England Women need to steel themselves as they enter the final stage of the Ashes, needing three victories to retain the trophy.
After squandering an early lead in the one-day series, a dismal performance in the only Test ensured that Australia have the advantage heading into the T20s. England must win all three games.
They will take some heart from their record at Chelmsford, the venue for the opening match. They have never lost a game there – they crushed South Africa there last year – and they will play in front of a sell-out crowd.
England’s best performance of the series came in the opening one-day game at Taunton, where they faced a tired-looking Australia. Since then, neither England’s the batting and bowling have not fired in tandem. There have been strong individual performances – Katherine Brunt during the Test match – but they have not come together as a team.
More is needed from Sarah Taylor. She made a pair in the Test at Canterbury, her technical difficulties showing as she stepped across her stumps, making her an ideal lbw candidate. Australia will look to target this.
Charlotte Edwards, the captain, has said T20 is the one format where England can change their fortunes. It is the form they play most frequently and which encourages innovative stroke play and big-hitting – something they seemed frightened to do in the Test. Taylor, for example, can play shots all round the ground. In more familiar surroundings, she needs to push through her recent bad patch.
There has been plenty of talk from England about playing positive cricket. It is one thing to talk about it and another to actually follow through. They have, so far, been outplayed by a positive Australia side. England’s strike rotation has got worse while Australia’s has improved. Their fielding slipped throughout the one-day series, and their middle order has been unable to shepherd the team to competitive totals.
Australia, by contrast, have barely put a foot wrong. Meg Lanning has been an innovative captain. Her team have supported one another with bat and ball. Ellyse Perry is in good form with bat and ball, and Jess Jonassen offers strong support down the order. Jonassen previously opened the batting and bowling for Australia in T20s. She and Elyse Villani could form a formidable opening partnership.
Grace Harris, a late call-up to the squad, could be key in securing Australia an Ashes victory. She scored an unbeaten 151 from 74 balls in a domestic T20 game and is a powerful striker of the ball. Her big-hitting could throw the England bowlers off their lines.
England will also be desperate for the weather to clear. With Australia leading 8-2, England can no longer win the series but with two points on offer for each T20 match they could tie at 8-8 and retain the Ashes.
