Ecclestone targets World Cup glory after mental health struggle

During the Ashes, Ecclestone made headlines for refusing an interview with former team-mate turned broadcaster Alex Hartley, who was working for Australia's Channel 7. Hartley, who won the World Cup with England in 2017, had questioned England's fitness levels after the team's early exit from the T20 World Cup in 2024. The team's fitness was subject of debate for some time afterwards, but when Edwards was appointed as coach, she said that the players would be "held accountable" for their fitness standards and that it was a "non-negotiable". "[Those conversations] are quite annoying, because people outside the group don't see what happens in training, they don't see how hard the girls work," Ecclestone said. "I feel like people are very quick to judge. I don't ever feel like we were unfit, I think that was unfair. "But we did feel like we could have made some moves in that area, and we have done. As a group, we are ridiculously fit now. If anyone did want to judge that I would love for them to come into our environment for the day because it's crazy how hard people work." Accusations of cosiness and complacency also followed the team after the defeat in Australia, and after so many years of individual success, Ecclestone became subject of criticism, but says she is now better equipped to handle the "highs and lows" of international sport. …