The last time England women won the Ashes was in 2014: Charlotte Edwards was still the captain, neither side was professional and the majority of the series was not even televised. In the five years since then the women’s cricket landscape has fundamentally shifted but one thing has remained a constant: beating Australia is a formidable challenge.
That is particularly true given the form which the Women’s Ashes now takes. This will be the fifth series to be played using the multi-format points‑based system, whereby a win in each of the three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 games contributes two points towards the final result, in addition to the four points on offer for the one-off Test played mid‑series. With success in each format of the game required in order to claim the trophy, both sides now unequivocally view the Ashes as the pinnacle event in the international calendar - more important than even the World Cup.
“It’s a great series to be a part of, one of the big ones in world cricket,” was the verdict of Meg Lanning, Australia’s captain, on the eve of the series opener at Leicester on Tuesday. “Playing against England is always a very tough contest – we’ve got a great rivalry. We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing against a world-class side in their home conditions and we’ll be up for the fight.”
England’s captain, Heather Knight, said: “It’s a big series between two really good teams and we’ll both need to be at our best. We’re massively excited and can’t wait to get out there.”
Knight, whose side are fresh from whitewashing West Indies in their three-match ODI series last month, said England were “as well prepared as we’ve ever been for a home Ashes series”. That may be so but it is also true that the challenge of winning back the Ashes has become even more herculean since their opponents retained the trophy at home in late 2017.
Australia have now enjoyed almost two years as the only country in the world with a fully professional domestic women’s setup underpinning the national side. In 2017 England actually won the T20 leg of the series 2-1 and ending up tying the series 8-8; but the two sides’ most recent T20 encounter – the World Twenty20 final last November – looked a total mismatch, with Australia winning by eight wickets.
Since that tournament England have been bolstered by the return of two Ashes stalwarts, the wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor and frontline pace bowler Katherine Brunt, while their bowling lineup is fortified by the recent renaissance of the seamer Kate Cross.
Though their side looks almost identical to that which began against West Indies last month, the coach, Mark Robinson, has chosen to name a squad for only the first ODI, leaving the door open for one of England’s new kids on the block to force her way in at an early stage in the series. The most likely candidate is the 21-year-old Bryony Smith, who is fresh from an excellent run of form for Surrey and hit 68 against the Australians in last week’s warmup.
“It’s brilliant to have a group of players beneath us chomping at the bit, scoring runs, putting pressure on the team to perform and keep getting better,” Knight said. “It’s good for us as a squad – pressure for your place will bring out the best in us.
“No team is perfect but we’re hard-working, humble and resilient and we’re also not short of match-winners. That’s a good place to be and hopefully we can bring our best to this series.”
They will be up against an Australia side who are a potent mix of household names – Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy – and young prospects – the 20-year-olds Georgia Wareham and the pace bowler Tayla Vlaeminck. The wicketkeeper Healy is enjoying the most productive period of her career, fresh from being crowned player of the tournament at the World T20, while the leg-spinner Wareham – who made her debut in September 2018 – will relish her first opportunity to try out her wares on English pitches. The fact that for the first time an Australia A squad is touring England concurrently with the main side also places more options at the coach Matthew Mott’s disposal, should form or fitness necessitate.
“The new ball battle for both sides is going to be important,” Lanning said. “Both sides have got world‑class opening bowlers and batters and whoever wins that battle will go a long way towards winning the game. We feel like we’ve got some good firepower up there with bat and ball to combat what they can throw at us.”
England have made a big song and dance recently about their winning streak: they are now 14 games unbeaten. They will certainly have their work cut out if that run is to be majorly extended and the record remain intact over the next few weeks.
Probable line-ups:
England - Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Danni Wyatt
Australia - Meg Lanning (captain), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Georgia Wareham
