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Coach Edwards Cites Transition As Excuse; Defiant On England's T20I Series Loss To India

Akshita Patel

England Women head coach defends her team after series loss [Source: @SkyCricket, @englandcricket/X.com]England Women head coach defends her team after series loss [Source: @SkyCricket, @englandcricket/X.com]

England’s women’s cricket team lost a five-match T20I series 3-2 to India Women on home soil. While fans deem the defeat a wake-up call for England, head coach Charlotte Edwards is defiant, saying the team is in a transition phase.

India Women wrote history, registering their first-ever T20I series victory on English soil as they won the 5-match series by 3-2. The host team fought back in games 3 and 5, but overall, the visitors had the upper hand.

Charlotte Edwards Backs England Women To Bounce Back

With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on the horizon, England Women’s recent surrender against India Women has become a concern for fans. However, head coach Charlotte Edwards, talking to BBC, said that she believes her team is in a transition phase and will bounce back in the next 12 months.

"We've still got a long way to go, I'm under no illusions about that. People have just got to be patient. And certainly in this format, we've got 12 months. You can judge us, come next July," Edwards said.

She urged fans to judge the team next July during the home T20 World Cup. But despite her comments about England being a team in transition, many believe that excuse doesn’t hold up.

England’s squad is experienced. Most of their players have played a lot of international cricket and also featured in global franchise leagues like The Hundred and the WPL. Nine of the eleven players from the final T20 against Australia earlier this year were also part of the India series. 

What Issues Led To England Women’s Fallout?

A major problem for England is their continued struggle against spin bowling. In 2022, they averaged 42.3 runs per dismissal against spin. That fell to 18 in 2023.

This year, it's a little short of 20. Their batters often seem unsure, indecisive about if they should be attacking or defending, which leads to poor shot choices and cheap dismissals.

Fielding is a problem too. England have dropped far too many catches and given away runs through misfields. In the third T20 at The Oval, they dropped four catches in the last five overs.

Another issue is time. England doesn’t have many T20Is left before the 2026 T20 World Cup. They’re only scheduled to play a tri-series with India and New Zealand next May. That means Edwards and her team will have limited opportunities to fix their problems on the international stage.