Former captain Charlotte Edwards has been appointed as the new head coach of the England Women’s cricket team.

Edwards was the immediate favourite to succeed Jon Lewis after his departure following a challenging Ashes whitewash. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) acted swiftly, finalising her appointment in less than two weeks.

The 45-year-old expressed her excitement on ecb.co.uk, saying: “I am absolutely delighted to once again be part of the leadership of the England Women’s cricket team, and I cannot wait to take this team forward and lead us to success.”

Edwards enjoyed a distinguished 20-year international career, captaining the side for ten years. She has since built an impressive coaching CV both domestically and internationally, with a range of honours at Southern Vipers, the inaugural Hundred title with Southern Brave, and the Women’s Premier League with Mumbai Indians.

Although she had been linked to the role when Lewis was appointed in November 2022, Edwards publicly withdrew from consideration at that time, feeling it was not the right moment. However, following England’s 16-0 defeat in Australia, the 45-year-old made it clear that she wanted to help her former team rebuild.

Edwards recently took charge of Hampshire ahead of the new tier-one revamp of women’s domestic cricket. However, the county now faces the need to seek a new manager as the inaugural season commences later this month. Edwards had been scheduled to speak at Hampshire's pre-season media day on Tuesday but withdrew once the England deal was confirmed.

One of Edwards’ first major decisions will be appointing a new captain. Heather Knight, who succeeded Edwards as captain in 2016, was also dismissed following the ECB’s review, leaving no clear successor.

Names such as Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amy Jones, Charlie Dean, and even the uncapped Grace Scrivens have been suggested, but none have a flawless case, meaning the new coach's judgement will be critical.

Dani Hazell, head coach of Durham Women and another candidate linked with the vacancy, expressed her support for Edwards, telling the PA news agency: “I played under Lottie for many, many years, and she was a brilliant leader when I played with her.

“She’s obviously now built an excellent coaching CV, and if that’s the direction England go in, I think she’ll only bring positives to the role.

“I can’t predict the future, but if that were to happen, I’m sure she’d do a fantastic job.”