We are now just one sleep away from the upcoming 8th edition of the multi-format Women’s Ashes 2025 Down Under. It promises to be an absolute blockbuster, with thrilling action and box-office entertainment over the next few weeks.
The series will include a three-match ODI series followed by a three-match T20I series and then a one-off Pink Ball Test Match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from 12th January 2025 (Sunday) to 2nd February 2025 (Sunday).
Both sides are having their share of injury concerns heading into an all-important and a long series. From the Australian camp, the extent of the availability of the Australian skipper Alyssa Healy as a wicket-keeper is still in question, and as far as the visiting England camp is concerned, there is a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the availability of the veteran 33-year-old pacer Kate Cross, who continues to recover from a back injury that caused her discomfort in their all-format series against South Africa in the form of back spasms.
The Australian skipper Alyssa Healy has had a tough time, especially in the past 2-3 months. It all started with a foot injury that she suffered in the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in a game against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October last year. Just as she seemed to recover and be back on track, she faced yet another roadblock in her way in the form of a knee injury, which she suffered in the iconic 10th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) while representing the Sydney Sixers.
The extent of her injury ensured her extended spell away from the game, on the sidelines. She not only missed the rest of the WBBL season but also went on to miss the subsequent three-match bilateral ODI series in home conditions against India. Though she returned to action in the three-match bilateral ODI series against the White Ferns, in New Zealand, she played only as a specialist batter, while Beth Mooney continued with the glove work from behind the stumps in that particular series.
The Australian medical team, including herself were due to take a call on her wicket-keeping duties for the upcoming Women’s Ashes based on her progress en route to her road to complete recovery.
“Yeah, good to go, probably I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any doubt, in particular off the back of a rough couple of months, but everything’s progressed probably just as well as we would have hoped. I’m feeling really good,” the Australian skipper Alyssa Healy gave insights on her availability as a wicketkeeper on the eve of the Women’s Ashes.
However, it remains to be seen whether she’ll be available as a wicketkeeper throughout the upcoming Women’s Ashes. When asked about her availability in terms of the whole series, she shared, “I think it’s just going to depend on how I pull up after each and every opportunity. But obviously, we know we’ve got a pretty handy backup that’s ready to do the job, and I know that I can run around in the field quite confidently as well, so we’ll just play it by ear. From my perspective, I’d love to be out there keeping every game, but we’ll just have to see how the body goes.”
England on the other hand, is sweating over the availability of one of their most experienced seamers Kate Cross, which could end up hampering their aspirations of regaining the Women’s Ashes title. She had suffered back spasms on their recent all-format tour to South Africa in November–December last year. She is still in the middle of her recovery process and is being closely monitored by the medical team.
“Obviously, Crossy’s struggling a little bit with a back issue, she’s going to have a little bowl today and we’ll make a final decision once we’ve had a look at the wicket and seen where everyone’s at post-training,” England skipper Heather Knight gave an update on Kate Cross, while also signalling a call for her participation to be taken closer to the game.
The much-anticipated Women’s Ashes will get underway with the ODI series, with the 1st ODI being played on 12th January 2025 (Sunday) at the North Sydney Oval, Sydney from 5 AM IST onwards.
(Quotes sourced from ICC Press Release)
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