Francis Kelly speaks to England Women’s head coach Mark Robinson just over a year into the role
Mark Robinson took on the England Women’s head coach job under the remit of awakening a slumbering giant. But a little over 12 months into the role and he’s attempting to build a colossus of his own design instead.
Major changes have taken place to the side he inherited, with the team that recently guaranteed qualification for next summer’s England and Wales-held World Cup fielding seven different players to his maiden starting XI.
And while Robinson’s reign experienced a bumpy start – which included a World T20 semi-final knockout and the controversial departure of iconic captain Charlotte Edwards – it appears to have smoothed over now.
“It was quite a difficult introduction,” Robinson admits, as he looks back on his first few months in charge. “I met half the team for the first time at the South Africa tour, and then we went straight into the World T20. It was only after that, that you could make plans for the long term. That’s what we’ve done and progress has been good.”
Robinson recalls his initial confusion at the set up of the side still coming to terms with the expectation and scrutiny their new professional contracts attracted. “I couldn’t understand why Tammy Beaumont was on the outside, and I couldn’t understand why Lauren Winfield didn’t score more runs.
“When Laura Marsh got called up for the injured Dani Hazell, I didn’t understand why we hadn’t seen her more, because she’s an outstanding bowler.
“It was also obvious in the World T20 that we weren’t fit enough. So a lot of our objectives came after that. We need to be stronger, both physically and mentality. That time was more about finding out who handles pressure, who doesn’t; who has potential, who doesn’t.”
The team, once world number one and holding all the major trophies, had lost its way. The Ashes and silverware were gone. Even with superior players and a support structure the envy of all others, England made cricket look difficult at times.
Consequently, as the early pangs of professionalism proved an exhaustive experience, Robinson came in to ease the transition as they endeavoured to take back the title as the best in the world. For the former Sussex coach, it’s proved an eventful period, competing in six series, finishing them all victorious. So busy has it been, that the one-year landmark of his appointment passed him by with little acknowledgement.
Coming on the eve of the ODI against Sri Lanka that clinched England’s World Cup spot, he had more concerning matters about who was fit enough to play than to mark the occasion. “Stuff happens so much around you that you lose track of things at the time,” Robinson laments.
“It’s only at the end of the tour you draw breath. We did that as a team, actually. We invited the parents into the changing room. I think it’s important considering the role of the parents, their sacrifice to get the girls where they are.
“The funding from national bodies has only started in the last two years really, so this was a chance to bring the parents in and reminisce about what has been a fantastic year, where a lot of the girls have got career bests and broken some records. We’re not complacent, we know where we are and that a lot of work is still to be done but we’re proud of what we’ve achieved and how far we’ve come.”
Robinson must now devise a strategy and create the mental resilience that will give his exciting young charges the best chance of winning their first tournament since 2009.
He will do that without the services of Edwards, a player whose accomplishments led women’s cricket to become professional and is considered it’s most prolific run-scorer.
Her abrupt retirement from international cricket, a move propelled by Robinson’s decision not to select her for the home series with Pakistan earlier this year, shocked many.
Yet Robinson is adamant the correct decision was made, allowing a new generation to make the most of openings arising from her absence.
“The World Cup was 15 months away when we made that decision, we felt we had to do this now, put a line under what’s happened previously and do things differently. You only do what you think is right and you stand by the decision you make. We’d stopped winning as a team. None of that was Charlotte’s fault but we felt there was a backlog of batters, they needed to show they can or can’t do it. Some won’t come through, but some, like a Beaumont, Winfield or Nat Sciver, might do. But we needed to find out.”
Five days after Edwards’ retirement, the news broke that Sarah Taylor, regarded as the leading female wicketkeeper-batter, was taking an indefinite break. Seeking treatment for anxiety issues she’d been suffering from for almost four years, Taylor’s not featured for England since March’s World T20 semi-final defeat, although Robinson remains positive about her return.
“Sarah is coming along nicely. It’s not about sport; it’s about life. But her goal is to be back in time for the World Cup. If you got her back in the top five then that would be fantastic.”
Robinson and his team find themselves at a crossroads in the women’s game, as they look to capture hearts and minds next year and try to inspire a new generation to fall in love with cricket. His appointment demonstrated the increased standing of the women’s game. The recent addition of John Stanworth, the former Lancashire academy director credited with developing Haseeb Hameed and Andrew Flintoff, to the coaching staff again showed how quickly it’s progressing.
But nothing would help the development greater than World Cup success on home soil. “The pace of the women’s game has been extraordinary; it is one reason why I’m so keen to be involved. These big level tournaments, they’re a huge moment for us.”
This piece originally featured in The Cricket Paper, December 9 2016
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