Former spinner Alex Hartley seems like she has been “frolicked to dry” and given the “cold shoulder” by some England players and coaches in the course of the Women’s Ashes after comments over the squad’s fitness.
The 31-year-old, a part of the England side which won the 50-over World Cup in 2017, had questioned the fitness levels of a few of the T20 World Cup squad last October after Heather Knight’s side suffered an unexpected group-stage exit in Dubai.
Hartley, who retired as a player in 2023, is currently working as a pundit for the BBC and other television networks in Australia covering the Women’s Ashes – which the dominant hosts retained after a cushty victory in the primary T20 international in Sydney on Monday gave them an unassailable lead after winning the ODI series 3-0.
England slumped to a 57-run defeat on the SCG, and Hartley claimed she had been refused an interview with former team-mate Sophie Ecclestone in the course of the T20 game.
Hung Out To Dry
Hartley told the BBC’s Test Match Special podcast: “I’ve been frolicked to dry by the England team. None of them will confer with me on the boundary edge.
“The explanation I said that England weren’t as fit as Australia is because I need them to compete with Australia, I need them to be higher than Australia and I need them to win Ashes and World Cups.
“I’ve given my opinion and I’ve been given the cold shoulder from the England team ever since.
“Not all of them have given me the cold shoulder, a few of the players have been absolutely outstanding, I’ve spoken to them on the street, at the bottom…but just a few individuals, coaches, players, they literally haven’t checked out me and (Sophie) Ecclestone refused to do an interview with me.
“I’ve upset them clearly.”
“To be clear, there are some members of the England team who’ve been really disappointing, but under no circumstances all.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Hartley said while the difficulty had not impacted on a few of her friendships throughout the squad, she was left “shocked and surprised” by the response of others.
“To be clear, there are some members of the England team who’ve been really disappointing, but under no circumstances all,” Hartley wrote on X.
“For some, friendships remain unchanged. For others, I’ve been shocked and surprised by their response.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board declined to comment when contacted by the PA news agency on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Alex Hartley says England must get fitter after T20 World Cup failure
