Danny White Hodge warns England Australian The batting order before the woman's ashes. As the date of the woman's ashes approaches in 2025, England The experienced batsman does not take Australia lightly. Set to feature in her eighth Ashes series, White-Hodge praised the Australians for their batting depth and resilience. She rejected any talk about Australia's decline after its sudden defeat in the semi-finals, stressing that it is still a strong competitor.
Australia's batting depth remains intact
Since failing to reach a T20 World Cup final for the first time since 2009, Australia have gone on a winning streak. Australia have been in hot form in the ODIs, recording five successive wins over the summer at home. They swept India 3-0 and followed it up with a successive 2-0 win over New Zealand, showing why they remain a force in women's cricket.
One of the key players in their recent success has been 21-year-old Georgia Fall. With an impressive ODI average of 86.50 and a strike rate of 108.80, Phule quickly secured her place in the Australian white-ball line-up.
“No, not at all, they are a good team,” Wyatt Hodge said when asked if Australia had performed poorly. “Anyone in their squad who comes in performs. Look at Georgia Fall, she has had a fantastic start to her ODI career. Anyone in their squad is capable of putting in match-winning performances.”
England draws confidence from previous Ashes
In the 2023 Ashes, England proved they can challenge Australia by winning both white-ball matches at home. Although Australia retained the trophy after a series of draws, England's performance inspired confidence.
“We'll take confidence from what happened,” Wyatt Hodge said. “But we're starting a new Ashes, obviously in their circumstances. We all know how good the Australians are, they're a real quality team, full of world-class players.”
The upcoming Women's Ashes Festival in Australia is set to bring unique challenges to visitors. Danny White-Hodge admitted facing the Aussies at home is no easy task.
“They hit hard, don't they, Aussies?” She added. “Anyone who comes in is able to get some valuable kicks for their team. They are ruthless, they fight until the end.”
The shape of England on the rise
England have also shown improvement since their group stage exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup. They ended the year with a victorious tour of South Africa, winning the Test match, sweeping the T20Is 3-0, losing just one ODI. White's performance stood out as she topped the T20I run charts and finished second overall in England's batting.
However, the England camp is concerned about Ash's tight schedule. England coach John Lewis criticized the busy itinerary, which includes seven matches in just 22 days.
“We can't complain about it, we just have to accept it and prioritize comfort,” she said. “Once we're on it, we're on it. There's a lot of hype around the Ashes and Game 1. There will be some tension, but it's all about who stays calmer.”
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