ENGLAND WOMEN’S CRICKETERS ‘DO NOT HAVE ANY FITNESS STANDARDS’
Charlotte Edwards, England’s new women’s head coach, has claimed there were no fitness standards in place when she took over.
Edwards, who replaced Jon Lewis in the wake of the chastening Ashes defeat at the start of the year, said she refers to fitness as the “F word” in training, but on the eve of her first match explained there was no framework in place.
Conversations over fitness and athleticism became the spectre the team could not shake over the winter, after Alex Hartley claimed on-air during the T20 World Cup last autumn that some of her former team-mates were “not fit enough”.
Hartley named no specific players but Sophie Ecclestone refused to speak to the former international-turned pundit for an interview during the 16-0 Ashes humiliation in Australia.
Lewis repeatedly denied his side had any fitness shortcomings, although acknowledged during the Ashes that Australia had superior “athleticism”, and instead attributed that to their better weather.
“I think clearly we had to touch on the fitness issue. I think when I came in, I said it’s all about individual improvement for the first six months,” Edwards said ahead of her first match in charge against the West Indies, a T20 international at Canterbury on Wednesday.
“So before this World Cup [in India in October] it’s about individuals improving as much as they can in that time. I’m not going to set fitness standards, because there haven’t been any standards in place.
“So I felt like that would be defeating the object. But hopefully in 12 months’ time, the players are very aware that there will be minimum fitness standards come this time next year, which the players will have to adhere to, there has to be more accountability in the area.
“But I’ve been so impressed with their standards, and the way they’ve gone about stuff and I couldn’t be more impressed in that area.”
Ecclestone was left out of Edwards’ first squad for the series against the West Indies following a knee injury sustained at the Women’s Premier League. It was decided the spinner would play for Lancashire to prepare best for the series against India later in the summer and the World Cup.
Telegraph Sport understands there are extensive fitness programmes in place in the domestic women’s game. Some players are routinely tested, before and after each training block and are required to meet minimum standards, including a 2km time trial compared to their own individual past performance.
However, in the case of one county, they opt out of using the skin fold tests the men’s team are subject to.
England men’s side have dropped players who have been unable to compete physically at the required level. Most recently, Ollie Robinson was left out when his bowling speed dipped during the 2024 tour of India and he has not been called up since.
2025-05-20T15:35:22Z
