Edwards buoyed by winter offerings

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Charlotte Edwards insists that any of the four sides could triumph during the NatWest women's quadrangular series

Charlotte Edwards says England can be optimistic ahead of this month's NatWest women's quadrangular series against Australia, New Zealand and India.

The prolific England captain, who is the most capped women's player, believes the team's performances Down Under last winter have laid the foundations for a bumper summer.

“I came back from Australia very very pleased and with a really good outlook," said Edwards.

"We exposed a lot of our younger players to a high level of competition and the T20 success [England won the series 4-1] was unbelievable considering the injuries we had.

"Our backs were right up against the wall against one of the best teams in the world in their back yard. To lose the five or six core players of our team and still compete gives us a lot of belief."

Edwards was in fine form during the tour of Australia with an unbeaten 114 in the one-off Ashes Test the highlight. However, she prefers to focus on the team's achievements rather than her own.

“The team comes first with me," she said. "These younger players are giving me so much energy – I get as much pleasure out of watching them succeed as I do myself.”

England face a stern examination this summer with World Twenty20 finalists Australia and New Zealand as well as India the opposition.

“Any team on their day in this quadrangular series is going to be hard to beat," she insisted. "That’s what makes it such a fantastic tournament.”