England's Fitness Issues Highlighted After T20 World Cup Exit

Former spinner Alex Hartley has highlighted the need for England to improve their fitness following their disappointing early exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup. In a match against the West Indies, England’s poor fielding performance, including five dropped catches, contributed to their first group-stage elimination since 2010.

Hartley, who was part of the 2017 50-over World Cup-winning team, expressed concerns on Test Match Special. She refrained from naming individual players but hinted that some lacked the necessary fitness. "Around 80% of the England team are fit and athletic, but there are players in that side who are falling short when it comes to fitness," she said.

England began the tournament strong with three consecutive group-stage wins, but a defeat to the West Indies exposed their vulnerability. During the match, England posted 141-7 but lost their captain, Heather Knight, to a calf injury, which prevented her from taking the field. Without Knight, England struggled, allowing West Indies to chase the target in 18 overs and qualify for the semi-finals alongside South Africa. England, on the other hand, were eliminated on net run rate.

“It’s disappointing. The West Indies played a completely different game to England,” Hartley remarked. She went on to say that fitness would likely be a topic of discussion in the post-mortem of England’s performance. "Fitness is an area where England needs improvement," she added.

However, head coach Jon Lewis disagreed with Hartley’s assessment. Lewis defended the team's physical condition. "I don’t believe fitness had anything to do with our loss. Our players work extremely hard on their fitness, and I’m surprised people would question that," he said.

Hartley also highlighted the example of Australia, the top team in women’s cricket, as a standard England should aim for. She mentioned leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, who hasn’t played for Australia since 2022 due to fitness concerns. "Australia has a squad full of athletes. Wellington, the best leg-spinner in the world, isn’t even in their squad anymore because of fitness issues," Hartley explained.

In discussing England's future, Hartley pointed to Heather Knight's absence as a key reason for the team’s disarray in the field. She pointed out Knight's importance to the team and suggested she remain as captain. Hartley also expressed confidence in head coach Jon Lewis, praising his efforts to improve the balance between players’ professional and personal lives. However, she wondered if the team had gone too far in prioritising that balance over other areas.

"England haven’t won a World Cup in a while, and changes are necessary. Last night showed how crucial Knight is on the field. Without her calm presence, the team seemed lost," Hartley concluded.