The England women’s team has not played since their semi-final defeat to South Africa at the Women’s World Cup in India. Their next assignment will be a limited-overs series against New Zealand, comprising both One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals, starting on May 10. This series will serve as crucial preparation for the T20 World Cup, which England will host in June and July.
“They were really lacking in confidence. That was probably the only thing that really stood out and that Ashes down under was very difficult for some players to get over,” Edwards told BBC Sport.
Questions surrounding fitness and its impact on fieldwork dominated the early phase of Edwards’ tenure. In her first weeks as head coach, Edwards made it clear that players would be held accountable for their fitness levels and promptly introduced minimum fitness standards. She also revealed that each player has been given an individual development plan and praised the squad’s response to the changes, stating that she could not speak highly enough of their commitment and attitude.
“Setting out some very clear professional standards that I expect and that we expect as a group was really, really important. We were the best fielding team at the World Cup and to have turned that around as quickly as we have from the Ashes is a testament to the hard work that the group has put in and also the coaches,” Edwards said.
Reflecting on the defeat to South Africa, Edwards said it was a turning point to reassess the team’s future, with the winter window providing an ideal opportunity for that assessment. She has worked not only with players from her recent squads, but also those who came up next, including members of the Under-19 squad.
England have three training camps planned in the coming months, the first of which will take place in Oman this week. This will be followed by another camp in South Africa, after which the country’s top 30 players will travel to the United Arab Emirates for an intra-squad series.
Deciding when to transition to the next generation is often one of the most challenging responsibilities for any head coach. Edwards now faces that decision with a group of players who have led the women’s game for a generation, as she looks to balance experience with the need to build for the future.
“We’re going to put the best against the best and we’re going to get a very, very clear indication of where the next group of players are,” Edwards said.
“We are now trying to create that competitive advantage for our players so that it is not yet clear who is in the team. I talked to the players about that the other day. I said that everyone in this room is competing to play in a World Cup. It doesn’t matter whether you are 18 or 35,” she added.
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