'Judge us next summer' - England's T20 wake-up call

BBC News

2 days ago

It is unlikely that anybody with an interest in England's post-Ashes rebuild - players, fans and the media alike - thought it would be straightforward. And while losing a series 3-2 may not look emphatic, England's first T20 series defeat at home by India has presented Charlotte Edwards and her side with a stark reality. India's three wins were utterly dominant - by 97 runs, 24 runs and six wickets. Both of England's were nervy encounters won from the last ball after almost squandering winning positions.An impressive fightback at The Oval in the third match meant they kept the series alive. But the win at Edgbaston in the fifth counted for very little - the series was already gone. Once again, they put in a performance when there was not as much pressure on the line.The 50-over World Cup is looming, beginning in India at the end of September, but in the shorter format, Edwards has often spoken of England's "journey" to the home T20 tournament next year. "We've still got a long way to go, I'm under no illusions about that," said Edwards after England's thrilling win at Edgbaston, but also expressed confidence in her side with a punchy challenge. "People have just got to be patient. And certainly in this format, we've got 12 months. You can judge us, come next July."
Another often-repeated phrase from Edwards has been that England are a "team in transition". Frankly, this argument does not stack up. Yes, there is new leadership, and Edwards is trying to instil a little more smartness into England after they lost their way under Jon Lewis, whose mantra of "inspire and entertain" brought a struggle for clarity. And losing world-class players in Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight would leave an enormous hole in any team. It is no surprise that England have struggled to fill that void. But they are a very experienced side. They are a group who have benefited enormously from the increased professionalisation of the women's game internationally and the majority of players have plied their trade in franchises around the world, too. Nine out of 11 players who played in the final T20 against Australia in January have featured in this series against India - and it would have been 10 if you assume Knight would be in the side if fit. The average age of England's side is 27.6 compared to India's 25, and they average 63.9 international caps per player against India's 56.3. A significant problem for England after the Ashes was their perception with fans, and Edwards' honesty in admitting the scale of the challenge is likely to be received gratefully, but they are not an inexperienced or young team. The bigger conundrum is that they have very little time to put things right collectively - a tri-series in May next year with India and New Zealand are the only international T20s scheduled between now and the World Cup.
Spin struggles and falling behind in the field
Discussions surrounding England's inability to play spin are beginning to sound like a broken record. Without a doubt, however, it is their most pressing concern. In 2022, England averaged 42.3 against spin in T20s, losing 25 wickets. The following year, they lost 46 wickets at an average of 18, and so far in 2025 they have lost 41 at 19.9. Their gameplan against slow bowling seems muddled, torn between attack and defence with batters regularly trapped on the crease or caught from attempted aggression. And while the approaching World Cup is in the longer format of the game, England's opponents will have their bowling strategies in place already, such is the predictability of their weakness. Edwards has also accepted England's huge need for improvement in the field, where they have been poor against India, with regular misfields and four dropped catches in the last five overs alone in the third encounter at The Oval."It's a mindset thing under pressure, but it's an area we work really, really hard on," said Edwards."We are not going to hide away from that."India's fielding improvement, meanwhile, has been astronomical. They have charged in from the boundary to stop twos, regularly hauled the ball in from the ropes after covering masses of ground, and completed some staggering catches.At Edgbaston, this was epitomised by Em Arlott and Sophie Ecclestone backing out of catches on the boundary, letting the ball bounce in front of them and saving the runs instead.Radha Yadav, meanwhile, sprinted and dived full-stretch to dismiss Amy Jones in spectacular fashion even when the game was pretty much in England's hands. Edwards and many players have cited India's huge improvement, largely a result of the Women's Premier League, which has been in existence for three years, and they regularly play in front of packed crowds where every game matters. But The Hundred is not too dissimilar for England, and they cannot use the excuse of not being under pressure enough when, for example, this does not seem to be an issue for Australia in international cricket. They are relentless, whoever they play, and India are following a similar trajectory.This scrutiny will not go away for England until they have a trophy or an Ashes series in the bag. And on that basis, yes - they will be judged come next July.