'edwards Era Will Be A Turning Point For England'

I've known Charlotte Edwards since I was 11 years old.

I was a wide-eyed young cricketer astatine England improvement tests and Lot - aliases Lottie, arsenic galore cognize her - was nan 16-year-old prodigy already playing for England.

Having captained her country, she now takes complete arsenic caput coach astatine a pivotal time.

While she will request buy-in from each nan players and a imagination for success, a 16-0 Ashes conclusion successful Australia should beryllium capable information and I'm judge this will beryllium a turning point.

It has to be.

Following nan departure of Jon Lewis, Lot will want to asseverate power but she is besides well-versed successful nan value of not panicking and empowering nan players.

The past point she wants is to rein it successful excessively overmuch and England suffer nan expertise to play pinch freedom.

Balance is key, and while courageousness and having nary fearfulness of nonaccomplishment is important, England's biggest problem successful nan Ashes was a deficiency of ruthlessness and subject astatine cardinal moments.

There is capable to activity with, though. Yes, Australia are fitter and person much extent but, contempt nan scoreline, astir England players person improved successful skill, which is what Lot sees too.

One of her first tasks is to name a captain.

Lot has a narration pinch Nat Sciver-Brunt from their clip arsenic England team-mates and precocious astatine Mumbai Indians. Sciver-Brunt is England vice-captain and has said she wants nan job.

The consequence is whether England are asking excessively overmuch of their champion player, who has precocious go a mother.

Pat Cummins faced a akin dilemma erstwhile he became Australia skipper earlier an Ashes, soon aft nan commencement of his first child.

It's adjacent to opportunity he's managed it efficaciously but that doesn't needfully mean it's nan correct point to do for Nat. It will beryllium a observant information successful nan coming weeks.

Lot ever seemed to person truthful overmuch clip astatine nan crease arsenic a batter, arsenic if her mind was a crystal shot predicting what was coming.

She had a mesmerising aura and was nan 1 batter I regularly struggled to execute a scheme to of really to dismiss.

As her team-mate, I saw her do it to each world bowling attack.

Scoring runs came people but, aft Lot took connected nan captaincy for nan first clip successful 2005 erstwhile Clare Connor was injured, she faced a existent trial of her activity - not winning a azygous crippled connected a circuit successful India.

That didn't deter her, though. She had a imagination to overtake Australia and make america nan champion squad successful nan world.

The foundations were there. We had conscionable won an Ashes for nan first clip successful 42 years, truthful location was existent belief successful nan group.

Lot led by example, but location was besides an authority that could beryllium rather intimidating.

She wore her bosom connected her sleeve and, arsenic nan champion player, it would wounded immensely if we fto her down. Over time, she learned to go much approachable and empathetic and that's what I spot successful her now arsenic a coach.

In winning some nan T20 and 50-over World Cups successful 2009, on pinch nan Ashes, we became nan astir successful England broadside successful history.

At times, it was Lot's expertise to make reliable calls to protect nan squad that led to this success.

She won't beryllium acrophobic of making difficult calls present if thing doesn't align pinch nan vision.

We struggled to support that consistency complete nan adjacent cycle, but erstwhile caller players came through, nan younker revived her ambition. The captaincy and occurrence continued.

However, her beingness arsenic a leader yet became a artifact for others to bloom, which worked against her successful nan end.

After being told England would move connected from her arsenic skipper and a subordinate successful 2016, I felt for her. There was a brutality to it because she was still playing well.

While fittingness became a talking point, yet nan coach wanted a squad that didn't trust connected her leadership.

Eight years connected and Heather Knight has recovered herself successful nan aforesaid unfortunate position astir nan captaincy. There is nary different action but for others to measurement up.

No uncertainty that play came pinch a batch of soul-searching for Lot, but resilient group ever find a way.

She tried different things but coaching conscionable made sense, her passion for cricket ne'er dimming. She understood a request to study from nan past, upgrade and adapt.

With occurrence astatine Hampshire, Southern Brave, Sydney Sixers and Mumbai Indians, moving successful different environments pinch players of different standards, it's evident they respond good to her.

During this year's Women's Premier League, wherever she led Mumbai to nan title, I was fortunate to watch her astatine adjacent quarters.

With vastly different cricketing backgrounds and languages, she recovered ways to articulate her connection to each player, showing patience and a desire to get to cognize them all.

There was unit to triumph but her first privilege was ever to protect and nurture, particularly nan little knowledgeable players, truthful they could present pinch a calm head.

With different awesome trophy to her name, location is nary uncertainty she is fresh to lead England.