Women's Premier League: UP Warriorz head coach Jon Lewis leaves WPL 2024 after group stage
Jon Lewis is also the head coach of the England women's national team and will join his national team players in New Zealand on March 12. The UP Warriorz group stage ends on March 11.
New Delhi: UP Warrioz head coach Jon Lewis, who also manages the England women's cricket team, will leave the Women's Premier League after the group stages of the upcoming edition due to national commitments. Lewis will join the England squad in New Zealand on March 12 for their eight-game tour, almost two weeks after the playing group arrives. The WPL 2024 group stage ends on March 13, just six days before the first T20I for England women against New Zealand women. UP Warriorz will play their final group match on March 13 at the Aru Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
If UP Warriorz reach the knockouts, assistant coach Ashley Noffke will take charge of the team. A former Australian cricketer, Noffke had served as coach of Brisbane Heat in WBBL and London Spirit women's team in The Hundred.
“I had good conversations with the franchise there. They're really open to me starting, getting everything sorted out and going through to the group stage. Hopefully we'll have one more game after that and by the time we get to that point I'm pretty sure the players will have had enough of me talking to them and they can do it on their own. ,” Lewis was quoted by The Cricketer.
“Hopefully we are in a very strong position, we have a very experienced captain in Alyssa Healy and a very experienced assistant coach in Ashley Noffke, who is an experienced head coach. We have a lot of coverage in the coaching department and UP has actually been very accommodating,” he added.
Meanwhile, the likes of Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danielle Wyatt will be available from the fourth T20I at the end of WPL 2024. Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named two different squads for the T20I series of five games against New Zealand – one for the first three games and one for the fourth and fifth games.
“The short window of just one or two days between the end of the WPL and the first IT20 in New Zealand has meant we have had to balance the challenges of long-term workload management for players, enable participation in the WPL and ensure We needed to ensure clarity for the group of players preparing for the first three IT20s,” said Jonathan Finch, director of England women's cricket.
“As a result, we have named two IT20 squads, with the WPL players available for the fourth and fifth matches of the series. All the players participating in the WPL received our support to remain in India for the duration of the tournament,” he added.
Lauren Bell and England captain Heather Knight have previously withdrawn from the WPL to ensure they can be available for all T20I games in New Zealand. Both Bell and Knight withdrew upon learning that WPL rules do not allow mid-tournament substitutions as they did not want their respective WPL teams to be disadvantaged by their early departures.
England squad for first 3 T20Is: Hollie Armitage, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Linsey Smith.
England squad for first 4th and 5th T20Is: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Wyatt,
England ODI squad: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Wyatt