In November 2020, a fan asked Alex Hartley on Twitter if she was dating her podcast co-host. The reply, a vomit emoji and a line about IPL team loyalties, became one of cricket’s most-shared social media moments. As of May 2026, it remains the closest thing to a public statement Hartley has ever made on the subject.
The former England spinner and current BBC Test Match Special commentator has never confirmed a partner, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, or a marriage at any point in her career. Through ten years of interviews, podcasts, and social media, that part of her life has stayed off the record entirely.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Alexandra Hartley |
| Date of birth | 6 September 1993 |
| Hometown | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Playing role | Left-arm orthodox spin bowler |
| England career | 28 ODIs, 4 T20Is (2016–2019) |
| Career peak | 2017 Women’s World Cup winner |
| Current work | BBC TMS, TNT Sports, talkSPORT, No Balls podcast |
| Relationship status | Not publicly confirmed |
Table of Contents
Where the Question Comes From
On 23 November 2020, Hartley posted a tweet marking a year of No Balls: The Cricket Podcast, the show she co-hosts with England cricketer Kate Cross.
“Well a year on… still no equipment, still no planning but a whole lot of fun. Proud of us @katecross16”
A fan replied almost immediately: “@AlexHartley93 and @katecross16 are you dating?”
Hartley, a lifelong Royal Challengers Bangalore supporter and dedicated Virat Kohli fan, turned the question into an IPL rivalry joke:
“As if I would ever date a CSK fan… 🤮”
Cross, a committed Chennai Super Kings supporter, came straight back:
“You shouldn’t love someone for the colour shirt they wear in the IPL Alex..”
The exchange spread across cricket Twitter within hours. Neither confirmed anything. Neither denied anything. They made tens of thousands of people laugh and moved on. That exchange has been referenced in virtually every piece written about Hartley’s relationship status since, which is largely why the question keeps surfacing years later.
Alex Hartley and Kate Cross
Kate Cross, born 3 October 1991 in Manchester, is a right-arm fast bowler who plays for England and Lancashire. She and Hartley were county teammates at Lancashire before building one of cricket’s most recognised broadcasting partnerships.
Their friendship, by Cross’s own description in a SportSpiel interview, is a “car crash” friendship. It literally began with a car crash.
They launched No Balls: The Cricket Podcast together in 2019 with 45 listeners. The BBC picked it up for BBC Sounds in 2021, and the show has grown steadily since, winning the Sports Podcast Award for Best Equality and Social Impact in 2023.
The Cricketer, one of the sport’s most established publications, describes Cross as Hartley’s “teammate and best friend” and “trusted confidante.” When Hartley faced a pile-on of online abuse following a social media dispute with England batter Rory Burns in 2021, including messages telling her to “go and die in a hole,” she worked through it on the podcast with Cross before speaking to any press outlet.
Nothing beyond that close, well-documented friendship has ever appeared on the public record.
What Hartley Has Said About Her Personal Life
Hartley’s public record shows a clear and consistent line. She has spoken candidly about career setbacks, mental health, and the pressures of professional sport. On the subject of dating or a romantic relationship, she has said nothing in any public setting.
When she lost her ECB central contract at the end of 2019, she told The Cricketer: “You don’t really have a reason to get up in the morning. There have been days when I haven’t got out of bed, there have been days when I’ve been very upset.”
When she announced her mental health break in May 2023 on the No Balls podcast, picked up by Sky Sports, she said: “I’ve felt like a different person. I have felt flat and I’ve not felt like that bubbly character that I normally am. Every time I’ve pulled on my cricket shirt, the best feeling has been at the end of the day when I can take it off again.”
On retiring in August 2023 after playing The Hundred for Welsh Fire, she said: “At the minute, it’s work, cricket, work, cricket. I haven’t seen my school friends for about a year because I never have time.”
There was also a 2018 exchange on Twitter where a fan named Sahil Mehan asked her out. Hartley’s response: “If you can score three pointers like [Stephen Curry] I’ll take you for a coffee.” Her approach to questions about her love life has been consistent throughout: a joke, and nothing more.
Alex Hartley in 2026
Since retiring from playing, Hartley has stayed at the centre of cricket through commentary, coaching, and the podcast.
BBC Test Match Special: She covered the 2025/26 Ashes in Australia alongside Phil Tufnell, Jonathan Agnew, Glenn McGrath, and Isa Guha. During the third Test in Adelaide in December 2025, she mentioned her period on air during a live commentary stint. Press coverage framed it as a controversy. Hartley pushed back directly: “Dan [Norcross] went, ‘Oh, okay’, carried on with the cricket chat, he cracked a joke. It was funny. Dan is the most open-minded man I’ve ever met.”
PSL coaching: In October 2023, she was appointed assistant spin bowling coach at Multan Sultans for PSL 2024, alongside Catherine Dalton as fast bowling coach. They were the first female coaches in Pakistan Super League history. Multan Sultans owner Ali Khan Tareen had discovered Hartley through the No Balls podcast before offering her the role. He fired a member of his own coaching staff who asked to be announced in a separate press release from the female coaching appointments. The side, captained by Mohammad Rizwan, reached the 2024 PSL final, their fourth consecutive final, before losing to Islamabad United.
The England fitness row: During the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, Hartley publicly stated that some England players were “letting the team down when it comes to fitness.” Sophie Ecclestone subsequently refused to do a TV interview with her. Hartley’s response, reported by Wisden: “I’m giving my opinion. I want them to win Ashes and World Cups.”
No Balls: The podcast remains one of the most recognised cricket shows on BBC Sounds, with a second Sports Podcast Award to its name.
Alex Hartley is 32. She has been a World Cup winner, lost a central contract, spoken publicly about her mental health, fasted during Ramadan in Pakistan alongside professional cricketers, argued with England teammates on live television, and mentioned her period on national radio. There is very little about her experiences, struggles, or career that she has kept from the public record. Her partner is one of them.
