Inside the Southern Brave: How Edwards and Jayawardene helped crack Hundred
Only one club had their women’s and men’s teams finish in the top two spots of the inaugural group stage of the Hundred: the Southern Brave.
Their women have gone straight to the final with a first-place finish, while their second-placed men must slog out the eliminator this evening against Trent Rockets in third.
When the Brave’s coaches were announced in the summer of 2019, the side, then only set to be based in Southampton, still did not have a name. But they did have a plan, to combine experienced leaders on the field and off it; an international coach and one whose mileage in English cricket conditions is one of the greatest of them all.
For Charlotte Edwards, it was her first head coach role following a career which had seen her captain England more than 200 times. For the former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, it complemented his long-term role as head coach of the Indian Premier League’s Mumbai Indians, where he had already won the competition in two of his three seasons to date and was about to win a third.
A year out from the tournament’s scheduled start date, some may have already dismissed the Hundred as a gimmick, with little need for tactical nous or savvy signings. Not Edwards, then batting coach of the Adelaide Strikers in the Women’s Big Bash League.
“It was always going to be around preparing the local domestic players,” she says. “This is probably where we’ve benefited the most, and where
Secret to success: Charlotte Edwards has nurtured home-grown talent we’ve had our success. People like Lauren Bell have really stepped up in this competition, or Maia Bouchier.” Edwards also picked up one of the best replacement players when Australia and New Zealand’s international signings withdrew. Amanda-jade Wellington, also of the Adelaide Strikers, has taken the tournament by storm, claiming 13 wickets with a best of four for 12.
“I don’t know how Lottie [Charlotte] put that team together, but it’s a powerhouse,” laughs Jayawardene. “They’ve been playing some brilliant cricket. When they’re doing that well it feeds off on the boys. It’s a great positive environment. When you compare the two competitions, the [two teams] have complemented each other, whether through tempo or tactics. It works.”
The Hundred is the first domestic tournament to launch a men’s and women’s strand simultaneously. It has therefore provided an opportunity for its female players to learn from those male players and coaches with more experience. However, it is also the first time that Jayawardene has had the opportunity to observe the women’s game at such close quarters.
“We get a lot of information on the surface, of course,” explains Jayawardene, with all women’s matches preceding the men’s in each double-header fixture. “Although the games are quite different, we’re always looking at the game, analysing what we can see and how we process things.”
For Edwards, there’s also a very practical benefit of having someone like Jayawardene alongside. “We’re living in the same hotel and we’ve had many, many chats,” says Edwards. “The two teams are quite close and what we’ve loved is playing together at the Ageas Bowl, in front of big crowds. Everyone’s talking about this ‘one club, two teams’ but it genuinely feels like that. And it’s obviously paying off.”
While the Southern Brave men’s team travel to the Oval for tonight’s match, their women’s side will be settling into digs just north of the river, as they prepare for tomorrow’s final at Lord’s. On this occasion, Jayawardene will not have the benefit of Edwards’ players paving the way for his, but with a little luck the two will be back swapping notes over Saturday’s breakfast table.