On May 17, Charlotte Edwards, the former captain of England was named as the head coach of Sydney Sixers for the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) | 08. WBBL features eight teams and has been played every year since 2015.
Sydney Sixers started off their WBBL journey on a positive note as they finished as the runners-up in season one (2015-16) and four (2018-19) and champions in season two (2016-17) and three (2017-18). However, after a stellar start, Sydney Sixers lost their way and it has been tough going for them in the last three seasons. In the seventh edition of the WBBL, Sydney Sixers were placed right at the bottom of the table.
In order to turn the fortunes of Sydney Sixers, a new head coach in the form of Charlotte Edwards has been appointed. The 42-year-old said, “I’m extremely excited to be offered the role with the Sixers who are one of the most successful women’s domestic teams in the world. The vision for the Sixers is to bring back trophies for the club. More importantly, is the way we do that, and I think the way we do that is to play a really exciting and entertaining style of cricket that hopefully the fans are proud of and want to come and watch. That means a lot to me and the group.”
Coaching a WBBL team is not exactly new for Edwards as she worked as an assistant coach for Adelaide Strikers for five seasons. Edwards will replace Ben Sawyer, who has been the head coach of the Sixers since season one and is also associated with the Australian women’s cricket team as their fast bowling coach. Leah Poulton, the head coach of New South Wales’ female cricket thanked Sawyer for his contributions to Sydney Sixers and also welcomed Edwards.
Poulton said, “Ben has been a wonderful leader over many years at the Sixers and he’s done a fantastic job developing a generation of players. We are proud not just of Ben’s achievements but also of the way in which he worked so hard to build a culture within the team and a connection with our members and fans.”
With regards to the newly appointed head coach of Sydney Sixers, Poulton said, “Charlotte brings with her extensive leadership experience and a reputation for bringing out the best in those around her. She has already demonstrated a clear vision for the team, it’s an exciting brand of cricket which I’m sure will appeal to our fans.”
At present, Edwards is busy with her duties as the head coach of Southern Vipers, an English county team, and will resume her WBBL duties once the domestic season in England is completed.
The quotes are sourced from ESPN cricinfo
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I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.