England have just lost the Women’s Ashes 16-0. Assuming money is no object, what should they do to ensure they are competitive when they next face Australia in 2027? Here are six suggestions …

1) Give the job to Edwards

Before Jon Lewis was appointed England’s head coach in November 2022 he had never worked in women’s cricket. Sometimes, an outsider can revolutionise a culture, but in this case Lewis tried to bring in “Bazball” values without understanding that what works in men’s cricket will not always translate into the women’s game.

Lewis will surely depart and his successor needs to understand the limitations and potential of the domestic setup, know the names of every single up-and-coming cricketer in the country, and not take any nonsense. Yes, I am talking about Charlotte Edwards. Offer her as much money as it takes to buy her out of her existing Hampshire, WBBL and WPL deals, and back her to the hilt – including in her own choice of captain – as she picks up the pieces of this Ashes debacle.

2) Introduce a domestic red-ball tournament

The Test match is the jewel in the crown of the Ashes. Winning it is worth four points. If England want to regain the Ashes in 2027, this should be an area of focus. As it stands, the domestic restructure means English players will participate in a Women’s T20 Blast and a Women’s One-Day Cup (as well as the Hundred), but what about adding a red-ball domestic competition?

England could easily gain competitive advantage. Australia play no multiday domestic cricket. If they face an England team in the next Ashes who were regularly doing so, that could be an intimidating prospect.

Of course the domestic schedule is becoming busier every season, so it may work best for a separate strand of players who are thought particularly suitable for longer-form cricket to compete in this, while others simultaneously go off to play in the Blast. Men’s cricket has red-ball and white-ball specialists, so why shouldn’t we?

3) Fix the inability to play spin

Easier said than done, but one thing we have learned is that a short, one-off camp in India with a handful of players (of the kind which Lewis organised in 2023) does not do any good. This is going to require a longer-term fix.

One problem in England is that we tend to prioritise short-term over long-term success, which means that spinners who have excellent control but who do not turn the ball (such as Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn) are the ones who make it into the England setup. Hence why, when Alana King comes along and sends down a ripping leg-break, the English batters have no answers.

We need to find the spinners in England who turn the ball the most (Hampshire’s 16‑year‑old leg-spinner Eve O’Neill looked promising in the recent Under-19 World Cup), fast-track them into the national setup, and nurture their talent. We also need to be patient. King spent years honing her craft, and made her debut for Australia at the age of 26.

4) Bring a Clark-style leadership programme

England’s overreliance on Heather Knight is not just unhealthy, it is a strategy fraught with risks. If your captain gets injured, you end up looking like headless chickens (as England did against West Indies at the T20 World Cup).

How to fix the problem? A female leadership programme, specifically tailored to mentor the next generation of leaders in English cricket. Australia have one. It is run by the former Australia captain and executive at Cricket Australia, Belinda Clark, and 27 of the 33 women who have graduated from it have gone on to hold leadership roles as captains in domestic, franchise or international cricket. That includes Tahlia McGrath – last seen stepping seamlessly into the shoes of Alyssa Healy when the Australia captain was injured halfway through the Ashes. Australia are a team full of leaders. England should be, too.

5) Make everyone else more competitive

It might sound counterintuitive, but the way to make the Ashes a better spectacle is to make other nations more competitive, to avoid the scenario where England are regularly thrashing countries such as Pakistan and New Zealand in bilateral cricket, and then crumble at the first sign of pressure during World Cups and Ashes series.

To change that, we need to go right to the top and alter the International Cricket Council’s revenue‑distribution model. First, revenue should be distributed much more equally among nations, to avoid perpetuating the “Big Three” dominance of England, Australia and India. Second, boards should be required to spend 50% of their revenue on developing their women’s teams, and be penalised for non-compliance by losing Full Membership status. The Ashes will always be iconic, but it should never be the only competitive bilateral women’s cricket.

6) Improve the English weather

The 16-0 whitewash is explained easily by the fact that it rains a lot in England. We could start by sending our players to a surfing camp at Bondi. If that does not work, global warming ought to eventually do the trick.