England sack coach Lewis after Ashes humiliation

Jon Lewis was appointed head coach of the England womens team in November 2022

England have sacked head coach Jon Lewis following a shambolic Ashes series in which they suffered a 16-0 clean sweep against Australia.

Lewis, who was appointed in November 2022, has been removed after a review of the tour led by England director of womens cricket Clare Connor.

The former England seamer met with Connor and high-performance manager Jonathan Finch last week.

Lewis becomes the first casualty of the humiliating tour of Australia, the first time either side has lost every match in an Ashes series since the multi-format points system was introduced in 2013.

That demolition came at the end of a winter where England suffered a calamitous early exit at the T20 World Cup.

A string of dropped catches cost them dearly in a defeat by West Indies, resulting in elimination at the group stage.

Following the Ashes, 49-year-old Lewis stated his desire to remain as head coach while captain Heather Knight said she would take some time to decide her future.

It is possible that Knight remains as skipper under a new coach.

Candidates to replace Lewis could include former England captain Charlotte Edwards and the identically named Jon Lewis, who is in charge of the England A team.

Mark Robinson, who took England to World Cup glory in 2017, is out of work after leaving Warwickshire last month.

More to follow.

The new coach faces home white-ball series against West Indies and India this summer before a 50-over World Cup in India in the autumn.

Whoever does take charge will be looking to end a trophy drought that stretches back eight years to that 2017 World Cup triumph.

Lewis, previously a fast-bowling coach for the England mens team, took over from Australian Lisa Keightley more than three years ago.

The high point of his reign was a drawn Ashes series against the all-conquering Australians in 2023, but in three T20 tournaments – two World Cups and the Commonwealth Games – England failed to reach a final.

Following the elimination from last years T20 World Cup, former England international and World Cup-winner Alex Hartley said some members of the squad were not fit enough.

On the Ashes tour, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone declined to be interviewed by Hartley in her role as a TV broadcaster.

When asked if fitness was a reason for the gulf between his side and Australia, Lewis pointed to a "cultural difference" between the two nations.

Connor then pledged an "honest review" into the series and called the Ecclestone incident "unfortunate".