2023 Women’s Ashes - England vs Australia – 2nd T20 International Preview & Prediction
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
THE FACTS
When is England vs Australia taking place? Wednesday, July 5th, 2023 – 18:00 (UK)
Where is England vs Australia taking place? England vs Australia will take place at The Kia Oval, London
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 four wickets
THE LOWDOWN
ENGLAND
England once again pushed Australia to the limit in the first of three T20i matches to be played in this multi-format series, but as always seems to be the case against their biggest rivals, the hosts found themselves on the losing side. After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, England started well before losing a couple of wickets. Eventually, a strong partnership between opener Sophia Dunkley and captain Heather Knight laid down a platform for England, Dunkley scoring a half-century. But after both perished it was wicket-keeper Amy Jones to took the mantle and dragged her side to a more than competitive 153/7 with some excellent late hitting. It didn’t prove enough in the end though, despite the best efforts of spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn as Australia snuck home with four wickets and a ball to spare.
It’s now do or die for England in terms of the women’s Ashes with another defeat in this next T20i ending their hopes of being able to gain more points than Australia in the multi-format series. Fast bowler Issy Wong did not feature at Edgbaston to the surprise of many and unless she is carrying a niggle, it would be no surprise to see her thrown into the side this time round. From a batting perspective, the home side aren’t likely to change, although they’d love a more significant contribution from Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is carrying an injury which as it stands has seen her unable to bowl.
AUSTRALIA
Australia were not at their brilliant best in the opening T20i, but they won’t care a jot because the win was all that mattered, which they finally claimed with a ball to spare despite having to stumble over the line in the final over. Whilst Australia’s fielding wasn’t at the highest level that we come to expect from such a brilliant team, they are only likely to improve with time out on the field. The tourists will also look to tighten up at the death from a bowling point of view after an expensive final couple of overs saw them needing to chase down 154 at Edgbaston this past Saturday, a significantly higher score than what it should have been at one stage.
Opener Beth Mooney was the star, batting through the innings to end the piece unbeaten on 61 from 47 balls, whilst significant contributions came from Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner. Also deserving huge credit is Annabel Sutherland, who came to the crease with the game at a knife edge and struck two boundaries from her first three balls to leave Australia needing just one run to win from the final five deliveries of the match. Although she perished, Georgia Wareham went on to hit the winning run and secure Australia a 6-point lead in the multi-format series. With just eight more points left to play for, victory at the Kia Oval would guarantee that the women’s Ashes returns to Australia come the end of the series.
THE PREDICTION
The gap between England and Australia has substantially shrunk across the years and this was demonstrated in the last T20i, but Australia still boasts that psychological advantage of always being able to get over the line in tight match situations. The carrot of being able to retain the Ashes with victory here will no doubt drive the tourists on and their strength-in-depth with the bat, combined with the numerous bowling options at their disposal underlines their class. Expect England to put up another brave fight, but for Australia to ultimately come out on top once again.
TIP: AUSTRALIA TO WIN
