2023 Women’s Ashes - England vs Australia – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
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THE FACTS
When is England vs Australia taking place? Saturday, July 1st, 2023 – 18:35 (UK)
Where is England vs Australia taking place? England vs Australia will take place at Edgbaston, Birmingham
What channel is England vs Australia on? England vs Australia will be televised live on Sky Sports in the UK
Where can I stream England vs Australia? Sky Sports subscribers in the UK can stream England vs Australia live on Sky Go.
LAST MEETING
Australia beat England by nine wickets
THE LOWDOWN
ENGLAND
England can be proud of their efforts in the only Test against Australia in the Women’s Ashes, but ultimately having to bat last on a crumbling Trent Bridge pitch proved their downfall as the tourists successfully spun them out. Chasing 268 runs to win, England found themselves at 55 without loss, but after one wicket went down, it sparked a collapse in the final session of Day 4. After finding themselves at 110/5, England loss their final five wickets for just 68 runs on the final day of the Test, bowled out for 178 which saw them lose by 89 runs. There were standout performances, Tammy Beaumont backing up her double hundred in a warm-up match against Australia A with another double century here. Debutant Lauren Filer bowled excellently with the ball, her pace causing extra problems for Australia and the 22-year-old dismissed Ellyse Perry in both Australian innings. However, it would be remiss not to once again shine a light on Sophie Ecclestone, England’s star spinner taking consecutive five-wicket-hauls in a marathon effort that saw her bowl 77.1 overs across the entire Test.
With England having lost, they now trail by four points and the multi-format series and to regain the Ashes, they must win five of the six white ball fixtures against their opponents. The first T20i takes place at what will be a packed Edgbaston with around 20k fans expected to attend. Fast bowler Issy Wong has been called into the white ball squad after surprisingly being left out of the Test squad and will surely play on her home ground. All-rounder Danielle Gibson was awarded her first full call-up, although it won’t be easy for her to break into the team. Alice Capsey should come into the side, whilst much will once again on the key senior figures of Ecclestone, captain Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt.
AUSTRALIA
Australia couldn't have made a better start to their defence of the Women's Ashes and after the only Test of the multi-format series, they already have one hand on the prize with four points gained and just 12 more points to play for over the course of the white ball fixtures. After winning the toss and batting first at Trent Bridge, they capitalised on a flat service to accumulate 473. This kept them ahead of the game throughout, Annabel Sutherland scoring an unbeaten 137 in the first innings batting at number eight. After setting England a victory target of 268, Ashleigh Gardner took full advantage of a turning deck to rack up an incredible eight wickets across her 20 overs.
The question is whether Australia can smoothly transition into white ball cricket and whether they will be able to play their normal formidable game in front of a big home crowd. Their last white ball defeat came in India with a large Indian crowd watching on and Edgbaston will prove a big challenge for them. Alyssa Healy continues to deputise for regular captain Meg Lanning despite having broken two fingers, a testament to her resilience. She is expected to open, after having batted down the order in the Test.
THE PREDICTION
Australia’s white ball record over the past few years is utterly formidable and it will be so difficult for England to get the better of them in any of the six fixtures, let alone five matches from six, which is what the hosts need to win the Ashes. However, the best chance will surely come here at Edgbaston. T20 is England’s best format and a partisan crowd will surely give them a huge boost, plus putting extra pressure on the Australians with both bat, ball and in the field. It may take Australia time to adapt to the rigours of T20 cricket without normal skipper Lanning and whilst they rightly remain favourites to win this game, backing England at long odds looks a smart move.
TIP: ENGLAND TO WIN
