Englishman Alex Hartley with his teammates.© Agence France-Presse
Former England player turned broadcaster Alex Hartley has claimed that several senior players have given her the cold shoulder, with Sophie Ecclestone even refusing to be interviewed for television during the ongoing Women’s Ashes as she criticized the fitness standards of a few players following their early exit from the T20 World Cup. Having fallen in three ODIs and the opening T20, England have already lost the Ashes. After England’s opening T20 defeat on January 20, Hartley said the players ignored her.
“Sophie Ecclestone refused to do a TV interview with me today,” she told the BBC’s TMS podcast. “I was hung out to dry by the England team: none of them would talk to me on the edge of the border.
“The reason I said they’re not as fit as Australia is because I want them to compete with Australia, I want them to be better than Australia, I want them to win the Ashes Cup and the World Cup. I’m giving my opinion.” “I have received cold treatment from the England national team since then.” But Hartley explained that she is still in conversation with some of the current players.
“Not all of them gave me the cold shoulder. I don’t want to say they were all the same, because they weren’t. Some of the players were absolutely fantastic: I talked to them on the street, on the ground, wherever, but some individuals – coaches, players – just didn’t look at me. Literally to me.”
Hartley played 28 ODIs and four T20 matches for England.
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