Charlotte Edwards
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Charlotte Marie Edwards (born 17 December 1979) is an English former
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty20 Internationals for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
between 1996 and 2016. She played domestic cricket in England for
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
,
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
and Southern Vipers, as well as overseas for Northern Districts,
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, Perth Scorchers,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
and
Adelaide Strikers The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 Decemb ...
. Edwards is considered one of the most significant figures in women's cricket. At the time of her international debut in 1996, in a Test match against
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, she was the youngest woman to play for England. In 1997, the day before her 18th birthday, she scored what remains the highest score for an English player in a Women's One Day International (WODI), scoring 173 * against
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. She has the second most appearances in Women's Test matches, and the most appearances for England in WODIs. She is also England's second-leading run-scorer in Women's Test matches, and all-time leading run-scorer in both WODIs and Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is). She was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2008, and PCA Women's Player of the Year and a
Wisden Cricketer of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based "primarily for their influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
in 2014. She was awarded an MBE in 2009 and a CBE in 2014. In 2022, she was inducted into the
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises "the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". It was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on 2 January 2009, in association with the Fe ...
. Edwards first captained England in 2005, and was appointed as captain of the national side permanently in 2006, following the retirement of Clare Connor. England went on to win the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup, the 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20 and three outright Ashes series under her leadership. She remained captain of the side until the side's exit from the 2016 ICC Women's World Twenty20, after which she was told she was not part of the side's future plans: she subsequently retired from international cricket. She continued playing domestic cricket for Hampshire and Southern Vipers before announcing her retirement from all cricket in September 2017, playing her final match in June 2018 for Hampshire. Following her playing career, she became Director of Women's Cricket at Hampshire in 2018. She became head coach of her former team Southern Vipers in 2020, and led them to the first two Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy titles. She also coaches Southern Brave in The Hundred,
Sydney Sixers The Sydney Sixers is an Australian professional franchise men's cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). Along with the Sydney Thunder, the Sixers are the successors of the Spee ...
in the Women's Big Bash League and
Mumbai Indians The Mumbai Indians are a professional Twenty20, Twenty20 cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indians were founded in 2008 and are owned by India's largest Conglomerate (company), co ...
in the Women's Premier League. In 2021, the new English domestic women's Twenty20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup, was named after her in recognition of her contribution to English cricket, with Southern Vipers first winning the trophy named after their coach in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. She also regularly appears as a commentator on cricket for
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
, and was appointed president of the Professional Cricketers' Association in 2021.


Early life

Edwards was born on 17 December 1979 in
Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...
,
Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
, and grew up on a farm near Pidley. Her father, Clive Edwards, played for Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club (as did her uncle Hugh and later her brother Daniel). She played her first club cricket at Ramsey Cricket Club in Huntingdonshire, and later captained one of the youth sides. She attended Ramsey Abbey School, a comprehensive school.


Domestic career


County cricket

Edwards played her first county cricket match in 1994, for
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
against
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
in the
Women's Area Championship The Women's Area Championship was a women's cricket competition organised by the Women's Cricket Association that ran from 1980 until 1996. It operated as a 55-over limited overs cricket competition, with teams organised into a number of groups, ...
, in which she took 2/34 from 11 overs and scored 25 runs. She was the side's leading run-scorer that season, with 186 runs including 77 * made against Surrey Second XI. Edwards played for East Anglia until the end of the 1999 season, including in the first three seasons of the Women's County Championship, which was instituted in 1997. She made her maiden
List A List A cricket is a classification of the Limited overs cricket, limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competit ...
century in 1996, scoring 113 against East Midlands. She was the leading run-scorer in the 1998 Women's County Championship, with 394 runs including three centuries. Edwards joined
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
ahead of the 2000 season. She captained the side once in her first season, before becoming the regular captain of the side in 2002 until she departed the club at the end of the 2016 season. During her time with Kent, the side would win the Women's County Championship in
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
,
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, and the Women's Twenty20 Cup (which began in 2009) in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
. She was the leading run-scorer in the Women's County Championship in
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
,
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, 2011 and 2014. She was also the leading wicket-taker in the Women's County Championship in 2006, and the leading run-scorer in the Women's Twenty20 Cup in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. Her highest score in county cricket came in 2002, scoring 151 * for Kent against
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
. She also scored 151, dismissed, against
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
in 2014. After winning the County Championship and Twenty20 Cup double with Kent in 2016, Edwards announced that she was leaving the club. A week later, it was announced that she was joining
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, a side she would represent for two seasons, in 2017 and 2018 (including as captain in 2018). During her time with the club, they were promoted from Division 2 of the Women's County Championship in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
before winning Division 1 a season later, in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
. Having retired from international cricket in 2016, Edwards announced her retirement from all cricket in September 2017. She played her final county cricket match, and final match in all cricket, on 17 June 2018 against
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
in the
Twenty20 Cup The T20 Blast, officially known as the Vitality Blast for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales. The competition was established by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003. T20 Blast is ...
, where she did not bat or bowl.


Women's Cricket Super League

In 2016, Edwards was named as captain of Southern Vipers in the inaugural
Women's Cricket Super League The Women's Cricket Super League (WCSL), known as the Kia Super League (KSL) for sponsorship reasons, was a semi-professional women's Twenty20 cricket competition in England and Wales operated by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The comp ...
. The Vipers went on to win the competition, with Edwards batting four times in five appearances, with a top score of 30 against Western Storm. She captained the side again in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, her final season playing in the competition, with the Vipers once again reaching the final but this time losing to Western Storm.


Overseas cricket

Edwards played for Northern Districts in New Zealand's domestic 50-over competition in 2000–01 and 2002–03. She was the side's leading run-scorer in both seasons she played, as well as scoring a century in both seasons. In 2014–15, Edwards played for
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
in the Women's National Cricket League and the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup. She was the side's leading run-scorer in both competitions. Edwards also captained the side, and at the end of the season was named the side's player of the year in both competitions, and awarded the Zoe Goss Medal, for being the outstanding female cricketer in Western Australia. The following season, she played in the inaugural season of the Women's Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers. She was her side's leading run-scorer, and the second-highest across the whole competition, with 462 runs including four half-centuries. In 2016–17, Edwards played for
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
in the Women's National Cricket League and their equivalent team
Adelaide Strikers The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 Decemb ...
in the Women's Big Bash League. She was South Australia's leading run-scorer in the Women's National Cricket League, with 312 runs including two centuries. She scored 141 runs at an average of 20.14 in eight matches in the Women's Big Bash League.


Other cricket

Edwards also played in the Super Fours, for Diamonds between 2002 and 2012 and for Sapphires in 2013. In the opening match of the 2006 Super Fours, Edwards scored her
List A List A cricket is a classification of the Limited overs cricket, limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competit ...
high score, scoring 199 * from 151 balls against Sapphires. She also took her only career
five-wicket haul In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batter. Takin ...
in the Super Fours, in
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, taking 5/31 against V Team (the previous name of Sapphires).


International career


Age-group international cricket

Edwards began playing for junior
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
sides in 1992, and played for the side at Under-20, Under-21 and Under-23 level. She played for Junior England against
the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in a warm-up match for the
1993 Women's Cricket World Cup The 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup was an international cricket tournament played in England from 20 July to 1 August 1993. Hosted by England for the second time, it was the fifth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, and came over four years ...
, and for England Under-21s at the 1997–98 Caltrate Inter-Provincial Tournament, South Africa's domestic 50-over tournament, which England Under-21s won.


Early years

Edwards made her international debut on 12 July 1996, for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
against
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in a Test match at
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
. She scored 34 in the first innings and 31 in the second innings, opening the batting both times. At the time of her international debut, she was 16 years old, making her the youngest woman to have played for England at the time. The record was later broken when Holly Colvin made her debut aged 15 in 2005. She next played for England against South Africa in 1997, making her Women's One Day International (WODI) debut in the first match of the series on 15 August. In the second match of the series, Edwards scored her maiden international century, scoring 102 from 118 deliveries at the
County Ground, Taunton The County Ground, known for Naming rights#Stadium naming, sponsorship reasons as Cooper Associates County Ground, is a cricket ground in Taunton, Somerset. It is the home of Somerset County Cricket Club, who have played there since 1882. The gr ...
. At the time, she was the youngest player to score a WODI century, with the record subsequently being broken by Mithali Raj in 1997. She next played in the
1997 Women's Cricket World Cup The 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup, also known as the Hero Honda Women's World Cup, was the sixth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, held in India. With 32 matches involving a record 11 teams across 25 cricket grounds, England, Australi ...
in India and, in England's third match of the tournament and a day short of her 18th birthday, scored a then-record WODI score of 173 * against
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. In 1998, Edwards played against Australia, and scored three half-centuries in the three Test series, with a high score of 87. She next played against India in 1999, and scored her maiden Test century in the only Test match, with 108 from 249 deliveries. She was, and remains, the second youngest player to hit a Women's Test match century, at 19 years and 210 days. Edwards toured Australia and New Zealand with England in early 2000, scoring two half-centuries in the WODI series against Australia. In the summer of 2000, South Africa toured England for five WODIs, with Edwards scoring two half-centuries including 96 * in the fourth match. At the
2000 Women's Cricket World Cup The 2000 CricInfo Women's Cricket World Cup was an international cricket tournament played in New Zealand from 29 November to 23 December 2000. It was the seventh edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, and the second to be hosted by New Zeala ...
in New Zealand, Edwards made her third WODI century, scoring 139 * against the Netherlands.


Injury and beyond

In 2001, Edwards obtained a
cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint, wrist joint and the atlanto-axial joint. In a fashion similar to the cords in ...
injury to her right knee, requiring surgery, which meant that she missed the whole season. She returned to play for England for the 2002 Women's Tri-Series. After appearing for England throughout 2003, in the World Series of Women's Cricket, against Australia and against South Africa, Edwards scored her first international century since 2000 in 2004, scoring 102 in a WODI against South Africa at
East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...
. During England's next series, against New Zealand, Edwards was the leading run-scorer in the WODI series, and scored 117 in the only Test match. On the same tour, Edwards made her
Women's Twenty20 International Women's Twenty20 international (WT20I) is the shortest form of women's international cricket. A women's Twenty20 international is a 20 overs-per-side cricket match between two of the International Cricket Council (ICC) members. The very firs ...
(WT20I) debut, as she played in the first-ever international
Twenty20 Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...
match for either gender. Edwards was the leading run-scorer at the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup, with 280 runs including a high score of 99 against South Africa. She helped England win the Women's Ashes in
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, including top-scoring with 69 in the first innings of the first Test match.


International captaincy

Ahead of England's 2005–06 tour of Sri Lanka and India, Edwards was made captain of the side, with regular captain Clare Connor out with a foot injury. She captained her side to a 2–0 WODI victory over
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
in her first series as captain. The Test match with India was drawn, with the WODI series lost 4–1, although Edwards hit two half-centuries in the WODI series. Clare Connor retired from international cricket in March 2006, with Edwards named as her permanent replacement. Her first series in permanent charge of the side came against India in England. She scored a century in the second innings of the 2nd Test match, with 105 as her side followed-on. In 2007, Edwards led the side to third place in the 2006–07 ICC Women's Quadrangular Series, scored her maiden WT20I half-century in a one-off match against South Africa, and led the side in a victorious WT20I series and WODI series loss against New Zealand, scoring a half-century in each series. In early 2008, Edwards led the side in a Women's Ashes series for the first time, on England's tour of Australia and New Zealand. The side won the one-off Test match to defend the Ashes, with Edwards scoring 94 in the first innings and hitting the winning runs in the second. She was also the side's leading run-scorer in the drawn WODI series. She played her 100th WODI in the 4th match of the series, in which she hit 70 * to help her side to a 7-wicket victory. England won their WODI series against New Zealand 3–1, with Edwards scoring two half-centuries as well as being the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 10 wickets. In the summer of 2008, Edwards was the leading run-scorer in England's T20I series against South Africa, top-scoring in all three of England's innings, as well as scoring a half-century apiece in England's WODI series against the West Indies and in their WODI series against South Africa. Her 76 * in the third T20I against South Africa was at the time the highest score in WT20Is for England. At the end of the 2008 season, she was awarded the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year Award at the ICC Awards in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
.


2009 World Cup double and Ashes retention

In March 2009, Edwards led England at a
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
for the first time. Edwards' best performance came against
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in the Super Six round, where she scored her only half-century of the tournament, with 57, as well as taking 4/37 with the ball. The side reached the final at North Sydney Oval against New Zealand, with England emerging victorious by 4 wickets to win their third World Cup title. Edwards was named as captain of the team of the tournament at the end of the World Cup. The following summer, she led England at the inaugural ICC Women's World Twenty20, held in England. She scored 61 * in England's opening match of the tournament, helping her side to a 10-wicket victory over
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Two days later, it was announced that Edwards had received an MBE for her services to cricket. She was named Player of the Match in England's group stage victory over Pakistan, scoring 43 and taking 2/7, before leading England to the final of the tournament. Edwards scored just 9 in the final at
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...
, against New Zealand, but England were victorious by 6 wickets with three overs to spare. She was the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament. Edwards and England topped off a victorious year by retaining the Women's Ashes, drawing the one-off Test match with Australia, with Edwards scoring 53 * in the second innings to help secure the draw. Edwards was absent for part of the WODI series, but scored a half-century in the fourth match of the series. After the Ashes, she was awarded an MBE. Over the 2009–10 winter, Edwards led England on tours of the West Indies and
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.


WODI appearance record, Ashes century, and World Cups

In 2010, Edwards led England in their disappointing 2010 ICC Women's World Twenty20 campaign, as they exited in the group stage. She scored one half-century against the touring New Zealand side later that summer, scoring 70 in England's 1-wicket victory in the first WODI. She also scored 72 in a one-off ODI against Ireland. In November 2010, England toured Sri Lanka, and in the 2nd WODI Edwards became the most-capped WODI player, with 142 caps, breaking the record of Karen Rolton. At the time, Clare Connor, then the
England and Wales Cricket Board The England and Wales Cricket Board, aka ECB, is the Sports governing body, national governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was formed on 1 January 1997 as a single governing body to combine the roles formerly fulfilled by the Test ...
's Head of Women's Cricket, called her "a credit to women's cricket globally, a superb role model for girls who aspire to play for their country". The record was later broken by Mithali Raj. She also took her WODI best bowling figures in the match, with 4/30 from her 8 overs. In England's series against Australia later that winter, Edwards made her first Test century in the Ashes, scoring 114 *. She was also the leading run-scorer in the WODI series, scoring two half-centuries. In the summer of 2011, Edwards was England's leading run-scorer at the 2011 NatWest Women's T20 Quadrangular Series. Edwards led England on an unbeaten international winter in 2011–12, against
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
and
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, and scored a century in both WODI series: 138 in the 2nd ODI against South Africa and 137 * in the 2nd ODI against New Zealand. In May 2012, Edwards was appointed to the world cricket committee of the
Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...
, becoming the first woman to be appointed to the body. Edwards began the playing summer of 2012 by scoring 72 * in a one-off WT20I against Ireland. Subsequently, she led England to series victories over
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
in the lead-up to the 2012 ICC Women's World Twenty20. England reached the final of the 2012 World Twenty20 before losing to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Edwards top-scored in both the semi-final and final for England, and scoring 50 * in England's group stage victory over
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Edwards ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer across the competition, with 172 runs, and was named Player of the Tournament. The World Twenty20 was followed by the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup, with England finishing third. Edwards scored two centuries in the tournament, 109 against India in the Group Stage and 106 * in the 3rd Place Play-off against
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. She ended the tournament as the third-highest run-scorer across the competition, with 292 runs.


Two Ashes victories and Cricketer of the Year

At the start of the 2013 summer, Edwards was the leading run-scorer in England's WODI series victory against Pakistan. She then led England into the 2013 Women's Ashes series against Australia. England won the series, which was decided on a points-based system for the first time, with Edwards scoring two half-centuries in the WODI series. After the series, she described reclaiming the Ashes as the "proudest moment" of her career. After a tour of the West Indies in October and November 2013, England again contested the Ashes, this time in Australia. Edwards scored a half-century in the only Test match, and made her WT20I career high score in the first WT20I, with 92 * in an England 9-wicket victory. England also won the series, becoming the third England Women's side to do so in Australia. England next played in the 2014 ICC Women's World Twenty20, again losing to Australia in the final. Edwards was the fourth-highest run-scorer across the competition, with a high score of 80 in England's victory over
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. In April 2014, in recognition of her achievements in 2013, Edwards was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year, becoming the second woman to be so honoured after Claire Taylor in 2009. She was also named the ECB Cricketer of the Year for 2013–14.


Professional contract

In May 2014, Edwards received one of the first 18 ECB central contracts, becoming one of the first English professional woman cricketers. In the summer of 2014, Edwards was the leading run-scorer in England's WODI series against India and in their WT20I series against South Africa. She scored 108 * in the 2nd WODI against India, and half-centuries in two of the WT20Is against South Africa. In June 2014, Edwards was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for service to cricket. At the end of the season, she was named the first PCA Women's Player of the Summer. In the 2014–15 winter, Edwards scored one half-century in England's WODI series victory against New Zealand. In May 2015, she was named the ECB Cricketer of the Year for 2014–15. In the summer of 2015, she captained England in the Ashes against Australia, with Australia regaining the Ashes. Edwards passed fifty once in the series, in the second WODI.


2016 World Twenty20 and international retirement

In February 2016, England played against South Africa, winning both the WODI and WT20I series. Following this, England played in the 2016 ICC Women's World Twenty20 in India, where they went out in the semi-finals against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Edwards was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 202 runs including half-centuries against
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. England's failure at the tournament, with another knockout stages defeat to Australia, was seen as a "line-in-the-sand" moment, with things needing to change in the system. After the 2016 World Twenty20, England Head Coach Mark Robinson informed Edwards that she would not be selected for England's upcoming tours, intending instead to bring in younger players under new leadership. Following this decision, Edwards announced her retirement from international cricket. She was replaced as England captain by Heather Knight. Edwards ended her international career with 309 appearances for England across all formats: 23 in Tests, 191 in ODIs and 95 in T20Is. She captained England on 220 occasions. At the end of her career, she had the second most appearances overall in Women's Test matches, and the most for England in WODIs. She was also England's second-leading run-scorer in Women's Test matches, and all-time leading run-scorer in both WODIs and WT20Is. She was also the first player to score 2,000 runs in WT20Is. In November 2022, in recognition of her playing achievements, she was inducted into the
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises "the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". It was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on 2 January 2009, in association with the Fe ...
.


Post-playing career


Coaching

In October 2017, it was announced that Edwards was returning to her previous playing side
Adelaide Strikers The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 Decemb ...
in the Women's Big Bash League as an assistant coach. She remained in the role for five seasons. In April 2018, Edwards was appointed as Director of Women's Cricket at
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, with responsibility for the management of both Hampshire Women and Southern Vipers. In July 2020, following reforms to the structure of domestic women's cricket in England, Edwards became head coach of Southern Vipers. She led the side to winning the inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in her first season with the side, and won the title again in
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
. In June 2021, it was announced that the new regional
Twenty20 Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...
competition would be named the Charlotte Edwards Cup, in honour of Edwards. Southern Vipers won their first Charlotte Edwards Cup in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. Edwards coached Southern Vipers to the domestic double in 2023. Edwards also became coach of Southern Brave's women's side ahead of the inaugural season of The Hundred in 2021. The side reached the final of the first two editions of the tournament, but lost in the final both times. Southern Brave reached the final again in
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, and this time won the competition. In May 2022, Edwards was named as the head coach of
Sydney Sixers The Sydney Sixers is an Australian professional franchise men's cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). Along with the Sydney Thunder, the Sixers are the successors of the Spee ...
in the Women's Big Bash League from the 2022–23 season onwards, moving from her assistant coach role at Adelaide Strikers. The side won a record eleven matches in the group stage of the competition during Edwards' first season in charge, but lost in the final to Adelaide Strikers. After the departure of Lisa Keightley from the head coach role of England Women in the summer of 2022, Edwards initially expressed interest in taking on the role, but later ruled herself out. In February 2023, it was announced that Edwards would be the head coach of
Mumbai Indians The Mumbai Indians are a professional Twenty20, Twenty20 cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indians were founded in 2008 and are owned by India's largest Conglomerate (company), co ...
in the Women's Premier League. The side went on to win the inaugural edition of the tournament. In November 2024, Edwards was named head coach at the newly professional Hampshire Women following the restructuring of English domestic women's cricket set to start in the 2025 season. In April 2025, Edwards was named as Head Coach of the England Women's Cricket Team.


Other pursuits

Edwards regularly works as a commentator on cricket for
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
. In February 2021, she became the first female president of the Professional Cricketers' Association, with her term lasting for two years.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Charlotte 1979 births Cricketers from Huntingdon Living people English women cricketers England women Test cricketers England women One Day International cricketers England women Twenty20 International cricketers East Anglia women cricketers Kent women cricketers Northern Districts women cricketers Western Australia women cricketers Perth Scorchers (WBBL) cricketers Southern Vipers cricketers South Australian Scorpions cricketers Adelaide Strikers (WBBL) cricketers English expatriate cricketers in Australia Hampshire women cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Female cricket coaches English cricket commentators Women cricket commentators ICC Cricketer of the Year Women's Premier League (cricket) coaches