Eliminated England aren't fit enough - Hartley

England request to get fitter pursuing their shambolic exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup, according to erstwhile spinner Alex Hartley.

England dropped 5 catches successful a decision by West Indies connected Tuesday that condemned them to a archetypal group-stage exit since 2010.

And Hartley, a 50-over World Cup victor successful 2017, told Test Match Special: “I’m not going to sanction names, but if you look astatine them, you know. You cognize who’s blowing a gasket and who isn’t.

“About 80% of the England squad are acceptable and diversion enough, but determination are girls successful that broadside who are letting the squad down erstwhile it comes to fitness.”

England won their opening 3 group-stage matches, but were inactive susceptible erstwhile they met the Windies successful their last game.

England posted 141-7 and, successful doing so, mislaid skipper Heather Knight to a calf injury.

With Knight incapable to field, England fell apart. West Indies reached their people successful 18 overs and went done to the semi-finals alongside South Africa, leaving England 3rd successful the radical connected nett run-rate.

“It’s truly disappointing, isn’t it? West Indies played a wholly antithetic crippled to England,” said Hartley, who won 32 caps for England betwixt 2016 and 2019.

“There are going to beryllium a batch of questions asked and immoderate of them, rightly so, connected fitness. England request to get fitter.”

Hartley utilized the illustration of Australia, the premier squad successful the world, continuing to place leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, who has not played planetary cricket since 2022.

“Australia person got 15 oregon 16 athletes, genuine athletes,” said Hartley. “They person the champion leg-spinner successful the satellite successful Amanda-Jade Wellington, that doesn’t adjacent get successful their squads immoderate much due to the fact that she’s not acceptable enough.”

Asked astir the fittingness of the nationalist team, England and Wales Cricket Board main enforcement Richard Gould said: “Athleticism successful cricket is progressively important. We request to spell backmost 10 oregon 20 years successful the men's crippled to spot the quality that provides.

“We privation to supply immoderate enactment we tin to each our players. We’ve under-invested successful the women’s crippled for a agelong time. Only going backmost to 2019, we had 18 nonrecreational players. Next year, we'll person person to 200 nonrecreational women's players.

“That's a batch of advancement successful a abbreviated magnitude of clip and determination volition beryllium things that we privation to proceed to amended on.”

Knight took complaint successful 2016 and led England to their past large trophy successful 2017. Hartley pointed to the chaos successful the tract successful Knight’s lack arsenic a crushed for the 33-year-old to enactment on. She besides supported caput manager Jon Lewis.

“When you person not won a World Cup for truthful long, things request to change,” said Hartley. “Last nighttime showed however overmuch England request Heather Knight connected the field, due to the fact that she’s a calm character. She wasn’t determination and everyone was looking astir each flustered.

“I don’t cognize wherever alteration comes from. I deliberation Jon Lewis is the close antheral for the job. He has changed women’s cricket, getting the girls to realise they tin person a amended work-life balance.

“Whether oregon not they person perchance gone excessively acold the different way, I’m not sure.”