The England women’s cricket team is gearing up for a challenging multi-format series against Australia in the Women’s Ashes 2025, featuring a packed schedule largely attributed to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India.
Over three weeks, England and Australia will compete in three ODIs, three T20Is, and a four-day pink-ball Test match, with minimal breaks between matches. The compressed schedule has drawn criticism from England Women’s head coach Jon Lewis, who voiced concerns over the lack of recovery time for players. The series, starting on January 11 in Sydney, was condensed to accommodate the WPL 2025, beginning on February 21 in India.
Jon Lewis expressed his dissatisfaction with the timetable, stating that both he and the players would have preferred more gaps between matches.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “My preference would be that there’s more space between the games, and the players’ preference would be as well. I’m pretty sure we would have requested more space between the white ball [games] and the Test match, but the schedule came back as it was. It won’t be straightforward. The schedule is pretty rammed, close together. There’s no flexibility because of WPL and Christmas.”
The WPL 2025 will feature six England players, including Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, and Dani Gibson, who are expected to join their teams early for preparation and media commitments.
The Women’s Ashes 2025 schedule kicks off with the ODI series:
- 1st ODI: January 11 at North Sydney Oval, Sydney
- 2nd ODI: January 13 at Junction Oval, Melbourne
- 3rd ODI: January 16 at Bellerive Oval, Hobart
This will be followed by the T20I series:
- 1st T20I: January 20 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
- 2nd T20I: January 23 at Manuka Oval, Canberra
- 3rd T20I: January 25 at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
The series concludes with a four-day pink-ball Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from February 2.
England’s Ashes squad, led by Heather Knight, includes key players such as Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, and Bess Heath, who will need to balance a physically and mentally demanding schedule amid tight turnarounds and travel.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
