Women's Ashes: England in fine form ahead of Australia with pace from Lauren Filer and 'best in the world' Nat Sciver-Brunt | Cricket news

England's bid to regain the Women's Ashes will begin soon.

Not since 2014 have they beaten Australia, with the five series since seeing three wins for the Southern Stars and two draws.

England were outscored 12-4 on points in 2019 and 2022 but the gap on home turf was closed in 2023. In fact, there was no gap at all, with the teams locked at 8-8.

The tourists won the test match at Trent Bridge but England then won four of the six white-ball matches, with two T20 wins and as many ODI victories, leading to a stalemate.

That meant Australia retained the trophy but left England believing they were closing in on regaining it at some point, with their next chance coming away from the house in January.

Heather Knight's side warmed up for the toughest task in women's cricket with a successful tour of South Africasweeping the T20 series 3-0, winning the ODI portion 2-1 and then chasing the Proteas for just 64 to secure a successful victory in the one-off Test.

So here are some things to keep in mind ahead of that Ashes bid…

Filer takes the fire

Fast bowler Lauren Filer did not play in the white-ball matches against Australia in 2023 but sizzled on Test international debut, taking two wickets in each innings, including Ellyse Perry twice .

When we say Filer is a fast bowler we mean it.

She is fast at over 70mph and is such a dangerous weapon for England, as the South African batsmen found out recently when she smashed them on the body and helmet, when she have to hit short balls and explode the stumps.

With the bowling rockets of Filer, the in-ring Lauren Bell, the consistency of Kate Cross (if appropriate after back spam) and Nat Sciver-Brunt and the spin threats of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn, England look set to attack a Australia can be tested across all three formats.

Knight back in form – but what if she's not there?

Knight has been around for a long time now so some low scores weren't going to bother her too much, but it was a nice coda to end the Africa tour. – Right with a Test-match 90 after only making double figures twice in three innings in which the white ball is playing.

The calf injury that ruled her out of England's tournament-ending T20 World Cup loss to the West Indies in October had no lasting effects, but coach Jon Lewis might wise to think what he would do if his captain was off.

Since she was not there for the West Indies' World Cup rout, the wheels came off. England looked listless without their leader as they dropped five catches in Dubai.

Lewis, who even came onto the pitch during drinks to try to restore order, spoke afterwards of players “moving away” and “looking frustrated” as his team decline to group level that was going on.

He backed vice-captain Sciver-Brunt to do a “really good job” if she had to stand again, but you can imagine Australia licking their lips if England had to field a team from without Knight there.

Should Beaumont be in Ashes T20 squad?

The chance of Tammy Beaumont upsetting the opening combo of Danni Wyatt-Hodge-Maia Bouchier in T20Is looks remote after South Africa's 3-0 sweep, although Bouchier was unable to push on past 35 that series as Wyatt-Hodge picked up two fifties. .

But she may deserve at least a place in the wider squad, having acceded to England's request to increase her strike rate in T20s after being dropped from that format in 2022. In her five T20I innings since then, she has gone well over the run of the ball.

Beaumont, 33, was not included in the T20 party in South Africa but played in a virtual T20 in the series-deciding third ODI after rain and lightning cut England's run to 23 runs .

She hit 65 not out from 46 balls, hitting 10 fours and displaying her usual bowler-busting footwork, helping England to a revised target of 152 to arrive with four corners to spare.

Sciver-Brunt the best in the world?

As the debate rages over which of Joe Root and Harry Brook is the world's leading men's Test bowler – and New Zealand's Kane Williamson thinks 'forget about me' – England's Sciver-Brunt has been named the best player in all formats in the women's game by teammate Ecclestone. It's hard to argue.

Her batting, as it so often does, came to the fore in South Africa, with a T20 fifty against the Proteas taking her to three consecutive in-form fifties -thousand that was spent against the West Indies in the World Cup in the UAE.

She was quiet in the ODI series as two ducks put back a knock of 20 but returned to form in the Test match with a 96-ball century, the fastest ever seen in women's Test cricket. hits her first ball down the ground for four and adds. 17 more boundaries before being unfortunately run out at the non-striker's end.

How Sciver-Brunt bats against Australia could go a long way to determining whether or not England will regain The Ashes.

She averages over 62 against the Southern Stars in ODIs and has scored four centuries in her last five 50-over innings against them – two in the 2022 World Cup and two in the 2023 Ashes – although it has been 10 hits since she last passed 50. against Alyssa Healy's team in T20 internationals.

A Test ton at the MCG in the series decider wouldn't go amiss either, with Sciver-Brunt posting three red-ball fifties against Australia in six games but still failing to get into three figures.