• Australia begin their defence in first ODI at Leicester on Tuesday
The last time England women won the Ashes was in 2014: Charlotte Edwards was still the captain, neither side was professional and the majority of the series was not even televised. In the five years since then the women’s cricket landscape has fundamentally shifted but one thing has remained a constant: beating Australia is a formidable challenge.
That is particularly true given the form which the Women’s Ashes now takes. This will be the fifth series to be played using the multi-format points‑based system, whereby a win in each of the three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 games contributes two points towards the final result, in addition to the four points on offer for the one-off Test played mid‑series. With success in each format of the game required in order to claim the trophy, both sides now unequivocally view the Ashes as the pinnacle event in the international calendar – more important than even the World Cup.
Written by Raf Nicholson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/01/england-australia-eclipses-world-cup-pinnacle-womens-cricket under the title “England v Australia eclipses World Cup at pinnacle of women’s cricket”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
