NICK HOWSON: The new England women's head coach is plotting a way to replace Australia at the top of the sport, ahead of a critical 2023 which includes the T20 World Cup and the Ashes
New England women's head coach Jon Lewis is making releasing the full potential of the team his priority after being appointed to succeed Lisa Keightley.
A year that saw international debuts for Freya Kemp, Alice Capsey, Emma Lamb, Issy Wong and Lauren Bell also included some high-profile defeats.
England were humbled in the Ashes by Australia, who beat them in the 50-over World Cup final and then scooped Commonwealth Games gold, a competition the host nation finished empty-handed.
Keightley then signed off three years at the helm with T20I and ODI series defeats to India.
A T20 World Cup in February and a home Ashes series next summer means Lewis, whose tenure begins with six white-ball matches in the Caribbean against West Indies from December 4, needs a fast start.
Winning back the Ashes will be among the main priorities for England in 2023 (Mike Owen/Getty Images)
"My job is to take the handbrake off, free them up and get them to play to their full potential," he said.
"We've got a beautifully balanced side. With the experiences, the younger players have had this summer, in particular, and the emergence of some players who may have not got those chances if our senior players had been fit and firing, then we might have been in a similar position.
"They understand what it takes to win at international level but they are also at the start of their journey. It is an exciting time to be taking over this team."
Despite what promises to be a challenging 2023 creeping onto the horizon, Lewis has plans beyond those two pieces of major silverware.
Instead, the focus will be on creating a brand of cricket that builds on the increasing interest in women's sport.
Alice Capsey - a breakout star for England in 2022 (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
"Whenever you take over an England cricket team, World Cups and Ashes series are top of the list," the ex-England men's fast bowler, who has jetted back to the UK from coaching the Lions in the United Arab Emirates, added.
"That doesn't matter what stage of state the team is in those are the things that you're focused on.
"However, what I would say is the way women's sport is growing and the coverage and exposure it is getting now is astronomical and it is exactly the right thing that should be happening.
"You will always focus on winning World Cups and Ashes series but there is a bigger picture as well in terms of entertaining and inspiring.
"I want our team to play a brand of cricket that brings people into the stadium that makes them want to come and watch great entertaining cricket."
"The more exposure we can give our players across the board is the better for them and us because they'll learn and grow from it"
Unlike many of Lewis' predecessors, the former Sussex quick will have to manage his players against a backdrop of the increasing influence of franchise cricket on the women's game.
A five-team women's Indian Premier League is due to launch next year, following the introduction of the Caribbean Premier League and the Fairbreak Invitational, joining the WBBL and The Hundred.
"That is one of the challenges of the job, understanding the schedule and working out with each individual player what is right for them at that point in time," he said.
"Franchise cricket has started to bridge the gap between regional cricket and the international game.
"The more exposure we can give our players across the board is the better for them and us because they'll learn and grow from it. The caveat is we don't want players spending all their time away from home and being able to have that downtime and getting the balance in their life."
Three ODIs and a trio of T20Is are the first task facing Lewis in December (SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images)
Lewis is hopeful captain Heather Knight will play a full part in the Windies tour having missed the second half of the campaign after having surgery on a hip injury.
The group also includes Lauren Winfield-Hill as a reward for her summer form. Lewis is keen to stress his "fresh eyes" will provide opportunities for players currently on the fringes.
Matthew Mott, the all-conquering former Australia head coach who help England men to T20 World Cup glory, will also be on hand for Lewis to consult - "it would be pretty dumb not to, to be honest" - as he bids to chase down the world No.1 ranked nation.
He explained: "We played the most recent World Cup and got to the final so we're not too far away from picking up trophies. There were small moments in those games that if they'd gone our way we'd be world champions at the moment.
"Australia have been dominant and rightly so and they've played some fantastic cricket and we're looking to play a brand of cricket to push them off the top."
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