England's decade-long quest to bring Women's Ashes home

A batch has changed successful the decennary since England's women past held the Ashes trophy.

There person been six antithetic premier ministers successful the UK, Brexit, a planetary pandemic and 3 Olympic Games, and women's cricket is present unrecognisable from the days erstwhile professionalism was embryonic.

England and Australia are present starring the mode with nonrecreational set-ups astatine some planetary and home level, which usually results successful gripping contests betwixt the two, but it's this year's hosts who person the bragging rights successful presumption of silverware.

Alyssa Healy's world-dominating broadside clasp the 50-over World Cup, the Ashes since 2014 and lone past twelvemonth relinquished their T20 crown for the archetypal clip since 2018. They are arguably sport's astir palmy and ascendant squad successful caller years.

England's trophy furniture looks precise different, having not won a World Cup since the triumph astatine Lord's successful 2017.

But the location Ashes bid successful 2023 was drawn wide erstwhile Australia were beardown favourites, and Heather Knight's broadside dominated the white-ball limb with 2 bid wins, an accomplishment precise fewer teams person managed.

The disappointment successful the Australian campy erstwhile they were presented the Ashes trophy by default due to the fact that of the gully was visible, which volition springiness England a immense boost and sets up an intriguing contention betwixt the sides ranked numbers 1 and 2 successful the world.

"It is guaranteed to beryllium breathtaking – some teams are astir apt the astir adjacent they person been for the past 15 years successful presumption of endowment and potential," said ex-England bowler Alex Hartley.

"Last time, England proved they are arsenic bully arsenic Australia which we weren't expecting."

Here's everything you request to cognize arsenic England effort to bring the urn home, starting with Sunday's archetypal one-day planetary (23:30 GMT, Saturday).

The bid consists of 3 one-day internationals, 3 T20s and concludes with a day-night Test astatine the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with each white-ball crippled worthy 2 points and the Test lucifer worthy four.

That presents the imaginable of a compelling bid successful presumption of however some teams attack the Test if the bid is inactive alive, oregon if 1 squad needs to unit a effect successful bid to triumph the wide points tally.

It is besides a peculiarly gruelling schedule, the shortest ever successful presumption of days, with the teams having to contend with the geographical situation of navigating Australia during a abbreviated turnaround betwixt matches.

"There's nary uncertainty it's pugnacious but it's the aforesaid for some teams," said England skipper Knight.

"We're going to person to beryllium truly astute astir trying to refresh rapidly aft games physically and besides mentally - we beauteous overmuch leap connected the level the adjacent time and past play again.

"We're conscionable going to person to rotation with it and I deliberation momentum is going to beryllium key. So if we tin commencement truly good and get a small spot of momentum, I deliberation it's going to beryllium truly hard to wrestle it backmost for the different team."

There is unrecorded ball-by-ball vigor commentary of each lucifer via BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and app and connected 5 Sports Extra, alongside unrecorded substance commentary and video clips connected the website and app.

England's Lauren Filer was a breakthrough prima of the 2023 Test match, successful which she was an unexpected prime by caput manager Jon Lewis, but her earthy gait caught Australia disconnected guard, including dismissals of prima all-rounder Ellyse Perry successful some innings.

Since then, she has featured regularly successful each 3 formats and portion she whitethorn not beryllium apical of immoderate wicket-taking charts, it is that gait which provides Knight with an invaluable weapon.

On bouncier pitches during December's circuit of South Africa, Filer regularly topped 75mph and had the opposing batters hopping astir the crease, being knocked implicit by bouncers, and stumps uprooted from the ground.

She is apt to beryllium presented with akin conditions down under.

Filer tin beryllium costly astatine times due to the fact that she is fixed a elemental task by the England management: vessel arsenic accelerated arsenic she tin with the purpose of taking wickets, and Knight is prepared to sacrifice immoderate runs for that purpose.

"She bowls a hellhole of a batch of wicket-taking balls - facing her successful the nets is not a precise pleasant experience!" said Knight.

"It's a portion of the captaincy I emotion doing, looking aft those bowlers and trying to springiness them the tools to amusement disconnected their skills and thrive. I'm truly excited to spot however they spell due to the fact that bowling retired present arsenic a accelerated bowler tin beryllium truly fun."

For Australia, 23-year-old all-rounder Annabel Sutherland has enjoyed a stellar twelvemonth wherever she has thrived nether greater work with some bat and ball.

Sutherland batted arsenic debased arsenic fig 8 for Australia successful the caller T20 World Cup, which is testament to their enviable spot successful depth, arsenic she proved with a match-winning period from that presumption during the 2023 Test astatine Trent Bridge.

She comes into the bid successful sparkling form, having scored centuries against some India and New Zealand portion besides taking 4-39 and 3-39 against the aforesaid opponents.

Sutherland is simply a versatile batter, susceptible of capitalising connected a level provided by Australia's stellar apical order, but arsenic capable to rescue them if a fewer aboriginal wickets fall.

Alongside batters Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield and speedy bowler Darcie Brown, Sutherland forms the halfway of an breathtaking yet ominous aboriginal for Australia.

Both teams were bruised from their astonishment exits from the T20 World Cup. Twinned with the drawn bid successful 2023, the communicative is already a gripping 1 earlier a shot has adjacent been bowled.

"Both teams person a constituent to beryllium - England volition beryllium hopeless to triumph the Ashes backmost and Australia volition beryllium hopeless to A, support them and B, triumph them," erstwhile England seamer Anya Shrubsole told BBC World Service's Stumped podcast.

"I've decidedly seen a fewer things astir however it felt bittersweet for Australia successful 2023 successful England erstwhile it was a drawn series. When you enactment each of that together, positive 2 high-quality teams, we could beryllium successful for a cracker."

Shrubsole highlighted England's rotation onslaught of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn arsenic 1 of the team's biggest strengths, and suggested Australia's deficiency of pace-bowling extent could beryllium an country for England to target.

"I would look astatine the 2 seam bowling attacks. Megan Schutt has been outstanding for Australia for years, but beyond that it could beryllium an country wherever England people them with the bat," Shrubsole added.

"But the aforesaid goes for Australia, particularly with the unreality implicit Kate Cross' fittingness due to the fact that Lauren Bell and Filer are some precise breathtaking but they tin beryllium a interaction inconsistent. Both teams' rotation departments are outstanding."

England's biggest challenge, though, is apt travel from the intelligence facet of the crippled arsenic opposed to idiosyncratic skill.

They crumbled nether unit during the T20 World Cup and struggled without Knight's guidance, and holding your nervus against the world's champion and successful the vigor of Australia is immensely difficult.

It is an unforgiving docket successful an unforgiving spot to play cricket, but England accidental they person learned from their World Cup experience.

If they tin enactment that close erstwhile it matters most, Knight could person 1 precious urn-inspired trophy - 1 that has evaded her passim her 8 years of captaincy - beside her connected the formation home.