After 356 days, women’s Test match cricket returns with England who’d last played South Africa, now set to take on Australia in the Women’s Ashes multi-format series opener. The historic One-Off Test will be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, from the 22nd to the 26th of June, 2023, and play on each day commences at 3:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Trent Bridge will witness history as it hosts the first-ever 5-day Test in the history of women’s cricket. It is a fitting occasion as long-standing rivals, England and Australia, who have the oldest, most grueling, and rich history in sports, are set to go head-to-head.
Squads:
England – Tammy Beaumont, Emma Lamb, Heather Knight (C), Nat Sciver-Brunt (VC), Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Wyatt, Amy Jones (WK), Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell
Australia – Alyssa Healy (C), Tahlia McGrath (VC), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
Players to watch out:
Tammy Beaumont
The 32-year-old keeper-batter, in 10 Test outings has scored 267 runs and with a couple of fifties to her name, has got the highest score of 70. Beaumont warmed up with a blistering 238-ball 201 (retired out) against Australia A and England will want more of BeaumontBall, especially in the first innings.
Lauren Bell
The 22-year-old pacer debuted last summer during the One-Off Test against South Africa and bagged a couple of wickets which sees her with best figures of 2/47 in an inning and 2/73 in the match. Bell against Australia A in the warm-up game recorded figures of 1/42 and 3/31 in the practice Test outing.
Jess Jonassen
The 30-year-old all-rounder in 7 Test outings has scored 238 runs and her highest of 99 had come on debut during the 2015 Ashes. Featuring for Australia A, Jess registered scores of 1 and 173* and produced bowling figures of 3/111, in the 3-day practice game against England. Jess’ success in the game could well decide the result for Australia, especially with the side missing the services of key batters.
Kim Garth
The 27-year-old all-rounder from Ireland, who now plays her cricket for Australia is likely to debut as veteran Megan Schutt is expected to miss her 3rd straight Test. For the Irish-born, Nottingham conditions are home-like, and proved her mettle by registering figures of 4/69 against England A in the warm-up games, while also adding 14* and 19* runs to the tally.
Pitch:
Nottingham traditionally offers good batting tracks, but as the Test progresses, scoring becomes challenging, particularly in the fourth inning. Gloomy conditions and the expected good bounce will prove advantageous to the pace bowlers, evidenced by England naming just 1 front-line spinner in their XI.
Weather:
The overall conditions for the 5 days of the Test are favorable for play. However, there is a forecast of rain on the radar and fortunately, the expected rainfall is not substantial. The possibility of rain interruptions is during the final session of the opening day’s play and the 2nd and 3rd sessions of day 4.
Fantasy playing XI:
Beth Mooney, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Tahlia McGrath, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Ecclestone, Jess Jonassen, Lauren Bell, Kim Garth
Match details:
Date – June 22-26, 2023
Time – 3:30 PM IST
Venue – Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Broadcast – The One-Off Test will be televised on Sony Sports and live-streamed on Sony Liv and FanCode.
