Charlotte Edwards

Biography

Charlotte Marie Edwards CBE, born on December 17, 1979, is a former English cricketer widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in the history of women's cricket. A right-handed batter and occasional right-arm leg-break bowler, Edwards captained England for a decade and played over 300 times for her country between 1996 and 2016.   

Edwards made her international debut at just 16, becoming the youngest woman to represent England at the time. Her career spanned two decades, during which she established herself as a formidable opening batter. In 1997, she scored an impressive 12 centuries. A notable achievement early in her career was a then-record One Day International (ODI) score of 173 not out. She also registered four Test centuries during her career.   

Appointed England captain in 2006, Edwards led the team through a golden era, achieving significant success. Under her leadership, England won the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and the ICC Women's World Twenty20 in 2009. She also captained England to three Ashes series victories. Edwards holds the record for the most ODI appearances for England Women (191) and is England's all-time leading run-scorer in both ODIs (5992) and Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is) with 2605 runs. She also ranks as England's second-leading run-scorer in Women's Test matches.   

Individual accolades include being named the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2008, and PCA Women's Player of the Year and a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2014. She was awarded an MBE in 2009 and a CBE in 2014 for her services to cricket. In recognition of her immense contribution to the game, the ECB named England's new domestic T20 competition the Charlotte Edwards Cup in 2021. In 2022, she was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.   

After retiring from international cricket, Edwards has transitioned into coaching. She has held head coach roles with Southern Vipers, leading them to multiple domestic titles, Southern Brave in The Hundred, and Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League, winning the WPL title twice. In April 2025, she was appointed as the Head Coach of the England Women's team.