Former international cricketer Alex Hartley has expressed concerns over the fitness levels of some England players following the team's underwhelming performance in the Women's T20 World Cup. Hartley stated that "there are girls in that side that are letting the team down" due to their fitness.

England's World Cup journey ended on a low note when they were defeated by the West Indies by six wickets in Dubai, marked by a series of fielding errors. "It's really disappointing," Hartley commented on the BBC's Test Match Special. "There are going to be a lot of questions asked and some of them, rightly so, on fitness. England need to get fitter."

Hartley highlighted Australia's superior athleticism, noting that they have "15 or 16 genuine athletes." She mentioned Amanda-Jade Wellington, the best leg-spinner in the world, who is excluded from the Australian squad due to insufficient fitness. "You look at our team – I'm not going to name names but if you look at them, you know. There are girls in that side that are letting the team down when it comes to fitness."

Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, acknowledged the need for improvement in player fitness in the women's game. "I think athleticism in cricket is increasingly important," Gould said, emphasizing the growing significance of the "one percenters." He highlighted the progress made in professionalizing the women's game, with plans to increase the number of professional women players to nearly 200 next year.

England's loss to the West Indies in a crucial match brought back memories of other recent high-stakes defeats. Hartley, who was part of the 2017 World Cup-winning team, pointed out that England has a history of losing critical games. "We have lost crunch games for such a long period of time," she said. "When England come under pressure, and in particular when Sophie Ecclestone doesn't slow things down and take wickets, everybody panics. She can't do it time and time again."

Hartley believes changes are necessary, especially given England's prolonged drought in winning World Cups. She supports current coach Jon Lewis but wonders if the team might have gone too far in emphasizing work-life balance.