Jon Lewis: Meet the England coach trying to topple 'dominant' Australia
- Published
Captain Heather Knight (right) is preparing to lead in England in the Ashes for the fourth time
A World Cup and an Ashes series in the space of six months is quite the baptism of fire for a new England coach.
But Jon Lewis, head coach of England women since November, enjoys the challenge.
The T20 World Cup in February did not go to plan after a semi-final exit to hosts South Africa, but with little time to dwell on it, the focus quickly shifted to the next opponents: Australia in the Ashes.
Their incredible record is one that is repeated often, as is the question of whether they are the world's greatest sporting side: seven-time World Cup winners, six T20 World Cup trophies and Commonwealth Games gold at the first time of asking.
But Lewis, for whom the Test match at Trent Bridge will be his first encounter against Australia, is embracing that.
"They are obviously the dominant force in women's cricket and they have been for a long time now, but we have to view that as an opportunity," Lewis told BBC Sport.
"It will stretch us on how we want to play and how we want to think about the game, but we know it will be a great challenge against a formidable opponent."
'A big opportunity to disrupt'
During the World Cup, and despite the disappointing result, England's players spoke with openness and positivity around Lewis' influence on the side and his mindset, encouraging them to play with freedom, aggression and most importantly, fun.
It is not too dissimilar from the approach adopted by the men's Test team under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, who Lewis credits for some of his inspiration.
Lewis admits his team may have lost sight of that positivity during the semi-final defeat, and resorted to being "a little bit safe" in the pressure moments.
So how straightforward will it be for the underdog to take the attack to the juggernaut?
"Pretty easy," says Lewis. "I'm not a betting man but if you went to the bookies and looked at the odds for the series, I would say that Australia are probably pretty strong favourites and rightly so.
"So we are the underdog but that gives you an opportunity to distract your opponent. It's not exactly a free hit, but it's a chance to do something a little different, change what we do and see if we can disrupt them."
Lewis comes across as thoughtful and measured, but with a sense of quiet confidence, his enthusiasm for the game evident in the belief that he has in his side to do something special this summer - despite the odds.
"We have got such a big opportunity to disrupt what they [Australia] are used to and I have noticed that the girls find that a lot of fun," said Lewis.
"It's something new, it's something exciting and they are really enjoying the challenge of pushing themselves. The opponent being as strong as they are, well, you have to view that as a privilege.
"It makes you want to get better and pushes you to a point where you may not have been before."
'Mistakes will happen, and that's OK'
This summer's series marks 10 years since the inception of the multi-format Ashes, consisting of one Test match, three one-day internationals and three T20s.
The Test match is worth four points - and with the five-day fixture up first, a win would give the victorious side a big lead and plenty of momentum.
It is the first time the Test has been five days, but remains difficult to predict given the scarcity of women's Test cricket in the global calendar - England and Australia play the most frequently, but that is only ever a maximum of two a year if they are lucky.
"It's really interesting, and it's a very good coaching challenge because you have to really think clearly," says Lewis, who played one Test for England and had a long first-class career with Gloucestershire.
"There is so much intricate detail in Test cricket or multi-day cricket, but there are also some very simple things that can help you be successful if you do them well.
"So it's about balancing all the knowledge that I have and simplifying it so the players can go and deliver that."
Despite not facing Australia yet, Lewis says he has sought knowledge from their former coach Matthew Mott, who now leads England men's white-ball teams, and gained valuable insight from his time in India coaching UP Warriorz at the Women's Premier League, where Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris played for his side.
But he is mindful of dwelling too much on the opposition, and instead wants to focus on their own positive approach - which he says the team loves, despite being occasionally pushed out of their comfort zone.
"Having a change of mindset takes time," he said.
"Real belief in changing your mindset takes time and when you are trying to change something, mistakes are going to be made and that is OK and that is how we are going to learn."
But it is that pure love of the game that has captured Lewis' attention since embarking upon his women's cricket career.
"From watching the men's team do it and now the women's, it really does free the players up to enjoy what they're doing.
"They already play with a smile on their faces, this team, but I think it's one of the really noticeable differences between the men's and women's game is how much these girls really outwardly enjoy playing.
"I found that really refreshing when I came in to women's cricket."
The summer of 2022 saw the nation gripped by the Lionesses' historic European victory at Wembley - an event Lewis says he was personally inspired by.
This summer it could be cricket's turn in the spotlight.