Women’s Ashes 2025: Who are the key players to watch out?

Among the most highly rated and much-anticipated rivalries in sports is the face-off between England and Australia, coined as the Ashes, irrespective of whether it is the men’s or the women’s game. The series, en route to the build-up to the fierce rivalry, becomes the talk of the town, with former players and the whole cricket fraternity actively involved.

The upcoming edition will be the 8th of the multi-format Ashes, hosted by Australia. It will include a three-match ODI series, followed by a three-match T20I series, and then a one-off Test Match, which will be a day-night contest involving the pink ball. The series will commence with the ODIs on 12th January 2025 (Sunday) and conclude on 2nd February 2025.

Since the commencement of the multi-format series in 2013, Australia has been a dominant force, having retained the Ashes five out of seven times. England won it twice consecutively in 2013 and 2013-14.

Australia’s Squad for the Women’s Ashes 2025:

Alyssa Healy (C), Tahlia McGrath (VC), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20Is only), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, and Georgia Wareham.

Note: The home side, Australia, is yet to announce their squad for the one-off pink-ball Test match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

🏏 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈-𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒 🏆

🇦🇺 Australia have retained the Ashes four times in a row

Predict the result for the upcoming Women’s Ashes 😍#CricketTwitter #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/vG0kzrrnWI

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 3, 2025

Youngsters Stepping Up to the Challenge

Annabel Sutherland:

The 23-year-old Annabel Sutherland is slowly but steadily finding her footing as an all-rounder at the international level. Her bowling has improved in leaps and bounds in recent times. She was Australia’s third-highest wicket-taker in the recent series against India, claiming six wickets at an impressive average of 14.33 and an economy of 3.76 across three innings. Her best performance with the ball came in the 2nd ODI of the series when she returned with impressive match figures of 8.5-0-39-4 at the Allan Border Field, Brisbane.

Apart from her contributions with the ball, she was also the third-highest run-scorer of the series, amassing 122 runs at an impressive average of 40.66 in three innings, including one century (110 off 95 balls) in the 3rd ODI at the W.A.C.A., Perth.

She continued to build on her all-round confidence by delivering another impactful showing in the following away series against New Zealand. She scored her second successive century (105* off 81 balls), her third in the format, in the 2nd ODI of the series at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. She ended as the leading run-scorer of the series with 147 runs at an impressive strike rate of 118.54 in two innings with the bat. She also returned with excellent match figures of 9-2-39-3 in her spell with the ball and contributed a handy 42 off 43 balls with the bat in the 3rd ODI of the series. Sutherland could potentially play a pivotal role in the outcome of the upcoming multi-format Women’s Ashes.

Phoebe Litchfield:

The 21-year-old left-handed opening batter Phoebe Litchfield has been providing just the ideal kind of solidity at the top of the order of late. She initially burst onto the international scene for her attacking style of play and her ability to strike the ball cleanly. However, she has matured in terms of mixing aggression with caution, depending on the game situation. She was the fourth-highest run-scorer of the ODI series against India, scoring 120 runs at an impressive average of 40 in three innings, including a half-century (60 off 63 balls) in the 2nd ODI at the Allan Border Field, Brisbane.

She continued her impressive run with the bat in the following away series against New Zealand, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer of the series with 75 runs at an average of 37.50 in two innings, including one half-century (50 off 59 balls) in the 3rd ODI at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. Litchfield is expected to play an instrumental role in providing strong starts at the top of the order for Australia in the upcoming Women’s Ashes.

Georgia Voll:

The 21-year-old opening batter Georgia Voll earned a maiden call-up to the Australian side at the last minute during a home series against India as a replacement for the regular Australian skipper Alyssa Healy. She was selected for the national side following an impressive season in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), scoring 330 runs at a sensational strike rate of 144.73 and an average of 30 in 12 innings, including two half-centuries for the Sydney Thunder.

She immediately impressed on her international debut, guiding her side to victory with an unbeaten 46* off 42 balls at the Allan Border Field, Brisbane, in the 1st ODI. She followed this up with her maiden century (101 off 87 balls) in the 2nd ODI of the series at the same venue. Voll ended the series as the leading run-scorer with 173 runs at a strike rate of 108.80 and an incredible average of 86.50 in three innings. The return of regular skipper Alyssa Healy in the series against New Zealand meant she had to make way. However, Voll is expected to play at some point in the upcoming multi-format Women’s Ashes, which could serve as another litmus test for the rising star.

Areas of Concern:

Skipper Alyssa Healy’s Availability as a Wicket-Keeper:

The 34-year-old Australian skipper Alyssa Healy has been nursing her “angry knee,” as she described it, since the game against Pakistan in the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, played in the UAE and hosted by Bangladesh. She initially rested during the first few games for the Sydney Sixers in the iconic 10th edition of the WBBL. However, even in her brief return to the tournament, she played as a pure batter and refrained from wicket-keeping. She was eventually ruled out of the tournament due to the injury, which also kept her on the sidelines during the three-match bilateral ODI home series against India.

She returned to action in the recently concluded away bilateral three-match ODI series against New Zealand but again refrained from taking up wicket-keeping duties, potentially as a precaution. As a result, Beth Mooney continued with the gloves for Australia. The status of Healy’s recovery is being closely monitored by the medical team, and a decision on her wicket-keeping duties is expected to be made closer to the commencement of the upcoming Women’s Ashes Down Under.

Vice-Captain Tahlia McGrath’s All-Round Impact:

The 29-year-old all-rounder Tahlia McGrath, currently the vice-captain of the Australian women’s team, has not been in her best rhythm, either with the bat or the ball. The remarkable success of Australia’s formidable top order meant that McGrath had fewer opportunities with the bat. She stayed unbeaten throughout the ODI series against India, returning scores of 4*, 20*, and 56*, including an unbeaten half-century in the 3rd ODI at the W.A.C.A., Perth.

Annabel Sutherland’s success with the ball resulted in a significant reduction in McGrath’s bowling workload, as she bowled just five overs across two innings in the series against India. In the following bilateral ODI series against New Zealand, McGrath scored 44 runs in two innings but was not required to bowl. Her form and contributions with both bat and ball will be crucial for Australia in the multi-format Women’s Ashes.

Women’s Ashes 2025 Schedule

The games across formats in the upcoming 8th edition of the Women’s Ashes will be played at multiple iconic venues in Australia.

The games across formats in the upcoming 8th edition of the Women’s Ashes will be played at multiple iconic venues in Australia.