ECB boss 'can't believe' 16-0 women's Ashes loss and promises review

England captain Heather Knight would not confirm whether she will continue in her role after the Ashes defeat

"It's been brutal and hugely disappointing and frustrating. Can I believe it? No, I can't. The scoreline is very difficult to swallow and to make sense of."

Those are the words of Clare Connor, managing director of England women's cricket and the deputy CEO of the English Cricket Board (ECB).

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Test Match Special after England's 16-0 drubbing in the Women's Ashes, Connor:

• Denied there was an attitude of "cosiness" in captain Heather Knight and coach Jon Lewis' side;

• Admitted the team was "wrestling with performance under pressure";

• Said England were still playing "catch-up" with Australia's professionalism in the women's game, despite ECB investment;

• Pledged an "honest review" which will be drawn up over the next few weeks but declined to be drawn on changes to leadership;

• Described Sophie Ecclestone's refusal to give an interview to Alex Hartley, said to be over previous criticism of their fitness, as "an unfortunate incident that won't happen again".

'I don't recognise a cosiness'

After a disappointing tour where England were outplayed but also let winning opportunities slide through lack of discipline, Connor said the scoreline was a "tough pill to swallow".

But while she acknowledged that the team's reputation had taken a hit as a result, Connor said she did not feel the accusations of a lack of professionalism were accurate.

"The perception and reputation of England women's cricket is something that we want people to see positively and for them to be role models," said Connor, who captained England between 2000-2006.

"But this is the scrutiny that comes when you lose and when you lose heavily.

"This group of players care deeply about playing for England and they will be hurting, they are hurting hugely from what's happened over this last month. There isn't a lack of professionalism and I don't recognise a cosiness.

"But all of that, I understand, is going to be brought into these conversations when a team has underperformed to the extent that we have."

Connor said England had been "outplayed in every facet of the game".

"Australia have shown that they're constantly setting new standards in international women's cricket," she said

"It's raw, isn't it? I think in the early reflections one of the biggest differences right now in the two groups of players is the ability to, when there's a chink of an opportunity, ruthlessly take that and not step back."

'We are wrestling with performance under pressure'

Connor reaffirmed her belief in the group of players - but accepted they are still playing catch-up with Australia's superior domestic set-up.

This is despite major investment in the women's game in recent years, such as spending £19m a year on the domestic game and raising international match fees to equal their male counterparts.

In Australia, professional domestic women's cricket has existed for longer than in England. The first contracts in Australia came about in 2017, in England this was in 2020.

England have not won a trophy or Ashes since the landmark 2017 World Cup win, leading to concerns progress has stalled.

An inability to perform under pressure has been a recurring theme for England since the T20 World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa in 2023.

"It's not so much about what you're paid, but it's about the experiences you've had that you then take on to an international stage," Connor said.

"I think one of the things we're wrestling with is performance under pressure and that's what knockout tournaments are, whether it's a semi-final or a final or even a must-win group game.

"We've got to work out how to fast-track that learning, because you can see it in Australia as a group. You can see that their ruthlessness, their decision making, their skill execution under pressure is at a different level, and part of that I believe comes from many of them having an eight-year career already as a professional cricketer.

"I believe if we get that right, that will translate into winning key moments and key games on the biggest stages of Ashes and World Cup."

'There will be an honest review'

After each defeat by Australia across formats, the speculation surrounding the futures of Lewis and Knight has increased, but Connor said it was too soon to be making those decisions.

Both gave little away in the aftermath of the Test match, which Australia won by an innings and 122 runs, but there is a sense that change is inevitable considering the margin of defeat and the way England are not learning from their mistakes.

"There is nobody more disappointed about this tour than Heather and Jon," Connor added.

"They've poured every ounce of themselves into this and I think that's been evident.

"Everything will be looked at with real honesty when we get back.

"Cricket fans and everybody as disappointed as us by this tour can rest assured that we won't shy away from holding the mirror up and having tough and honest conversations about how we move forward because this has been an enormously disappointing tour."

'It won't happen again' - Connor on Ecclestone snub

Connor also addressed Sophie Ecclestone's refusal to be interviewed by pundit Hartley on Australia's Channel 7 in the build-up to the second T20 in Sydney.

Hartley had previously criticised England's fitness after the T20 World Cup last autumn.

Ecclestone's actions led to questioning of England's attitude and their ability to handle criticism.

"That was an unfortunate incident and it won't happen again," Connor said.

"It's an important obligation of a professional sportsperson to fulfil their media obligations. And again, that's an area of improvement that we need to keep focused on.

"We have all got to be accountable for performance and speaking to the media is an important element of that."

Hartley, a 50-over World Cup winner in 2017, had told Test Match Special that "80% of the England team are fit and athletic enough but there are girls in that side who are letting the team down when it comes to fitness".

Connor defended the fitness of the players, saying Australia were "setting new standards".

"I'm not going to sit here and say that we are as athletic as the Australian team," she said.

"I think what they've shown on this tour has been at times remarkable and surprised even somebody like me who's watched them for more years than I care to remember.

"That will be another area that we have got to go away and work out how we match those standards."