Charlotte Edwards is perfect next England head coach, says Lydia Greenway
After the Ashes humiliation, Edwards told the BBC Stumped podcast that she was keen to help England rebuild and Greenway added that her former team-mate’s coaching style would be the right method for the team’s progression.
“In women’s cricket, we’ve had a number of different coaches who have had very different styles and I think in the past, at times it has been a little bit too instructional,” said Greenway, who won more than 200 caps across formats in her England career.
“The ropes have been quite tight in terms of what players can and can’t do and they’ve felt quite suppressed. So Jon was almost the opposite, he’s been quite slack about what the players can do both on and off the pitch.
“I think Edwards has the best of both. She has that balance of making sure players are accountable on and off the field, but also bringing in some fun and understanding that players are not robots. She can recognise the moments when they need that breathing space.”
World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley also backed Edwards for the job and described her as a “brilliant, outstanding coach”.
“She’ll really get hold of this team and she’ll know how to make the standards better so they can compete under pressure,” Hartley said.
“She gives you free rein to work out things for yourself but doesn’t take any nonsense and that is what England need right now.”
The potential candidates are not as clear regarding England’s next captain, though Nat Sciver-Brunt seems the most likely option having been Knight’s deputy with many, including both Greenway and Hartley, naming off-spinner Charlie Dean as a contender.
“It has been one of the biggest downfalls over the past five or six years that there isn’t a standout candidate to take over,” Hartley added.
“They need a coach who can get the culture right, control the group and sort out the problems within the changing room, and then the captain can come in and have strong ideas.
“I want a young person, a fresh person, someone like Charlie Dean – I think she’d be an exceptional leader who will play for England for a number of years.”
