Women's Ashes 2025: Heather Knight and England seek history after more than a decade

The England women's team has been striving to reclaim the Women's Ashes for a decade. The world has undergone significant changes since England last held the Ashes trophy. The UK has seen six different Prime Ministers, Brexit, a global pandemic, and three Olympic Games. Women's cricket has also transformed dramatically, with professionalism now at a level previously unseen.

Currently, England and Australia are leading the way at both international and domestic levels, boasting professional team setups. This often leads to intense competition between the two sides, but in terms of trophies, this year's hosts, Australia, hold a clear advantage. Led by Alyssa Healy, the Australian team are not only the 50-over World Cup champions, but have also held the Ashes since 2014, and only lost their T20 title from 2018 last year. They are arguably the most successful and dominant team in sport in recent years.

In contrast, England's trophy cabinet appears much more bare, having not won a World Cup since their victory at Lord's in 2017. However, in the 2023 home Ashes series, despite Australia being the favorites, the series ultimately ended in a draw. Heather Knight's team performed exceptionally well in the white-ball segment, winning two of the series, a feat very few teams have achieved. The disappointment of Australia accepting the Ashes by default after the draw was palpable, which undoubtedly gave England a huge boost and set the stage for a showdown between the world's first and second-ranked teams.

Former England bowler Alex Hartley stated, "The competition is set to be fantastic, and the two teams are probably the most evenly matched in terms of talent and potential in the last 15 years." She also added, "Last time, England proved that they were just as good as Australia, which we didn't anticipate before." England are attempting to bring the Ashes home, with the first One Day International starting on Sunday (23:30 GMT on Saturday).

The Women's Ashes series includes three One Day Internationals, three T20 matches, and concludes with a day-night Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Each white-ball match is worth two points, and the Test match is worth four. If the series is still in the balance, or if one side needs to push for victory to win the overall points, the strategies employed by both teams in the Test match will be very interesting. Additionally, the schedule is unusually tight, being the shortest ever, requiring teams to travel back and forth across Australia in short gaps between matches, which is undoubtedly a huge challenge. England captain Knight said, "There's no doubt it's tough, but it's the same for both sides. We have to recover quickly after the matches while maintaining our mental state, as we're almost on a plane again the next day to play another match. We have to adapt to this, and I think momentum is crucial. If we can get off to a good start and gain some momentum, it will be difficult for the other team to take it back."

England's Lauren Filer was a shining new star in the 2023 Test match. She was surprisingly selected by head coach Jon Lewis, but her incredible pace caught the Australian team off guard, including dismissing star all-rounder Ellyse Perry in both innings. Since then, she has featured regularly in all three formats. While she may not top any batting charts, her pace provides Knight with a valuable weapon. During the South Africa tour in December, Filer regularly exceeded 75 mph on the bouncier pitches, causing opposition batters to jump around in the crease, getting hit by bouncing balls, and having their stumps uprooted. She is likely to encounter similar conditions in Australia. Filer may sometimes concede more runs, as the England management's task for her is simple: bowl as fast as possible in the hope of taking wickets, and Knight is willing to sacrifice some runs for this.

Knight said, "She bowls a lot of wicket-taking balls, and facing her in the nets is not a pleasant experience! One aspect I love about being captain is looking after these bowlers and trying to provide them with the tools to showcase their skills and thrive. I'm really excited to see how they perform, as it will be a lot of fun to bowl here as a fast bowler." For Australia, 23-year-old all-rounder Annabel Sutherland has had an outstanding year, taking on more responsibility with both bat and ball. At the recent T20 World Cup, Sutherland batted at number eight in the Australian team, which demonstrates their enviable squad depth. She hit a match-winning century from that position in the 2023 Trent Bridge Test. She enters this series in excellent form, having hit centuries against both India and New Zealand, while also taking 4-39 and 3-39 against the same opponents respectively. Sutherland is a versatile batter who can both capitalize on platforms provided by Australia's star top-order batters, and rescue the team if the early wickets fall.

Along with batters Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield, and fast bowler Darcie Brown, Sutherland forms the exciting and threatening core of Australia's future. Both teams were stung by unexpected exits at the T20 World Cup. Combined with the drawn 2023 series, the narrative is compelling before a ball has been bowled. Former England bowler Anya Shrubsole said on the BBC World Service's "Stumped" podcast, "Both teams have something to prove. England are desperate to win back the Ashes, and Australia are desperate to retain and win it. I did see some of the feelings from Australia about the drawn 2023 England series, which left them with a bittersweet feeling. When all these factors are added together, along with two high-quality teams, we might see a fantastic competition."

Shrubsole highlighted that England's spin attack of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, and Sarah Glenn is one of the team's biggest strengths, and believes that Australia's lack of fast bowling depth may be an area that England can attack. Shrubsole added, "I would be looking at the seam bowling attacks of both teams. Megan Schutt has been outstanding for Australia for many years, but aside from that, this might be an area that England can attack when they are batting. But the same goes for Australia, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Kate Cross's fitness, as Lauren Bell and Filer are both very exciting but perhaps a little inconsistent. Both teams have excellent spin departments."

However, the biggest challenge for England may come from the psychological side of the game, rather than individual skills. They crumbled under pressure during the T20 World Cup and struggled without Knight's guidance. Staying calm in the heat of Australia, against the world's top teams, is extremely difficult. It's a schedule of unforgiving cricket in an unforgiving place, but England have said that they have learned from their World Cup experience. If they can rectify their mistakes at the most crucial moments, Knight may well be heading home with a precious Ashes trophy, one that has eluded her throughout her eight-year captaincy.