His appointment means that Lewis will now be supported by three permanent assistant coaches, with Gareth Breese and Matt Mason making up the trio. Gidman's first involvement will be for the tour of India in December, where the team are due to play three T20Is and a one-off Test in Navi Mumbai.

"Alex joins us at a very exciting time as we start to prepare for what will be the busiest 15 months of women's international cricket," Jonathan Finch, the director of England Women's Cricket, said. "To be able to bring in someone of Alex's experience is fantastic news and will only add to the support we can provide to players to continuously move the team forward.

"I would also like to thank Kent CCC in allowing Alex to make the move to his new role so quickly and support our preparation for the upcoming tour to India."

Gidman added: "I am delighted to join the England Women's coaching team.

"There is a great blend of experienced and young players within the squad and I can't wait to get started and add value over the next few years during what is an exciting period for the women's game.

"I'd also like to say a huge thank you to Kent. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time there and wish them all the best for the future."

"The performance coach roles will ensure we can provide more consistent coaching and leadership to our England Women A and England Women U19s programmes as we look to develop a group of players ready to perform for England Women moving forward," Finch added.

"Having these roles will enable us to grow the opportunities to those players looking to make the transition into the England Women squads across all formats."