Alex Hartley calls out England star for ‘refusing’ interview after Australia retain Women’s Ashes

Alex Hartley has called retired Sophie Ecclestone and members of the England women’s squad for ‘refusing’ her TV interviews and giving her the ‘cold shoulder’ aft Australia successfully retained the Ashes.

Australia stay connected people to whitewash England aft storming to a broad 57-run triumph successful the opening T20 successful Sydney, which sealed them the bid astatine the earliest imaginable opportunity.

The effect ensured the hosts took an unassailable 8-0 pb successful this winter’s multi-format bid Down Under, with England lone capable to gully if they triumph successful each of their remaining matches.

Australia person been successful power of the urn for the past decennary and volition nary uncertainty beryllium looking to inflict further misery connected the touring broadside erstwhile the bid resumes with the 2nd T20 astatine Canberra’s Manuka Oval connected Thursday.

‘They person been [miles distant from Australia],’ erstwhile England rotation bowler Hartley said of the tourists’ archetypal T20 nonaccomplishment to Australia connected the BBC TMS podcast.

‘Australia, successful the archetypal 2 ODIs, didn’t play their champion and England couldn’t capitalise connected that having bowled Australia retired for 180 successful that 2nd ODI.

‘England weren’t capable to pursuit it down and since past Australia were capable to travel backmost and they’ve travel backmost with a bang.

‘It’s very, precise uncommon that this Australia broadside springiness you a sniff. When they do, you’ve got to capitalise connected that and England haven’t been capable to.

‘We look astatine this England broadside and we look astatine them predominate satellite cricket erstwhile they’re playing bilateral series. But erstwhile it comes to the Ashes and World Cup, they conscionable haven’t been capable to dominate.

‘Australia are the squad that person dominated implicit the past 10 oregon 15 years and you look astatine these 2 sides present and Australia are conscionable better.’

Hartley has not been acrophobic to dependable her opinions successful caller years and took purpose astatine England’s fittingness levels successful the aftermath of the side’s elimination from the Women’s T20 World Cup past October.

‘I’m not going to sanction names, but if you look astatine them, you know. You cognize who’s blowing a gasket and who isn’t,’ she said astatine the time.

‘About 80 per cent of the England squad are acceptable and diversion enough, but determination are girls successful that broadside who are letting the squad down erstwhile it comes to fitness.

‘It’s truly disappointing, isn’t it? West Indies played a wholly antithetic crippled to England. There are going to beryllium a batch of questions asked and immoderate of them, rightly so, connected fitness. England request to get fitter.’

Hartley has not been unsocial successful calling retired England’s evident deficiency of fittingness and athleticism, with Lauren Winfield-Hill making akin comments successful the aftermath of past year’s World Cup.

However, aft Monday’s one-sided T20, Hartley claimed that she had been ‘hung retired to dry’ by the England squad arsenic a effect of her remarks.

‘Sophie Ecclestone refused to bash a TV interrogation with maine today,’ Hartley – a cardinal subordinate of England’s World-Cup-winning broadside of 2017 – explained.

‘I’ve been hung retired to adust by the England team, nary of them volition speech to maine connected the bound edge.

‘The crushed I said that they were not arsenic acceptable arsenic Australia is due to the fact that I privation them to vie with Australia, I privation them to beryllium amended than Australia and I privation them to triumph Ashes bid and World Cups.

‘I’m giving my sentiment and I’ve been fixed the acold enarthrosis by the England squad ever since.’

Asked whether the players’ absorption had amazed her, Hartley replied: ‘Yeah, it really, truly surprises me.

‘And not each of them person fixed maine the acold shoulder. I don’t privation to accidental that they’ve each been the aforesaid due to the fact that they haven’t.

‘Some of the players person been perfectly outstanding. I’ve spoken to them successful the street, astatine the ground, whatever, but a fewer individuals, coaches, players, they virtually haven’t looked astatine me.

‘And arsenic I say, Ecclestone refused to bash an interrogation with maine today.’

Hartley believes the mode she has been treated by definite members of the England campy has been ‘totally unfair’.

‘I’ve upset them, clearly,’ she added.

‘I conjecture truthful [they deliberation her comments were unfair] due to the fact that Jon Lewis has travel retired and said determination isn’t a occupation with fittingness successful his squad, determination isn’t a occupation with fittingness successful the England environment.

‘They’ve evidently deliberation I’m wholly incorrect successful my sentiment which is fine. I’m entitled to my opinions and they’re entitled to their opinions.

‘It’s my occupation to accidental if I spot thing that needs to beryllium amended and I did, but the mode that I’ve been treated since, I think, is wholly unfair.

‘But they volition accidental that my comments were unfair truthful if that’s the mode our narration is going to beryllium moving forward, past truthful beryllium it.’

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