The first game in an Ashes series has all these extra layers. Whether it’s additional media duties, the singing of the national anthem or the pre-series photo with the trophy, anticipation and preparation are inevitable for players. When the England team took the field a week ago, seven matches awaited them; seven chances to rival Australia and win the Ashes.
England’s first outing was not the start they would have liked to their campaign, aiming to win back the Ashes after a barren decade. There were positive signs from the North Sydney Oval camp with Heather Knight and Danni Wyatt-Hodge getting a few runs under their belt. However, finishing 204 overall was far from the competitive total they would have attempted to set with their rivals.
Lauren Bell has put aside her concerns about attacking the seams with her economical bowling after it was announced that Kate Cross would not be able to play at least the first ODI due to the back spasm she suffered in Africa from the South in December.
Yet Alyssa Healy led from the front, scoring 70 and taking the match. Ash Gardner’s 42* set the tone for the rest of the series and continued the form she had rediscovered at the end of the year. The four-wicket defeat provoked sighs from England fans, but there were still two chances – surely England would find a victory?
Junction Oval in Melbourne hosted the second ODI. With nerves rattled early on, it was time for England to bounce back and get back on level terms with Australia. Of course, this is much easier said than done. England put Australia into bat and between Sophie Ecclestone’s reliable spin and Heather Knight’s decision to field Alice Capsey, the visitors dismissed the Australians for 180.
181 was a far less daunting total than England are accustomed to against Australia. Everything seemed to be falling into place for England, but Australia have a gift: they can win anywhere.
With Alana King as their weapon of choice, the hosts crushed the English batters to nothing. The exclusion of Nat Sciver-Brunt proved crucial as the pace of play slowed. A lapse in concentration from a nervous Amy Jones, who failed to take a single, left Lauren Bell picking up the pieces for England against a fired-up Megan Schutt. It was England’s game that they were taking over and they blew it.
Moving to Hobart, pressure mounted on England. Mathematically, it wasn’t a must-win game, but in reality, it was. Trapping Australia 59-4 with the dangerous Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Annabel Sutherland back in the dressing room, it was the perfect opportunity to bring the match to a quick close.
Instead, the Australians’ immense depth was demonstrated as Ash Garder scored her first century, with six, while Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath supported with half-centuries. With 308 in total for Australia, England should have achieved an innings record – 309 has still never been successfully chased down in women’s ODI cricket.
Australia now leads 6-0 in the multi-format Women’s Ashes series, winning all three ODIs in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart. The format awards two points for a white-ball victory and four points for the test match. If rain does not force a result, each team receives one point. Similarly, if the test match ends in a draw, the teams receive two points.
Australia are the current holders of the Ashes, meaning England need to get 10 points to win them back. Australia, meanwhile, need just eight points to retain. This means that England must win all of their remaining matches to win the trophy.
This puts immense pressure on England as there is no room for error. It also means they have to win the Test match at the MCG, a result which can be incredibly weather dependent when the match is only four days long.
However, in 2023, when England hosted the Ashes, this is the position they found themselves in. Australia were 6-0 after the Test match and the first T20 at Edgbaston. England were expected to win the remaining white-ball matches. They triumphed in four out of five matches, meaning Australia retained the Ashes, albeit by slim margins. This is not completely ruled out for England.
T20 is arguably England’s most powerful format. The team will be somewhat different from the ODI team with wicketkeeper Bess Heath, all-rounder Freya Kemp and spinner Linsey Smith returning to the fold. Sarah Glenn, Sophia Dunkley and Dani Gibson, who were in the ODI squad but did not play, are all likely to play important roles for England with some rotation expected from Jon Lewis.
The Australians play with the mentality that losing is not an option. England must now adopt the same mantra.