The Women's Ashes
The Women's Ashes is the perpetual trophy in women's international cricket series between England and Australia. The name derives from the historic precedent of the Ashes in male cricket and, until 2013, was similarly decided exclusively on the outcomes of Test matches.
| Countries | Australia England |
|---|---|
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
| Format | Mixed, points based system |
| First edition | 1934–35 (Australia) |
| Latest edition | 2023 (England) |
| Next edition | 2024–25 (Australia) |
| Tournament format | Series |
| Current champion | Australia |
| Most successful | Australia (10 titles) |
| Most runs | Ellyse Perry (1761)[a][1] |
| Most wickets | Ellyse Perry (66)[a][2] |
Since the Australian tour of England in 2013, the competition is decided on a points system, taking account of One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 International matches as well as Tests. Four (previously six) points[3] are awarded for a Test victory (two points to each side in the event of a draw), and two points for a victory in a limited-overs game.
History edit
Heralded in 1931,[4] the first women's Test series between England and Australia—the first women's Test series anywhere—was played in 1934–35.[5] At that time, according to the English captain, Betty Archdale, women played only "for love of the game" and did not wish to be associated with the male concepts of Tests and Ashes.[6]
A total of 24 series have taken place, with 51 Test matches played (and one scheduled Test abandoned). The length of series has varied between one and five Tests. Series have been played biennially since 2001, with only one or two tests played in a series. Since the 2013 series, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 International matches have counted, as well as Tests, toward the trophy result. As of 2015[update], a Test victory is worth four points (two to each side for a draw), and two points are awarded for victory in a limited-overs match.[3]
In February 2007, England Women travelled to Australia to defend the Women's Ashes, doing so successfully by winning the one-off Test in Bowral by six wickets. In July 2009, England retained the Women's Ashes after the one-off test at Worcester ended in a draw. In January 2011 Australia was victorious, winning a one-off test in Sydney. England regained the trophy on the new points system in August 2013, and successfully defended it in a series played in Australia in January–February 2014.[7] Australia succeeded in regaining the trophy during the 2015 series played in England.[8]
Australia has retained the Ashes for three consecutive series - 2017-18, 2019 and 2021–22 - making them the current holder of the trophy.[9]
Trophy edit
Before the ODI series in July 1998, the president of the Women's Cricket Association, Norma Izard devised a way for the women to have a trophy of their own, like the men's Ashes urn. The England and Australia players both signed a miniature cricket bat which was burned at Lord's in a wok alongside a copy of the WCA constitution and rulebook, as the WCA had voted 4 months earlier to merge with England and Wales Cricket Board.[10] Izard had commissioned a trophy to hold them: a wooden cricket ball[11] carved from yew.[10]
Following the 2001 series, the Australian team took an empty replica home with them and the ball containing the ashes remained in the Lord's museum. However, in the intervening years, one of the two wooden balls went missing.[10] When the ECB and Cricket Australia commissioned a new trophy, the remaining ball became the focal point of the new trophy, inside nine stumps.[12] Because of this, it remains unclear if the modern trophy contains those original ashes or not.[10]
In July 2023, to mark the 25th anniversary of the trophy's creation, the MCC unveiled a plaque at Lord's.[13]
Results summary edit
| Played | Won by Australia | Won by England | Drawn | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All series | 25 | 10 | 6 | 9 | [14] |
| Series in Australia | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | [14] |
| Series in England | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | [14] |
Series edit
Series decided on Test results:
| Series | Season | Played in | First match | Tests played (sched) | Tests won by Australia | Tests won by England | Tests drawn | Series result | Holder at series end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1934–35 | Australia | 28 December 1934 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | England | England |
| 2 | 1937 | England | 12 June 1937 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Drawn | England |
| 3 | 1948–49 | Australia | 15 January 1949 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Australia | Australia |
| 4 | 1951 | England | 16 June 1951 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Drawn | Australia |
| 5 | 1957–58 | Australia | 7 February 1958 | 3 (4) | 0 | 0 | 3 | Drawn | Australia |
| 6 | 1963 | England | 15 June 1963 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | England | England |
| 7 | 1968–69 | Australia | 27 December 1968 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Drawn | England |
| 8 | 1976 | England | 19 June 1976 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Drawn | England |
| 9 | 1984–85 | Australia | 13 December 1984 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Australia | Australia |
| 10 | 1987 | England | 1 August 1987 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Australia | Australia |
| 11 | 1991–92 | Australia | 19 February 1992 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Australia | Australia |
| 12 | 1998 | England | 6 August 1998 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Drawn | Australia |
| 13 | 2001 | England | 24 June 2001 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Australia | Australia |
| 14 | 2002–03 | Australia | 15 February 2003 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Australia | Australia |
| 15 | 2005 | England | 9 August 2005 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | England | England |
| 16 | 2007–08 | Australia | 15 February 2008 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | England | England |
| 17 | 2009 | England | 10 July 2009 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Drawn | England |
| 18 | 2010–11 | Australia | 22 January 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Australia | Australia |
Series decided on a points system:
| Series | Season | Played in | First match | Test | ODIs | Twenty20s | Australia points | England points | Series result | Holder at series end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 2013 | England | 11 August 2013 | Drawn | Eng 2–1 Aus | Eng 3–0 Aus | 4 | 12 | England | England |
| 20 | 2013–14 | Australia | 10 January 2014 | Eng | Aus 2–1 Eng | Aus 2–1 Eng | 8 | 10 | England | England |
| 21 | 2015 | England | 21 July 2015 | Aus | Eng 1–2 Aus | Eng 2–1 Aus | 10 | 6 | Australia | Australia |
| 22 | 2017–18 | Australia | 22 October 2017 | Drawn | Aus 2–1 Eng | Aus 1–2 Eng | 8 | 8 | Drawn | Australia |
| 23 | 2019 | England | 2 July 2019 | Drawn | Eng 0–3 Aus | Eng 1–2 Aus | 12 | 4 | Australia | Australia |
| 24 | 2021–22 | Australia | 20 January 2022 | Drawn | Aus 3–0 Eng | Aus 1–0 Eng (2 no results) | 12 | 4 | Australia | Australia |
| 25 | 2023 | England | 22 June 2023 | Aus | Eng 2−1 Aus | Eng 2−1 Aus | 8 | 8 | Drawn | Australia |
Player statistics edit
Tests (until 2010–11) edit
Batting edit
- Most runs[20]
| Runs | Player | Matches | Highest | Average | 100 | 50 | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1024 | Jan Brittin | 11 | 167 | 56.88 | 3 | 5 | 1984–1998 |
| 919 | Myrtle Maclagan | 12 | 119 | 43.76 | 2 | 6 | 1934–1951 |
| 896 | Charlotte Edwards | 10 | 114* | 56.00 | 1 | 7 | 1998–2011 |
| 874 | Karen Rolton | 11 | 209* | 58.26 | 2 | 4 | 1998–2009 |
| 740 | Rachael Heyhoe Flint | 9 | 179 | 49.33 | 2 | 4 | 1963–1976 |
Bowling edit
- Most wickets[21]
| Wickets | Player | Matches | BBI | Average | Economy | 5 | 10 | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | Betty Wilson | 9 | 7/7 | 12.69 | 1.67 | 3 | 1 | 1949–1958 |
| 52 | Cathryn Fitzpatrick | 9 | 5/29 | 18.26 | 2.01 | 2 | 0 | 1998–2005 |
| 51 | Myrtle Maclagan | 12 | 7/10 | 16.90 | 1.68 | 2 | 0 | 1934–1951 |
| 47 | Mary Duggan | 11 | 7/6 | 14.76 | 1.88 | 3 | 0 | 1949–1963 |
| 31 | Peggy Antonio | 6 | 6/49 | 13.90 | 2.61 | 3 | 0 | 1934–1937 |
Multi-format (from 2013) edit
Player names in bold text are current international players.
Batting (all matches) edit
| Runs | Player | Matches | Highest | Average | 100 | 50 | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1693 | Ellyse Perry | 36 | 213* | 62.7 | 2 | 12 | 2013-2023 |
| 1182 | Heather Knight | 33 | 157 | 35.82 | 1 | 10 | 2013-2023 |
| 1119 | Nat Sciver-Brunt | 34 | 129 | 37.30 | 2 | 5 | 2013-2023 |
| 1033 | Meg Lanning | 25 | 133* | 39.73 | 2 | 6 | 2013-2019 |
| 774 | Alyssa Healy | 32 | 71 | 25.8 | 0 | 6 | 2013-2023 |
Updated to include 2023 Women's Ashes, however some matches for the 2021-22 Women's Ashes are missing from the records.
Bowling (all matches) edit
| Wickets | Player | Matches | BBI | Average | Economy | 5 | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | Ellyse Perry | 42 | 7/22 | 16.29 | 2.79 | 3 | 2013-2023 |
| 45 | Megan Schutt | 28 | 4/22 | 19.15 | 3.36 | 0 | 2013-2023 |
| 41 | Jess Jonassen | 34 | 4/38 | 26.46 | 3.86 | 0 | 2013-2023 |
| 39 | Katherine Sciver-Brunt | 26 | 6/69 | 29.03 | 3.6 | 1 | 2013-2022 |
| 37 | Sophie Ecclestone | 17 | 5/63 | 25.08 | 3.57 | 2 | 2017-2023 |
Updated to include 2023 Women's Ashes however some matches for the 2021-22 Women's Ashes are missing from the records..
References edit
- ^ a b "Records / Women's Ashes/ All matches / Most runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Records / Women's Ashes/ All matches / Most wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ a b (Formerly six points were awarded for a Test victory, prior to the 2015 series.) Women's Ashes 2015: England v Australia schedule announced, BBC News, 11 November 2014.
- ^ Cricket Booming Among Women in "Woman's Ways" feature, The Worker (Brisbane), 29 April 1931, at Trove
- ^ English Women's Team Kalgoorlie Miner, 12 March 1947, at Trove
- ^ Women Cricketers. No Ashes or Tests. Playing for Love of Game The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 Nov 1934, at Trove
- ^ England retains women's Ashes with nine-wicket Twenty20 win against Australia ABC News (Australia), 29 January 2014.
- ^ Collins Adam. "Women's Ashes: Australia clinches the series with 20-run win over England in second T20 in Hove" ABC News, 29 August 2015
- ^ "Women's Ashes | 2022 Women's Ashes | Live Score, Schedule, News". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Let there be Ashes". Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ at sportsillustrated.cnn.com, 20 July 1998. Accessed 4 September 2013
- ^ The Women’s Ashes Trophy Made in Kyneton 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine Kyneton Connect, August 2013
- ^ "MCC celebrate creation of Women's Ashes at Lord's ahead of England v Australia T20 clash | Lord's". www.lords.org. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Records – Women's Ashes –All Matches- Team Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Statsguru Records – Women's Ashes from 2013 – Team Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Records – Women's Ashes until 2011 – Team Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Records – Women's Ashes –All Matches- Team Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Records – Women's Ashes –All Matches in Australia- Team Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Records – Women's Ashes –All Matches in Australia- Team Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Records – Women's Ashes until 2011 – Most runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ "Records – Women's Ashes until 2011 – Most wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
Further reading edit
- Nicholson, Raf (19 June 2023). "'My brain was hurting after that day of cricket'". The Cricket Monthly. Retrieved 22 June 2023.