Michael Vaughan says “big questions” must be answered about England after their Women’s Ashes whitewash humiliation to Australia.
England suffered a 16-0 series thrashing as Australia completed their domination on Saturday with victory by an innings and 122 runs in the day/night Test.
The futures of both head coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight are firmly in the spotlight after Australia swept aside England in Melbourne on the back of winning both ODI and T20 formats 3-0.
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“Big questions to be answered about the England women’s team .. mainly from those who have been involved at the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) for many years,” former England captain Vaughan wrote on his X account.
“But let’s not lose sight of how good the Aussie women team are .. exceptional team of skilled/disciplined & ruthless cricketers.”
World Cup winner Alex Hartley insists Knight is still the right person to lead England.
“I don’t know what the future holds for Jon Lewis, but something has to change – whether that is captain, coach, leadership, management,” Hartley said on the BBC Test Match Special podcast.
Heather Knight remains the right person to lead England forward, according to World Cup winner Alex Hartley (John Walton/PA)
“But I genuinely believe Heather Knight is capable of taking this team forward.
“Heather will go home and reflect if her being captain is right for this team, but you can’t make those decisions when you’ve stepped off the field after a Test match and you’ve lost a series 16-0.
“There will be a big part of her which says she doesn’t want to do this any more, but she might have a couple of weeks at home and weigh up whether she is the right person.”
Former England bowler Lewis, who has been in his role since November 2022, immediately promised a thorough review into the tourists’ humiliation Down Under – 18 months after an 8-8 Ashes draw on home soil.
Lewis also said he was “right guy” to lead England and that he had not “finished the job I came here to do” in a post-match interview on TNT Sports.