Australia’s unassailable 8-4 lead in the multi-format Women’s Ashes has left an inconsolable England wondering how it all went so wrongBeth Mooney laced a drive through cover, embraced her stand-in captain, Rachel Haynes, and the home dugout emptied on to the outfield at North Sydney Oval. As Australia celebrated a win in the opening Twenty20 that secured an unassailable 8-4 lead in the multiformat Women’s Ashes, England were inconsolable. With two matches left in this final leg, Heather Knight’s women can salvage the T20 series. But that does not count for much right now.Lord’s feels long ago: 117 days and 10,000 miles to be precise. The summer’s World Cup triumph, unforgettable as it is, provides a thin balm to the...
Fresh from winning the World Cup in thrilling fashion, Mark Robinson’s side have prepared meticulously to regain the Ashes in AustraliaWhile one England cricket team worry about a continuing police investigation before making their way to Australia, another side have been preparing for theirs in situ and at ease. Next Sunday, England Women will begin their Ashes campaign, looking to reclaim a trophy ripped from them in 2015, fuelled as much by revenge as building on World Cup success.The team arrived in Brisbane more than a week ago, earlier than planned and at the behest of the head coach, Mark Robinson, who wanted to ensure the controllables – jet-lag, the weather, match-sharpness – were kept in check. For all England’s...
Women’s cricket has made overdue forward steps since the last time England hosted the World Cup in 1993 and the tournament feels in robust shapeWhen the Australian fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick retired in 2007, having enjoyed a successful 16 years of international cricket, she was asked where she sees the women’s game in 10 years. “On TV,” was her reply.It was the type of no-nonsense response you would expect from someone who took 180 ODI wickets with the sort of pace that still strikes fear in those playing the game. But not even in Fitzpatrick’s wildest dreams could she have envisaged that 2017 would bring the first Women’s World Cup in which all matches will be broadcast. “I was just...