was appointed in November 2022, but publicly withdrew from contention having concluded it was not the right time.
There was no hint of a repeat on this occasion, with the 45-year-old making it clear after the 16-0 humiliation in Australia that she wished to play a part in helping her old team rebuild. Her first match in charge will be against West Indies at Canterbury on 21 May with a new captain still to be appointed after Heather Knight was also sacked in the wake of the Ashes.
Edwards said: “I am so delighted to once again be part of the leadership of the England Women’s cricket team, and 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 once 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.”
Clare Connor, the managing director of women’s cricket at the ECB, said: “When we drew up the criteria for the job 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.”