FORMER Australia batter Leah Poulton has succeeded Clare Connor as the managing director of the England women’s cricket team.

Connor left the England and Wales Cricket Board after 18 years following the T20 World Cup this summer and Poulton has now been appointed to oversee the fortunes of the international teams and pathways.

Poulton was capped 90 times in all formats by Australia before retiring in 2015 and since then, the 42-year-old has spent time as a high performance coach at Cricket Australia, while more recently she has been head of elite female cricket at Cricket New South Wales.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould said: “With the progress the team has made under [head coach] Charlotte Edwards and having reached the final of this summer’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, England Women are well placed for a successful era.

“I’m delighted to welcome Leah on board to help us build on this and take us to the next level. I believe she and Lottie [Edwards] will be a formidable combination, and will continue the team’s progress and development.”