England all-rounder and World Cup winner Ebony Rainford-Brent acknowledged the complexity in having discussions with female players around the topic, but also stressed the need for difficult conversations in order to improve the side.
“Because of body image issues and mental health, there is sometimes a fear of criticising athletic performance or image which is specific for women’s sport,” Rainford-Brent told the BBC Test Match Special podcast.
“But now the players have moved into a new era, that criticism is part of what is happening.
“I would like to know whether the internal criticism is coming hard enough in the dressing room from the players and management, or is everyone being ‘nicey nicey’.
“If England are to accelerate they need to ask harsh questions or be able to handle harsh things that come in from the outside. To progress and be the best, they need to step it up.”
Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan also questioned the team’s smartness and called for honest reflection for the side to start competing with Australia, who set the “benchmark for men’s and women’s cricket”.
“Have England become a better fielding team in past five years? Are the players getting better, are they a more dynamic batting team, is the bowling more consistent or are they more agile?
“The answer to those questions is probably no and the game needs to ask why.
“England aren’t good enough at the basics of the game and, if they want to be like the Australia side, it is nothing to do with the Coogee to Bondi walk.
“Fielding is an attitude – agility in the field and catching. I don’t think they field like a top-four team in the world – they are below those standards and it is something they have to get right quickly.”
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