New Delhi, Jan 23 Former England women’s left-arm spinner Alex Hartley said she had pretty few tough days and has been "hit pretty hard" by reactions after saying she was given the "cold shoulder" treatment by some of her former England teammates during the Women's Ashes.
Alex, who played 26 ODIs and four T20Is for England, is working as an expert for radio and TV networks in Australia and revealed she was refused an interview by left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone during the first T20I which England lost.
It came in the backdrop of Alex questioning the team's fitness levels after they suffered a shock group-stage exit in last year’s Women’s T20 World Cup. England wicketkeeper Amy Jones refuted that Alex has been given a cold shoulder and that the side loves having her around. "It's been a pretty tough few days for me. I wasn't expecting it to be in the newspapers and all over the UK press so it has actually hit me, personally, pretty hard. Ultimately, I was frustrated and upset with the events that unfolded before that first T20," Alex told TNT Sports during the second T20I.
Former England women’s batter Ebony Rainford-Brent said the incident around Alex showed the difficulty cricketers face when they move into life as a commentator while backing the spinner to do her job well as a broadcaster in Australia.
"I know about moving out of the dressing room, I moved into commentary two weeks later and you don't want to be rubbishing your mates because you're then going to call them for a prosecco and they don't want it. What I like about Hartley is that she is saying the truth, that she feels the players haven't been fit and she's put it out there."
"She is doing what she should be doing as a broadcaster. From Ecclestone's perspective, I'm disappointed she didn't follow through with the interview because as a player, there are jobs on the field and jobs off the field,” she said. “Women's sport is now in the public eye, my taxi driver today said he had never watched cricket but he knew about this story. Women's sport is on the rise and we've all got to adapt quicker."
Isabelle Westbury, the former Middlesex player, believes England's struggles in Australia combined with the increasing demands on players have made the issue worse. "I've got no problem with (Hartley's comments) whatsoever. It's more you can understand why some of the remarks have come from the England camp.”
"They are professionals. We're coming into a new era of women's sport in that they are getting well paid and they have to remember they're not just athletes, but there's a wider obligation here as role models and to speak to the media.”
"And to improve against a side that is, frankly, thrashing them. For the greater good of women's sport, this is fantastic. You want some characters in there, you want a bit of bite back. That's what you get in the men's sports coverage. Why on earth can't we have characters and disagreements and arguments in women's sports? I'm all for it," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
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