England Women celebrate

Australia hunt for whitewash over England ahead of day-night Test at MCG in Women’s Ashes

Australia have trounced England in both white-ball series of the Women’s Ashes. They will now look to continue their dominance and whitewash the visitors in the final battle at the MCG in the one-off Test.

Currently 12-0 up, Allyssa Healy’s Australia will pull on the baggy green for the first and only time this series as they attempt to embarrass England even more than they already have.

England will look to put their troubles behind them for the Test. They recently defeated South Africa in a comprehensive performance in Bloemfontein. This saw Maia Bouchier score a ton on debut, while Lauren Bell took career-best figures of 4-27.

Similarly, Australia’s last Test victory was over South Africa too. They won by an innings and 284 runs thanks to an Annabel Sutherland masterclass. The all-rounder scored 210 and took five wickets, overshadowing performances from Healy and Darcie Brown.

The hosts have undoubtedly been the superior side in the series. They have been more dangerous with the bat, bowled tighter lines and lengths and are far more athletic in the field; the last point causing quite the controversy throughout the series.

The culmination of the Women’s Ashes

When: Thursday, January 30 – Sunday, February 2 at 2:30 PM AEDT

Where: MCG, Melbourne

What to expect: None of England or Australia’s squads have played a huge amount of Test cricket. Heather Knight and Ellyse Perry have represented their nations 13 times each in Tests, while Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver-Brunt are the only two other players to have double-figure appearances in the longest format. Both sides have only played two Tests since the last Ashes 18 months ago. This means that all 22 players who will take to the field will be very raw.

The match takes place over four days, increasing the likelihood of a draw. While this would give England their first points of the series, stopping the whitewash, it would be the largest margin within a Women’s Ashes since the introduction of the multi-format series in 2013. However, the use of a pink ball, which offers better wicket-taking opportunities around dusk, might help bowlers.

Teams watch:

Australia Women have lost just one of their last eight Tests over the previous decade. Perry has been crucial to her side’s dominance. She averages over 60 with the bat and under 22 with the ball. Alongside Sutherland and Tahlia McGrath, Australia’s all-round strength is undeniable.

There are still question marks over Ash Garder’s fitness. She missed all three T20Is due to a calf strain, but she is expected to play. Australia also announced that Healy will not take the gloves for the Test, but they remain hopeful that she can play her part as a batter.

Predicted playing XI: Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Alyssa Healy (C), Beth Mooney (WK), Annabel Sutherland, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Darcie Brown.

England Women will make at least one change to their side since their last Test with Knight revealing that they will play an extra batter. The in-form Sophia Dunkley returns to the middle-order having not played long-format cricket since 2023.

Kate Cross has failed to recover fully from her back issues. This leaves Charlie Dean and Ryana MacDonald-Gay fighting it out for the remaining spot.

Predicted playing XI: Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight (C), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones (WK), Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell.

What they said:

“I’m just excited for this event. It’s been a long time coming, playing here at the MCG and a day-night Test match in an Ashes series is pretty special, so I’m excited to be a part of it,” Allysa Healy on the excitement of playing a day-night Test at the MCG.

“The main thing is to communicate really well because it’s [pink-ball] pretty new for everyone in terms of how things will change. We’re gonna have to be on it with our strategy. At certain points of the game, we might have to soak up a bit of pressure but also go and put pressure on when the conditions are in our favour. It’s gonna be really exciting,” Heather Knight on what England must do to win the Test.

Broadcast Schedule

India v England White ball series
IND v ENG 2nd ODI, Cuttack
9th February
Start time: 8:00 am GMT
IND v ENG 3rd ODI, Ahmedebad
12th February
Start time: 8:00 am GMT