ENG W VS AUS W 1ST ODI

TOSS - Australia Women have won the toss and will BOWL.

Just like their counterparts, England Women didn't have the best of campaigns at the T20 World Cup a few months ago and they will be hungry to find their best form that somehow managed to stop the Aussies from snatching bragging rights in the 2023 Ashes series. Will England Women be able to pick up a huge win to start the Ashes? Or will Australia Women prove too powerful at home to begin with? We shall find out in due course. Stick around as toss and team sheets aren't far away.

Australia Women were more than disappointed with that drawn Ashes series of 2023 and will be eager to win the overall competition outright this time around. Skipper Alyssa Healy will be keeping wickets after being cleared of a fitness test and the likes of Ellyse Perry and others will be looking to make more history against their arch rivals.

Hello and a warm welcome to the Women's Ashes! Two of the best teams in Women's cricket reigniting an age old rivalry across three formats of the game and at the end of it all, the one with the most points takes it all. It will be Australia Women taking on England Women in the 1st ODI in North Sydney to kick things off and on that note, welcome to the coverage.

... MATCHDAY ...

DRUMROLLS!!! Get ready for the clash of cricket's titan rivals, as The Ashes, the sport's oldest and most revered battle, descends upon Australian shores! Where history meets contemporary glory, the Women's Ashes series stands ready to captivate cricket lovers worldwide. This multi-format series will play out in three movements - opening with three pulsating ODIs, flowing into three explosive T20Is, and building to a magnificent crescendo with the lone Test match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground - the mighty 'G'. Unique to the women's game, this Ashes tale follows a points-based script - two points for each white-ball triumph, while the Test match offers a juicy four-point prize. The mathematics of glory is simple - most points takes the treasured urn home. Since 2015, the urn has called Australia home, though their last defense was nothing short of a thriller. It was a stalemate at 8-8 deadlock, with Australia clinging to the Ashes by virtue of being previous holders, even as England's late charge had them looking over their shoulders! The Australian women's cricket team, coming off an impressive ODI series win against New Zealand, has successfully retained the ICC Women's ODI Championship for the third consecutive time. The team maintains its strong core, with wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy continuing her role as captain, supported by vice-captain Tahlia McGrath who brings valuable all-round capabilities to the side. Beth Mooney partners with Healy at the top of the batting order, while Phoebe Litchfield and Ashleigh Gardner provide stability in the middle order. The squad sees the inclusion of emerging talent Georgia Voll, who showed promise in her ODI debut series against India in 2023. However, the team will miss the services of all-rounder Sophie Molineux throughout the Ashes series due to a knee injury. England, under the shrewd captaincy of Heather Knight, are poised to challenge Australia's dominance with renewed vigor. The return of pace ace Kate Cross, who sat out the South Africa Test due to back spasms, adds extra firepower to an already formidable lineup. England's strength lies in their perfect blend of explosive batting talent and versatile all-rounders, with the likes of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone leading their well-balanced attack. Their batting artillery, anchored by experienced campaigners and complemented by dynamic young talent, makes them a force to be reckoned with in this highly anticipated series. In their most recent encounter during the 2023 Ashes series, England pulled off a crucial 69-run victory via the DLS method, which prevented Australia from securing an outright Ashes triumph. This win had added significance as it denied Australia what would have been a clean sweep and demonstrated England's ability to challenge their longtime rivals in crucial moments. Well then, two crucial points up for grabs in this series opener. Who strikes the first blow?