Rain denies Alyssa Healy keeping opportunity with warm-up game abandoned

One final dress rehearsal before the much-anticipated high-octane clash between the arch-rivals England and Australia, coined as the Women’s Ashes gets underway in a few days.

The Governor General XI, led by skipper Nicole Faltum, were up against England in the only 50-over warm-up fixture at the North Sydney Oval, Sydney. The fixture was extremely crucial for both sides in general, but even more so for the Australian skipper Alyssa Healy as she was preparing herself to test her fitness in terms of her knee, to be able to be in a position to take a call on her wicket-keeping duties in the upcoming multi-format Ashes series.

England skipper Heather Knight won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Governor General openers wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy and Georgia Voll got their side off to a flying start with a 91-run opening partnership, scoring at a rate of over 8 runs an over. Sophie Ecclestone picked up the wicket of the keeper batter Alyssa Healy to provide the first breakthrough for England. She departed after a confident knock (38 off 33 balls), consisting of 6 boundaries and a maximum during her stay at the crease.

The 21-year-old youngster, Georgia Voll at the other end, strengthened her case for selection while displaying her game-readiness with a brisk half-century (57 off 42 balls) as she partnered alongside Tahlia Wilson (20 off 24 balls) to take their side past the 100-run mark. The opening batter was eventually cleaned up by Sophie Ecclestone to give her the 2nd wicket of the warm-up fixture.

Post the departure of Georgia Voll, England kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals to reduce the opposition to 183/8 in the 29th over of the innings. The rain gods made their presence felt and as a result, there was no further play possible, denying the Australian skipper Alyssa Healy some crucial game time with the wicket-keeping gloves from behind the stumps. One of the other concerns was a slippery outfield, with a heavy covering of grass and a damp surface, especially in the landing area.

Sophie Ecclestone (5-0-27-3), Charlie Dean (5-0-20-2), Alice Capsey (3-1-15-1), and Sarah Glenn (1-0-7-1) were the star performers with the ball for England.

The upcoming edition is going to be the 8th edition of the multi-format Women’s Ashes from 12th January 2025 (Sunday) to 2nd February 2025 (Sunday). The series will include a three-match ODI series followed by a three-match T20I series and then a historic one-off Pink Ball Test match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

2025 Women’s Ashes series fixtures:

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