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England are still searching for their first points in the Women’s Ashes and are in must-win territory already.
Dominant Australia hold a six-point lead following a clean sweep in the one-day international leg of the series.
In the aftermath of an 86-run defeat in the third ODI at Hobart, England captain Heather Knight said her side would “keep believing”, making reference to their fightback from 6-0 behind to draw 8-8 in the 2023 home series.
England lost the Test which opened that 2023 series, but they face a different challenge down under, with the four-day Melbourne showpiece coming at the end of their tour.
Australia retained the Ashes two years ago with the draw on their travels. England know that one more defeat would mean Knight’s side cannot head home with the trophy.
Knight and England have spoken confidently about T20 cricket being their strength, so the next three matches, starting on Monday in Sydney, could provide a chance to keep the series alive before the Test begins on 30 January.
Although the ODI series ended with a dominant Australian performance, the hosts were below par in the first two matches. This suggests there are fragilities that England, with a complete performance, could still exploit.
England’s target is clear: they must win all of the remaining matches to land the Ashes for the first time in over a decade.
So what can give them hope, and what must they improve?
Prepare for a battle between spinners
The biggest positive that England could take from the ODI series was their bowling efforts. Young seamers Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer have stood up admirably in the absence of the experienced Kate Cross, who has a back injury.
Australia lost six wickets while chasing just 204 in the first match. They were then dismissed for 180 in match two, and slipped to 59-4 in the third game before producing a sensational middle-order rescue.
That suggests Australia’s top order is vulnerable, and in the T20s England must look to spin as their biggest weapon and bring in Sarah Glenn’s leg-spin to complement Sophie Ecclestone’s left-arm deliveries and Charlie Dean’s off-breaks.
Since the beginning of 2024, Australia’s spinners have taken 53 wickets in 17 T20 matches at an average of 18.4, while their England counterparts have taken 87 scalps in 22 matches at 16.7. Only Sri Lanka, with 92 wickets, have taken more wickets with spin in that time.
Unusually for a series in Australia, this could ultimately be decided by who boasts the best spin attack as facing the turning ball is also England’s notable weakness with the bat.
The 2023 series saw England lose 23 wickets to Ash Gardner alone, and in the ODIs here they have already given up 17 wickets to spin, being particularly troubled against leg-spinners.
Alana King and Georgia Wareham have taken 13 wickets at a combined average of just 10.2 so far.
But King, who proved a particular thorn in England’s side with 4-25 and 5-46 in the final two ODIs, is not in the T20 squad and that could prove significant.
Opening woes & senior players to step up
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In contrast to the bowling, England have plenty of room for improvement in the batting department.
In three ODIs, they managed a highest total of 222 and wasted a golden opportunity to get themselves points on the board with a batting failure in the second outing, when they were all out for 159 – 22 short of the victory target.
If the T20s are to provide England’s route back into the series, their senior players must step up.
Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones have each played more than 100 internationals in the shortest format.
Of that quartet, only Sciver-Brunt passed 50 once in the three ODIs, and that amounts to a collective failure. Tammy Beaumont was England’s only other half-centurion.
In contrast, five Australians passed the milestone and all were experienced names: Ellyse Perry, Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath.
England’s openers have also given cause for concern, with stands of 11, eight and one in the ODIs. The pairing is likely to change for the T20s, with Beaumont dropping out and Wyatt-Hodge expected to join Maia Bouchier at the top of the order.
Can England make any changes?
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Knight expects the change of format to provide a reset and has predicted new faces will bring more “energy” to England.
Alongside the switch at the top of the order and Glenn’s inclusion, Cross also drops out and all-rounders Danielle Gibson and Freya Kemp join spinner Linsey Smith as the fresh faces.
England will probably be hesitant to drop either Bell or Filer considering their impressive powerplay starts, but they have played all three matches after stepping up without Cross, and if they play all three T20s they could risk fatigue before the Test match begins.
Gibson and Kemp offer different pace options if the seamers are shuffled, and would also bring powerful lower-order batting and excellency in the field.
The number three position is England’s biggest puzzler. Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley have both taken on the role in recent times but have each managed just one score of more than 50 in their past 17 innings.
Opener Bouchier’s stuttering contributions compound the fragile look of England’s top order.
In contrast, Australia could add explosive batter Grace Harris to their line-up, while waiting in the wings is 21-year-old Georgia Voll, despite scoring a century in just her second ODI outing against India in December and striking at a rate of nearly 145 in the most recent Women’s Big Bash League.
Australia are clearly well placed, but they have not played a T20 since the autumn’s World Cup when they were knocked out in the semi-finals by South Africa.
If there are any lingering scars from that upset, England must capitalise without delay.
