All about the Women's Ashes series

England captain Charlotte Edwards and Australian captain Meg Lanning pose with the Women's Ashes Trophy

The history of Women’s Test Cricket goes back as far as 1934, when the first series was contested between England and Australia. However, the contest between the two teams was officially christened the ‘Women’s Ashes’ only in 1998. That was the year the England & Wales Cricket Board decided to take over the women’s game and align it with men’s cricket. It was to commemorate this marquee decision that the name ‘Women’s Ashes’ came into being. To herald this new tradition, a ceremony was held at Lord’s Cricket Ground, where the constitution and rules book of the Women’s Cricket Association were burnt along with a bat signed by both the teams involved. The final ashes were collected and locked inside a trophy made out of the wood of a 300-year-old yew tree.

Since then,9 Ashes series have been played,but the most recent ones have not consisted purely of Tests. The multi-format points system for the Women’s Ashes was introduced in 2013, in a bid to spice up the series and make it more interesting. The series now consists of 3 ODIs, 3 T20s and 1 Test, with the ODIs and T20s worth 2 points each. The Test was played for 6 points in the first two multi-format series, but has been watered down to 4 points starting from this year’s games. Whoever wins the maximum number of points across formats wins the Ashes.

England are the current holders of the yew trophy, but are in a spot of bother in the current series. This year’s Women’s Ashes commenced with the ODI leg of the series which went in favour of the Southern Stars(name of the Australian Women’s Cricket Team). England Women won the first ODI at Taunton by 4 wickets, with Natalie Sciver and Lydia Greenway playing an important role in them chasing a target of 239 runs. Things began to fall away after that as a wonderful century by Australian skipper Meg Lanning helped the Southern Stars run up a huge target of 260 in the second ODI at Bristol. This eventually led to a defeat for England, as they lost their way through the chase with right-arm fast bowler Megan Schutt claiming 4 wickets. The third ODI held at Worcester was also won by Australia with Meg Lanning top-scoring with 85 runs and leg-spinner Kristen Beams taking 3 wickets as England folded up for 152 runs in the second innings. All-rounder Ellyse Perry, one of Australia’s most valuable players, was rightfully adjudged the player-of-the-series as she helped the Southern Stars resurrect their innings to a respectable total in the 1^st ODI and ably supported her skipper while batting in the next two ODIs. She contributed with the ball as well, ending up with an all-round series tally of 3 wickets and 198 runs. The points earned in this series also contributed towards Women's Championship points(for qualification for the ICC Women's World Cup in 2017. England are at no. 4 while Australia top the table).

The series now stands at 4-2 with Australia in the lead. The sole Test(played across 4 days), which is to start at the Spitfire ground in Canterbury tomorrow, is now crucial in the context of the series. It is a make or break game for England Women, as losing the Test would mean that they would be 8-2 down at the start of the T20 leg. Being 6-4 down (in the case of a draw) would also not be an easy situation for them. The Southern Stars would look to further press the advantage and secure the series firmly in their favour.  They last played the longer format in January 2014, but their practice games at Loughborough (2 days) and  Beckenham( 3 days) against ECB Academy and a combined XI of ECB Academy and Surrey boys yielded positive results with most of their major players like Nicole Bolton, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry getting amongst the runs. The pitch at Canterbury is expected to be a slow one and it has been confirmed that Kristen Beams and left-arm spinning all-rounder Jessica Jonassen will be wearing the Baggy Green for the first time. Veteran batsman Alex Blackwell will be making her 200th appearance in Australian colours. On England Women’s side, it has been confirmed that skipper Charlotte Edwards will not be opening the batting and will be moving to no. 4 in the batting order. All in all, it promises to be a cracking Test.

This Women’s Ashes series has attracted much media attention, which is wonderful for the women’s game. The coverage of the series has been most impressive and has helped women’s cricket reach different parts of the globe. The televising of the series on Sky Sports in the UK has also helped. Another factor in furthering the interest in this series has been the fact that most of the players involved are professionals with contracts. Whichever way the series goes, the Women's Ashes in 2015 has been a massive boost for the women’s game and has helped it gain many new followers.

Test squads:

England: Charlotte Edwards (captain), Heather Knight (vice-captain), Katherine Brunt, Kathryn Cross,Georgia Elwiss, Lydia Greenway, Rebecca Grundy, Jenny Gunn, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield.

Australia: Meg Lanning (c), Alex Blackwell (vc), Kristen Beams, Nicole Bolton, Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Rene Farrell, Holly Ferling, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani.