England head coach Charlotte Edwards has strongly hinted she will look for a new generation of players to take England into the next World Cup cycle after her side suffered a shock semi-final defeat to South Africa on Wednesday.
“We won’t make too many hasty decisions but we have to look to the future now,” Edwards told Sky Sports. “There is some incredible talent coming through.”
Of the current batters, openers Tammy Beaumont (34) and Amy Jones (32), former captain Heather Knight (34) and current captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (33) are unlikely to play in another 50-over World Cup. There is also a question mark hanging over 27-year-old Sophia Dunkley, whose highest score throughout the tournament was 22. “We need to improve our hitting – I don’t think it’s been consistent enough at times,” Edwards said.
Edwards added that she was proud of the progress England had made since she took up the role of head coach six months ago, but stressed she needed time to implement changes. “I’m a winner. I don’t like losing,” she said. “But I also knew what I was taking on with this role – I knew it wouldn’t be a quick fix.”
Sciver-Brunt agreed with her coach’s assessment: “We’ve come a long way since the summer. We’re a different side than we were back then and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves. This will hurt, but hopefully over time we can learn from it and come back stronger.”
England’s defeat came after South African captain Laura Wolvaardt hit 169 off 143 balls – a blow she described as her best ever in ODI cricket.
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“This has to be the top. The context of the match, a World Cup semi-final, winning the match against a very strong team – it’s right there,” she said. “It still feels a bit unreal. It’s something you dream of as a child: scoring a hundred at a World Cup. A very special day.”
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