Poulton takes top job at ECB as Aussie influx continues

Australia's influence in helping reshape English cricket continues to mushroom with Leah Poulton the latest to be recruited to mastermind the rejuvenation of the women's game in the UK.

The 42-year-old, who has established a successful career as both a coach and administrator in the decade since she completed her distinguished 90-cap international career, has been snapped up as the managing director of England Women's cricket.

Poulton joins a growing band of Australian coaches and officials in key roles, with Marcus North the most significant appointment in May when he became the first non-Englishman to be asked to become the men's team's national selector.

Now the England and Wales Cricket Board has identified Poulton as the ideal candidate to oversee the success of their national women's teams, having been hugely impressed by her "impressive track record driving women's cricket forward in Australia".

Poulton has enjoyed six years as head of elite female cricket at Cricket New South Wales after spending three years at Cricket Australia as a coach, where she was key in establishing the successful high performance pathway.

The ECB hope she will prove just as successful as she effectively oversees a program featuring not just the England women's team but also the A team, under-19s and the overall high-performance system.

She replaces Clare Connor, the former England captain who oversaw the introduction the first central contracts for England Women and professional contracts for domestic women's players during her 18-year tenure at the ECB. Connor announced in February she would be leaving the role following the T20 World Cup in July.

Working closely with head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, Poulton will be seen as key to helping England put up a much better fight for the Ashes at home next year than their winless capitulation in Australia last year.

While England have largely maintained the No.2 spot in the ICC rankings behind a dominant Australia outfit across the last decade, they have not held the Ashes since surrendering them in 2015, and their last major title was the 2017 ODI World Cup.

"I'm incredibly excited and honoured to be joining England, and to have the opportunity to help shape our programmes and, most importantly, invest in our people," Poulton, who will commence the role in November, said.

"I'm looking forward to working with Charlotte, Nat and the wider team, building on the strong foundations already in place and taking the programme forward.

"I know how vital strong pathways and a healthy domestic game are to sustained success, so I'm looking forward to connecting with people across the game and helping give the next generation of English players every opportunity to thrive. It's a huge privilege to be part of England Women, and I can't wait to get started."

Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, said he believed the women's team were set for a successful future after reaching the final of their home T20 World Cup and he hoped Poulton would "help us build on this and take us to the next level."

Cricket NSW thanked Poulton for her time with the organisation, a tenure that saw the NSW Breakers become a renewed forced in domestic cricket, winning the 2024-25 Women's National Cricket League title before finishing as runners-up last season.

"Leah’s passion for cricket in our state, integrity and care for her staff and players has shone through across her tenure at Cricket NSW," Cricket NSW’s Chief Cricket Performance Officer Greg Mail said.

"These values underpin the world class female cricket program that she designed and led superbly. Her legacy will be the impact of this pathway on players of the future.

"We wish Leah well in her new role and thank her for her impact on the game across NSW."