Jon Lewis SACKED as England women’s head coach after disastrous winter – which included a 16-0 Ashes whitewash and woeful World Cup

Jon Lewis has been sacked as coach of the England women’s team after a disastrous winter in which they crashed out of the T20 World Cup at the group stage and were whitewashed by Australia during the Ashes.

Lewis’s overall record was strong, with 52 wins from 73 matches in all formats, and he leaves with England ranked second in both one-day and T20 cricket.

But his departure was inevitable after Heather Knight’s team lost seven games out of seven in Australia earlier this year – the worst performance by either side since the Ashes became a multiformat contest in 2013.

And Lewis attracted ridicule for claiming Australians had an inherent advantage over English players because of their outdoor culture, insisting they had ‘an advantage in terms of athleticism’. 

That came towards the end of a tour on which England had been outplayed in every facet of the game, but especially in the field – with dropped catches also at the root of their shock elimination from the World Cup by West Indies in Dubai a few months earlier.

That prompted former England spinner Alex Hartley to question the team’s fitness, prompting anger among the players and coaching staff. Hartley later claimed they had given her the cold shoulder.

‘I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as England women’s head coach,’ said Lewis. ‘Unfortunately I won’t be able to finish this incredibly challenging but enjoyable job of developing this young team.’

Former World Cup-winning captain Charlotte Edwards is in the running to replace him, while the 34-year-old Knight is also under pressure for her job. 

England are without a trophy since she lifted the 2017 World Cup at Lord’s – since when the team’s best results have been a pair of Ashes draws in 2017-18 and 2023.