Charlotte Edwards adamant her Western Fury adventure will not distract from next year's Ashes series

England captain Charlotte Edwards is adamant her Australian cricket adventure is not distracting her from the task of retaining the Ashes next summer.

The 34-year-old has taken the opportunity this winter to test herself with Western Fury, the representative women's cricket team of Western Australia.

She is mixing playing with coaching while helping out in local schools, and admits the high standard of domestic  cricket in Australia is allowing her to continue 'learning all the time'.

But not even the thought of spending Christmas on the beach is distracting Edwards from her goal of beating Australia and retaining the Ashes next summer in England.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do (come out to Australia to play),” Edwards told Sky Sports’ Sportwomen.

“It’s probably been three years in the making really. I’ve been approached for a few years to come out here to play. I’ve never done the Australian experience.

You get the opportunity to work with some of the wacky coaches, one being Justin Langer, which is an opportunity no one can turn down

Opportunity

“I’m captain of the Western Fury which is my main role. Then I’m doing work with the community. I’m doing work with the under-age programmes and obviously playing club cricket, which is something I have enjoyed so far.

“I train three times a week with the Western Fury and then I train here twice a week with the club team and then I’m doing one-to-one sessions with the Fury team and some under-age players.

“Then you get the opportunity to work with some of the wacky coaches, one being Justin Langer, which is an opportunity no one can turn down.

“I’ve always wanted to play in the domestic competition here because I believe it’s probably the best in the world. So I guess to test myself against some of the best players in the world is something that excites me.

“But equally I’ve got one eye on the Ashes next summer. This would be a great experience for a younger player and hopefully it can give our younger players, our academy players, a chance to stand on their own two feet.

“The seven weeks so far has gone so quickly. It’s just been brilliant for me to get away and reflect on the last 14-18 months in England.

“I haven’t even been to the beach yet which shows how much I’ve been focused on getting as much from this time out here as I possibly can, but I think the beach is to come in the next few weeks.”