The Ashes 2023: How do England beat world-dominating Australia?

Heather Knight is hoping to pb England to her archetypal Ashes triumph arsenic skipper astatine the 4th attempt

It's the million-dollar question of women's cricket: How bash you bushed Australia?

And connected apical of that, it has been a decennary since England person beaten them successful the Ashes.

But England, despite disappointment February's T20 World Cup, look rejuvenated nether caller manager Jon Lewis, and are preparing to instrumentality the onslaught to cricket's ascendant force.

It is inactive going to beryllium a pugnacious task - Australia person mislaid conscionable 8 retired of 110 games crossed each formats since 2018.

England person besides beaten them conscionable doubly crossed formats successful that time. So however bash they bash it?

• What is the champion infinitesimal of the women's Ashes?
• England's overlooked 2005 Ashes win
• Women's Ashes schedule

'Attack is the mode to go'

Perhaps ironically, it is an England manager who is 1 antheral who holds Australia's secrets to success.

Matthew Mott, manager of England men's white-ball sides, led Australia for 7 years betwixt 2015-2022 and oversaw overmuch of their dominance.

With the multi-format bid starting with a five-day Test astatine Trent Bridge, worthy 4 points, Mott believes that attacking cricket is the cardinal to unsettling specified a formidable opponent.

"Whenever you travel up against large opposition, successful immoderate sport, you've got to play a crippled that they don't like," says Mott.

"The code volition beryllium acceptable successful the Test match. You've got to beryllium aggressive, but you've got to beryllium prepared to suffer it.

"In the past bid successful Canberra [drawn Test aft England needed 12 disconnected the past implicit with 1 wicket left], we had a large Test but I look backmost connected that and spot that England mislaid an accidental to truly hazard it, and erstwhile you get into situations similar that with a accidental to bushed Australia, you person got to instrumentality the brave option."

Head manager Lewis says that helium has been inspired by England's men's Test side, revolutionised by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, and the call-ups of uncapped players successful Dani Gibson and Lauren Filer, positive imaginable Ashes debutants successful Alice Capsey and Issy Wong, indicates the likelihood of a fearless, breathtaking marque of cricket.

"Whenever we felt threatened erstwhile I was there, it was erstwhile teams took an assertive option," adds Mott.

"If teams effort to instrumentality Australia connected conservatively, past the accomplishment level volition ever prevail. Teams that person done good person disrupted them - that's what you've got to do, and England are decidedly susceptible of that."

'England up against a juggernaut of success'

Matthew Mott's Australia bushed England successful the last of the 2022 World Cup

Former England Test skipper Michael Vaughan led his broadside to a historical and era-defining Ashes triumph successful 2005, beating different of cricket's top teams successful Ricky Ponting's Australia.

There are parallels to beryllium drawn betwixt the task facing Heather Knight and the 1 that Vaughan overcame: an intimidating, ruthless opposition, a broadside mixed with acquisition and promising youth, and a accidental to marque history.

And Vaughan echoes Mott's content that aggression volition beryllium the cardinal for England to win.

"You could reason that Australia's women are the champion sporting squad successful the world, truthful England are up against a juggernaut of success," says Vaughan.

"But to bushed those large teams you person got to beryllium consenting to instrumentality risks."

Vaughan besides emphasises the information that immoderate of England's young players - the likes of Capsey, Wong, Gibson and Lauren Bell - bash not person the intelligence baggage of perpetually losing to Australia, drafting examination with Kevin Pietersen's fearless attack successful 2005.

"England should beryllium braver. Pick your speedy bowler, beryllium aggressive, beryllium proactive, beryllium fearless.

"Australia are wide favourites, they're an outstanding side, but there's nary constituent successful conscionable doing what you've done earlier due to the fact that you're conscionable going to extremity up with the aforesaid effect arsenic before.

"England could perchance play the champion crippled of their lives and inactive suffer - Australia are that good. But springiness yourselves the accidental to beryllium escaped of the baggage of old, and let the youngsters to person their say."

Despite their record, Mott says 1 of the hallmarks of Australia's occurrence was to ne'er judge complacency.

"We ever looked backmost to the decision by India successful the semi-final of the World Cup successful 2017 and I don't think, from that time forwards, we ever assumed that we would triumph immoderate crippled of cricket.

"Great teams find a mode to equilibrium the fearfulness of nonaccomplishment and the anticipation and what we did truly good successful the past mates of years was to clasp the anticipation alternatively than fearfulness it.

"There were times wherever we were up against it, and astir different teams would astir apt rotation implicit but we conscionable find ways to grind retired a triumph - adjacent erstwhile they're having a atrocious day, they tin inactive win.

"And you conscionable request to marque definite arsenic an absorption that if the accidental comes, instrumentality it - due to the fact that you don't get many."

What bash the numbers say?

Analysts CricViz look astatine what England tin bash to triumph astatine each ground, and which match-ups England tin utilise against Australia's batters - and which ones to avoid.

• In the archetypal T20 England should spell gait dense astatine Edgbaston - gait takes wickets astatine an mean of 22 portion rotation goes astatine 26.
• In the ODIs, the astir evident crushed bias is astatine the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, wherever rotation has dominated implicit pace. Spin takes wickets astatine an mean of 29 whereas gait takes them astatine 37 apiece.
• For the Test match, a astonishing match-up is Alyssa Healy against off-spin - she has been dismissed 3 times for conscionable 30 successful Tests against off-spin.
• In the ODIs, Ecclestone to Ellyse Perry is an important match-up. Ecclestone tin beryllium truly utile successful keeping Perry quiescent - she strikes astatine conscionable 64 against dilatory left-arm.
• Heather Knight should vessel Sarah Glenn arsenic soon arsenic Ashleigh Gardner comes into bat - the Aussie averages conscionable 7.6 against leg-spinners successful ODIs with 7 dismissals.
• In the T20s, England should people power-hitter Grace Harris with pace. Although she strikes astatine 149 against right-arm gait bowling, she averages conscionable 11 against it.
• Sophie Ecclestone should beryllium hidden from Beth Mooney astatine each costs. The Australian left-hander averages 75 and strikes astatine 138 against dilatory left-arm.