'judge Us Next Summer' - England's T20 Wake-up Call

It is improbable that anybody pinch an liking successful England's post-Ashes rebuild - players, fans and nan media alike - thought it would beryllium straightforward.

And while losing a bid 3-2 whitethorn not look emphatic, England's first T20 bid conclusion astatine location by India has presented Charlotte Edwards and her broadside pinch a stark reality.

India's 3 wins were utterly ascendant - by 97 runs, 24 runs and six wickets.

Both of England's were nervy encounters won from nan past shot aft almost squandering winning positions.

An awesome fightback astatine The Oval successful nan 3rd lucifer meant they kept nan bid alive. But nan triumph astatine Edgbaston successful nan 5th counted for very small - nan bid was already gone. Once again, they put successful a capacity erstwhile location was not arsenic overmuch unit connected nan line.

The 50-over World Cup is looming, opening successful India astatine nan extremity of September, but successful nan shorter format, Edwards has often spoken of England's "journey" to nan location T20 tourney adjacent year.

"We've still sewage a agelong measurement to go, I'm nether nary illusions astir that," said Edwards aft England's thrilling triumph astatine Edgbaston, but besides expressed assurance successful her broadside pinch a punchy challenge.

"People person conscionable sewage to beryllium patient. And surely successful this format, we've sewage 12 months. You tin judge us, travel adjacent July."

Another often-repeated building from Edwards has been that England are a "team successful transition".

Frankly, this statement does not stack up.

Yes, location is caller leadership, and Edwards is trying to instil a small much smartness into England aft they mislaid their measurement nether Jon Lewis, whose mantra of "inspire and entertain" brought a struggle for clarity.

And losing world-class players successful Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight would time off an tremendous spread successful immoderate team. It is nary astonishment that England person struggled to capable that void.

But they are a very knowledgeable side. They are a group who person benefited enormously from nan accrued professionalisation of nan women's crippled internationally and nan mostly of players person plied their waste and acquisition successful franchises astir nan world, too.

Nine retired of 11 players who played successful nan last T20 against Australia successful January person featured successful this bid against India - and it would person been 10 if you presume Knight would beryllium successful nan broadside if fit.

The mean property of England's broadside is 27.6 compared to India's 25, and they mean 63.9 world caps per subordinate against India's 56.3.

A important problem for England aft nan Ashes was their cognition pinch fans, and Edwards' honesty successful admitting nan standard of nan situation is apt to beryllium received gratefully, but they are not an inexperienced aliases young team.

The bigger conundrum is that they person very small clip to put things correct collectively - a tri-series successful May adjacent twelvemonth pinch India and New Zealand are nan only world T20s scheduled betwixt now and nan World Cup.

Discussions surrounding England's inability to play rotation are opening to sound for illustration a surgery record.

Without a doubt, however, it is their astir pressing concern.

In 2022, England averaged 42.3 against rotation successful T20s, losing 25 wickets.

The pursuing year, they mislaid 46 wickets astatine an mean of 18, and truthful acold successful 2025 they person mislaid 41 astatine 19.9.

Their gameplan against slow bowling seems muddled, torn betwixt onslaught and defence pinch batters regularly trapped connected nan crease aliases caught from attempted aggression.

And while nan approaching World Cup is successful nan longer format of nan game, England's opponents will person their bowling strategies successful spot already, specified is nan predictability of their weakness.

Edwards has besides accepted England's immense request for betterment successful nan field, wherever they person been mediocre against India, pinch regular misfields and 4 dropped catches successful nan past 5 overs unsocial successful nan 3rd brushwood astatine The Oval.

"It's a mindset point nether pressure, but it's an area we activity really, really difficult on," said Edwards.

"We are not going to hide distant from that."

India's fielding improvement, meanwhile, has been astronomical. They person charged successful from nan bound to extremity twos, regularly hauled nan shot successful from nan ropes aft covering masses of ground, and completed immoderate staggering catches.

At Edgbaston, this was epitomised by Em Arlott and Sophie Ecclestone backing retired of catches connected nan boundary, letting nan shot bounce successful beforehand of them and redeeming nan runs instead.

Radha Yadav, meanwhile, sprinted and dived full-stretch to disregard Amy Jones successful spectacular manner moreover erstwhile nan crippled was beautiful overmuch successful England's hands.

Edwards and galore players person cited India's immense improvement, mostly a consequence of nan Women's Premier League, which has been successful beingness for 3 years, and they regularly play successful beforehand of packed crowds wherever each crippled matters.

But The Hundred is not excessively dissimilar for England, and they cannot usage nan excuse of not being nether unit capable when, for example, this does not look to beryllium an rumor for Australia successful world cricket. They are relentless, whoever they play, and India are pursuing a akin trajectory.

This scrutiny will not spell distant for England until they person a trophy aliases an Ashes bid successful nan bag.

And connected that basis, yes - they will beryllium judged travel adjacent July.