How England closed the gap on Australia during 2023 Ashes

Two years ago, England came close to returning the Ashes to English shores for the first time since 2014 but ended up falling short.

Australia’s dominance continued as they retained the urn – but that doesn’t necessarily tell the full story of how close England came to winning after the series was drawn 8-8.

The Aussies claimed an 89-run victory in the one-off Test match at Trent Bridge before England took control of the ODI and T20 legs, winning both 2-1 and denying the tourists the comprehensive victory they had been seeking, with captain Alyssa Healy later describing the outcome as a “little bit bittersweet”.

Women’s Ashes 2025 schedule (all times UK and Ireland)

  • First ODI: Sydney (11.30pm, Saturday January 11)
  • Second ODI: Melbourne (11.05pm, Monday January 13)
  • Third ODI: Hobart (11.05pm, Thursday January 16)
  • First T20I: Sydney (8.40am, Monday January 20)
  • Second T20I: Canberra (8.40am, Thursday January 23)
  • Third T20I: Adelaide (8.10am, Saturday January 25)
  • One-off Test: Melbourne (3.30am, from Thursday January 30)

How England came close

While Australia started off their tour positively with their Test win, Heather Knight’s side were left to rue one evening in particular where they let the match slip out of their hands.

England’s bowlers struggled with their lines and lengths on day three, allowing Australia to collect 82 of the simplest runs.

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Watch back all 40 wickets from the Women’s Ashes Test as Australia beat England by 89 runs at Trent Bridge

On day four, Australia were cruising with a lead of 159 and were just one wicket down before pace bowler Lauren Filer clean bowled Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath, helping England wrestle back some momentum.

It was a moment Knight pinpointed as among the favourites in her time playing the sport.

The discovery of Filer, who was making her debut back in 2023 and has been named in the Ashes squad for the upcoming series, was integral for England, and although they would go on to lose the Test, the 24-year-old would stake a more permanent claim in the Test fold.

How England closed the gap

Filer wasn’t the only highlight for England.

During the Test, Sophie Ecclestone became the 11th bowler to take a ten-fer in a women’s Test and just the sixth spinner.

Following her success in the series, she was ranked the No 1 bowler in the world in T20s and ODIs, a position that she still holds two years on.

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Australia retain the Ashes after beating England by three runs in the second ODI at The Ageas Bowl

After their Test loss, England decided to change gears and embody a more aggressive mentality.

England’s chances heading into the white-ball format were slim. Australia were on a 39-game winning streak and hadn’t lost a T20I since March 2021 but victories at Lord’s and Seat Unique Stadium shattered the perception of the Aussies being invincible and helped England close the gap.

It also gave the hosts confidence as they went on to also win the ODI format 2-1 and level the series, an outcome which had seemed near-impossible after the Test.

Beaumont’s batting makes history

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Tammy Beaumont scored the first double hundred by an England player in Women’s Tests, making 208 from 331 balls against Australia at Trent Bridge

In the batting department, it was Tammy Beaumont who stole the headlines, hitting the first ever double-hundred by an English woman in Test cricket.

Her 208 bettered Betty Snowball’s 88-year-old record Test score for England as she passed 189 on the way to her double-ton – just the eighth player to reach the mark in women’s cricket.

Beaumont finished the series as the top run-scorer in the 2023 series. It was a remarkable turnaround for the 33-year-old who only a year prior in 2022 was dropped from T20 squad.

Beaumont was left out of the T20 squad for the South Africa series in November 2024, but was included in the ODI team where she top-scored with 65 not out.

For the upcoming Ashes series, she has been included in both the ODI and Test squad, but once again left out of the T20 side.

A record 2023 Ashes

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Mel Jones, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Lydia Greenway and Charles Dagnall review the Women’s Ashes and discuss whether it’s been the best ever series

The public was also captivated by the spectacle England and Australia provided.

The England and Wales Cricket Board sold over 94,000 tickets, nearly three times the 32,000 total attendance for the Women’s Ashes in 2019.

There were also record attendances at all three T20 matches and a new record aggregate crowd for a women’s Test of 23,207. The previous best was 15,000 at the Oval in 1951.

The television figures were also record-breaking.

During England’s five-wicket win at Lord’s, viewing figures on Sky Sports peaked at 795,000, the highest ever for a women’s T20 international, and averaged 285,000.

The viewing figures for the Test were almost 400 per cent higher than the 2019 series, with the T20 format up by 135 per cent.

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England spinner Sophie Ecclestone claimed a 10-wicket haul during the one-off Test against Australia at Trent Bridge

England have plenty of positives to take from their 2023 series with head coach Jon Lewis saying his side are in “a really good place” after a successful multi-format tour in South Africa.

But it won’t be an easy ride, particularly not away from home.

“It’s a tough, tough challenge,” Lewis said.

“Is it the hardest challenge? Yes, probably, just about.”

England Women ODI squad: Heather Knight (captain; Somerset), Tammy Beaumont (The Blaze), Lauren Bell (Hampshire), Maia Bouchier (Hampshire), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Kate Cross (Lancashire), Charlie Dean (Somerset), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Lauren Filer (Durham), Sarah Glenn (The Blaze), Amy Jones (The Blaze), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Surrey).

England Women IT20 squad: Heather Knight (captain; Somerset), Lauren Bell (Hampshire), Maia Bouchier (Hampshire), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Charlie Dean (Somerset), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Lauren Filer (Durham), Danielle Gibson (Somerset), Sarah Glenn (The Blaze), Bess Heath (Durham), Amy Jones (The Blaze), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Linsey Smith (Hampshire), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Surrey).

England Women Test squad: Heather Knight (captain; Somerset), Tammy Beaumont (The Blaze), Lauren Bell (Hampshire), Maia Bouchier (Hampshire), Kate Cross (Lancashire), Charlie Dean (Somerset), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Lauren Filer (Durham), Bess Heath (Durham), Amy Jones (The Blaze), Ryana MacDonald-Gay (Surrey), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Surrey).

2025 Women’s Ashes schedule

UK dates and times

CommBank Women’s Ashes ODI Series

  • First ODI: North Sydney Oval, Sydney – Saturday, January 11 (11.30pm)
  • Second ODI: Junction Oval, Melbourne – Monday, January 13 (11.05pm)
  • Third ODI: Bellerive Oval, Hobart – Thursday, January 16 (11.05pm)

CommBank Women’s Ashes IT20 Series

  • First IT20: SCG, Sydney – Monday, January 20 (8.40am)
  • Second IT20: Manuka Oval, Canberra – Thursday, January 23 (8.40am)
  • Third IT20: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide – Saturday, January 25 (8.10am)

CommBank Women’s Ashes Test Match

  • One-off Test: MCG, Melbourne – January 30 to February 2 (3.30am)

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.

Source : Sky Sports

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