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Cricket is back, and we kick off the international summer with the oldest rivalry to date, as Australia take on England in the first ODI of the Women’s Ashes at Allan Border Field this Sunday. Join The Roar for live scores and highlights from 10:15am (AEDT).
The last time the Women’s Ashes were held in Australia, the English came away with the urn.
Heading back to the United Kingdom to defend their title, Australia were superb in their tour, taking back the Ashes in a thrilling series.
Now, we are back once again, in a blockbuster summer, which promises to delight.
The Women’s Ashes works slightly differently to the men’s, with the series played over three formats.
The series operates through a points system, with each limited-overs win being worth two points (one point if the game is a tie or abandoned), while the winner of the Test will gain four points (two points each if drawn).
As well as that, this Ashes series marks the first time that the new ICC Championship system will be in play.
The Championships see the top eight teams meet in an ODI round-robin competition that spans four years, with automatic qualification for the 2021 World Cup on the line, so this series is vitally important, not just for the famous trophy at the end.
The Australians hold the urn currently, but were soundly beaten in the 2017 World Cup semi final, going down to India, while the English will be full of confidence following their World Cup victory on home soil.
The two teams also met in the group stages, with the English beating the Aussies by 3 runs in a thriller.
The main issue for the Aussies is their captain. Meg Lanning is arguably the best women’s batsmen in the world, and the Australians will be without her this series as she recovers from injury.
It is a jarring blow to their Ashes defence, and Rachel Haynes will have to step up in a big way to replace Lanning, not just as a batsmen, but as an onfield leader.
Australia: Alyssa Healy
The ‘Brad Haddin’ of the women’s team, Healy is extremely vocal behind the pegs. Her keeping work itself is outstanding; with clean hands and good footwork all ensuing she is relatively tidy behind the stumps. Her batting is no joke either, as she is explosive and dangerous down the bottom of the order. For Australia to hold onto the urn, they will be relying on Healy to have a big series.
England: Natalie Sciver
A devastating batsmen, Sciver is dangerous when she’s at the crease. A clean striker of the ball, Sciver has played quite a bit in Australia, turning out for the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL over the past two seasons. Combined with that, she is also a tricky medium pace bowler, with subtle variations having netted her 30 ODI wickets.
Australia is hurting from their World Cup loss, and while they are missing Lanning, are still extremely dangerous. They know their conditions well, and have a strong squad in. Expect them to take home the first win of the summer, and set the tone for the remaining series, and the men’s Ashes to come.
Australia by 20 runs.
Can Australia come out firing and strike the first blow in the battle for the Ashes. Or will the English be riding high off their World Cup success, and use that to fire them towards the first victory of their campaign? Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 10am (AEDT).
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