Women's Ashes 2025: Matthew Mott says 'never say never' about coaching England
2025-01-30
Category: sports

Former England men's white-ball coach Matthew Mott says he would "never say never" about coaching the women's side. Mott and Jos Buttler led England to T20 World Cup glory in 2022 but the Australian stepped down in July last year. He previously had great success with Australia's women alongside captain Meg Lanning, winning two T20 world titles, the 50-over World Cup, while they were unbeaten in four Ashes series. Current England boss Jon Lewis is under pressure as his side have lost all six white-ball matches on the tour of Australia so far, and are fighting to avoid a series clean sweep in the Melbourne Test. "You never say never - but I am happy with what I'm doing," Mott told ABC Radio during the Test-match interval. "There's a few things on the horizon for me and I'm excited about that. I've just had two months as assistant coach of Sydney Sixers and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am just looking at the next 12 to 18 month as a bit of a freshen up." England have experienced a tumultuous month in Australia, with drama unfolding off the pitch alongside the disappointing results on it. Before the first T20 of the series in Sydney, which Australia eventually won by 57 runs, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone refused to give an interview with pundit and former player Alex Hartley. That led to Hartley saying she had been given the "cold shoulder" by the team after she criticised their fitness in November, which then reignited the debate around England's athleticism and fielding in comparison to Australia.  Lewis was then the subject of derision in some parts of the media after he suggested Australia's cricketers benefited from a better climate.Mott, 51, was not asked about Lewis' comments but provided insight into what made his and Lanning's side so formidable. "We basically had a mantra that every day was an opportunity to get a little bit better," Mott explained."I think the honesty that the group had around performance was impressive. We didn't immediately debrief after a performance because the emotions were there, but we did always have a structured day where we acknowledged areas we could get better. "Some of the greats of the game - Perry and Lanning - admitting they made mistakes was very empowering for young players to put their hand up on how they can improve." Lanning retired from international cricket in 2023 and though Australia lost at the semi-final stage of their first World Cup after her departure in November, they have dominated the Women's Ashes in all aspects and appear to be building ominous form in order to defend their 50-over title in August and September this year.