Ashes series Disaster and Review: Designed to Transform the Game. Did It?

England have been knocked out of a World Cup following a defeat in a match they were expected to win, thanks to a surprise performance which nobody saw coming. Sound familiar? This is because it describes two events involving England which occurred almost exactly a year separated: recently, their ODI World Cup semi-final loss at the hands of South Africa; a year ago, their defeat in a must-win group stage match against West Indies in the T20 version.

The Interim Period

During that time, there was a 16-0 Ashes debacle and a post-series review which was meant to change everything. Did it? Let’s look a little more deeply into those two World Cup exits. In 2024, England collapsed, missed multiple opportunities, and allowed a bish-bash-bosh innings from Qiana Joseph to win the day. More recently, a player with superb skill and composure – the South Africa captain, Laura Wolvaardt – showed why she is among the elite in cricket. She offered up precisely one chance – a catch to Alice Capsey at long-on – and England held on to it. The trouble was, she had already scored 169 runs by that point.

‘This will hurt’: The coach turns to next generation after England’s World Cup drubbing.

This may not offer the England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, much consolation as she flies home from her first World Cup in charge – she is a performance-focused leader, and a loss is a loss. But she has initiated positive changes. From the low point of dropping eight catches in a single day of Test cricket in Melbourne, six months later England held on to more chances this World Cup than any other team. That is something.

The Batting Collapse

The problem was what came after Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room really believe they were able to reach a total of more than 300? Certainly no one outside it did. England’s rapid decline to nought for two and one for three sparked a reaction not of horror but of weary inevitability.

“We do need to enhance our batting performance – I don’t think it’s been reliable at times,” Edwards said after the match. Therein lies the concern. There have been eight totals of more than 300 in this tournament: a portion were hit by Australia, three by India, and two by South Africa. This is now standard in women’s ODI cricket: in order to compete with the world’s best, England need a batting lineup which can confidently expect to exceed that milestone. But when nobody except Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a track record of consistently scoring meaningful runs, well, you do the maths.

Partnership Efforts

Capsey’s century stand with Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final had some value – Capsey showed that she can play responsibly, at least for 70 balls – but it was insufficient to win the game. In comparison with South Africa, who were able to score 117 runs from their last 10 overs, exceeding the 300-run mark, because Wolvaardt had confidence in the batters coming in below her and felt she had enough freedom to attack. “Knowing what we still had in the sheds with the last 10 coming up, I thought I’d better have a swing,” she told Sky Sports.

Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the sole consistent performers to score runs consistently during the tournament.

Managerial Decisions

When Edwards was appointed in April, her challenge was whether to maintain or change: she opted to give an veteran team who had struggled previously one last shot at World Cup glory. This proved incorrect. England return home with the least favorable outcome: empty-handed, and with no foundations on which to rebuild over the next four years. Five of their top six from the semi-final are probably not featuring in another 50-over World Cup.

A new strategy is now approaching, as Edwards herself signalled. “This is the conclusion of a phase,” she said. “We’ve got to focus ahead now.”

Upcoming Talent

It’s about time: an opportunity to evaluate at the young left-hander Grace Scrivens, the 20-year-old wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the 18-year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

A persistent concern is that it might already be too late: England’s latest round of central contracts were signed, sealed and delivered on 1 October. The cricket board has not yet released a full list of retained athletes, but it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that the current World Cup squad are the primary recipients.

The Path Ahead

Lack of progress and overconfidence were the twin problems on which the Ashes whitewash was built – time for Edwards to signal that she is serious about preventing their return.