Women’s Ashes 2025: Clare Connor says she does not recognise accusations of ‘cosiness’ in England side

Connor reaffirmed her belief in the group of players – but accepted they are still playing catch-up with Australia’s superior domestic set-up.

This is despite major investment in the women’s game in recent years, such as spending £19m a year on the domestic game and raising international match fees to equal their male counterparts.

In Australia, professional domestic women’s cricket has existed for longer than in England. The first contracts in Australia came about in 2017, in England this was in 2020.

England have not won a trophy or Ashes since the landmark 2017 World Cup win, leading to concerns progress has stalled.

An inability to perform under pressure has been a recurring theme for England since the T20 World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa in 2023.

“It’s not so much about what you’re paid, but it’s about the experiences you’ve had that you then take on to an international stage,” Connor said.

“I think one of the things we’re wrestling with is performance under pressure and that’s what knockout tournaments are, whether it’s a semi-final or a final or even a must-win group game.

“We’ve got to work out how to fast-track that learning, because you can see it in Australia as a group. You can see that their ruthlessness, their decision making, their skill execution under pressure is at a different level, and part of that I believe comes from many of them having an eight-year career already as a professional cricketer.

“I believe if we get that right, that will translate into winning key moments and key games on the biggest stages of Ashes and World Cup.”