World Cup winner Lydia Greenway believes next year's inaugural The Hundred will put England's women back on the road to success.

Greenway, 34, was named as head coach for the Oval-based women's team in next year's competition.

The five-time Ashes winner, who was part of the England squads that won the ICC Women’s World Cup and Women’s World T20 in 2009, watched her former team-mates humbled by Australia this summer.

But she believes the new league, which is backed by £20m of England and Wales Cricket Board funding, is a chance to close the gap.

“The Hundred will provide a platform for domestic players to step forward and make their case for selection on a stage that is as close to international cricket as you can get," she said.

“Coaching is something that I’m hugely passionate about. When you’re working with players who want to get better and improve all of the time, that’s special.

“I feel extremely privileged to have this chance. It’s an opportunity to work with the best players in the country and the best players from around the world, which is really exciting.”

Not one of the teams in the men's competition will have a British coach but Greenway is the third home-based player to be appointed to lead in the new eight franchise women's league, Charlotte Edwards and Danielle Hazell fronting the Southampton and Leeds based teams.

Meanwhile, Ben Sawyer - a two-time Women's Big Bash winner with Sydney Sixers - has confirmed he will coach the team based at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Viewed as a rising star of women’s cricket, the 40-year-old is assistant coach and a fast bowling specialist for the all-conquering Australia women’s team.

“Speaking to players around the world, The Hundred is a competition that they’re all talking about and want to get involved in,” he said.

“I’m very excited to be appointed as head coach of the Birmingham women’s team and I’m looking forward to assembling a team that can combine global superstars with a lot of the local talent here in the West Midlands that has performed so well in the recent county women’s T20.”

Greenway and Sawyer's appointments mean the Manchester-based team are the only franchise yet to name their women's coach for the 100-ball competition.

The men's competition will see a NFL-style draft later this year but women's rosters will be filled in a two-stage process.

Each team will sign two centrally contracted England players this month, while next month they will complete their squads with 13 names, including up to three overseas stars.