England’s Jon Lewis has no plans to step down despite disastrous Women’s Ashes
England’s Jon Lewis has no plans to step down despite disastrous Women’s Ashes
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The England head coach, Jon Lewis, has said he has no intention of stepping down despite a disastrous Women’s Ashes tour which has seen England lose five out of five matches played so far, saying his position was not up for debate. “I don’t know if I need to defend my position,” he said. “I don’t employ myself. I’m really comfortable with the job that I’m doing. I’ll continue to work to develop this cricket team as best as I can until someone tells me that it’s not the right time for you to do this anymore.”.
![[Australia’s players celebrate dismissing England’s Maia Bouchier during the second Women’s Ashes T20]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/903804318c522767898a47cb554f9aa6ac8f7d51/0_162_3780_2268/master/3780.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
He added that he felt he continued to enjoy the full confidence of the England and Wales Cricket Board. “I’m really excited about what the future holds for this team, and I feel like I’m the right person to coach it,” he said. The ECB have confirmed to the Guardian that a full post-series review will take place after the Ashes concludes on 2 February. Any decision to remove Lewis ahead of the conclusion of his current contact (which it is understood runs until at least November) would likely need to be agreed by a full meeting of the main ECB board.
That review will no doubt also include an appraisal of captain Heather Knight, who has led England for almost nine years without winning an Ashes series. Lewis refused to give any guarantees about her future. “After the tour, we’ll spend some time reflecting [on her role], and we’ll think about what the right thing is for the team further down the road,” he said.
Lewis seemed frustrated at times by the critical tone of the questioning, repeatedly saying that he feels the 10-nil scoreline is an unfair reflection of the actual gap between England and Australia, while rejecting claims that the England camp are refusing to properly confront the scale and nature of the Ashes defeat. “We’re really honest as a group,” he said. “The players are really open with each other.”.
