England Head coach John Lewis is determined to beat “standard bearers” Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup as he begins to grapple with the biggest job of his career.
Lewis is no stranger to the international arena, having been capped by his country across all three formats as a player before leading the men’s under-19 setup and working with the likes. James Anderson And stuart broad Led the ECB’s fast bowling for almost two years.
He was a key part of Chris Silverwood’s backroom team during last winter AshesWhen Australia won 4–0 and left the men’s game in December to take over from Lisa Keightley.
The identity of England’s main rivals is a familiar one and their dominance is even more evident, with Australia women having won the last three World Cup tournaments and holding the Ashes urn for the last four series.
“It’s 100 per cent definitely the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” Lewis told the PA news agency.
“As a skill coach in the men’s set-up you have influence, you have a say, but the decisions are not yours, they are someone else’s. It’s a huge challenge for me.
“Australia are definitely the standard bearers in the women’s game, they are the benchmark team. He has been in great form since 2017, when we last won the World Cup, and has been dominant.
“We will go into this tournament with Australia as favorites and rightfully so, they should be. But with favoritism come demands and pressure to win.
England began their campaign on 11 February, facing the West Indies in Paarl, having thrashed the same opponents 8–0 on aggregate on their most recent white-ball tour of the Caribbean.
While the on-field challenge was less than expected, Lewis took his time to get the measure of his new team and believes there is room for even the most established figures in the group to reach new heights.
“I think they all have levels to explore in terms of how they play the game. The new players are obviously exciting, with high potential, but the senior group is one that still has a lot of untapped potential .
,heather knightOur captain, an incredibly talented player and a really good leader, but I see more in her tank in how creative she can be, how unorthodox she can play and captain.
“There is Nate Sciver-Brunt, one of the best players in the world, and someone who can go even further with the speed at which she can play. She can dominate teams. At times I think those two players felt really responsible for the team’s results, so I told them it was my job to raise everyone’s level so they could be even more expressive.
“If you can free some of their minds, make them realize they don’t need to stick to the way they’ve always done it, we have a lot of talent. This group can do whatever they want. May not realize it yet, but it is my job to draw it out to them.