This time the Women’s Ashes is about more than just bragging rights | Women’s Ashes

We’ve got a point to prove. After missing out on the T20 World Cup in October, and the last Women’s Ashes series ending in a tie, this time it’s about more than just bragging rights. England will feel the same. It sets everything up for an excellent series.

We want to show people what we can do as well. Following on from the men’s Test matches against India, the Ashes has come at a great time. Interest is already sky high. Everyone knows the rivalry that sits within the Ashes, whether it’s male or female, and we know we’re signing up for seven tense, high-quality contests.

The rivalry is real. The interactions between players since the franchise leagues have come in has changed things a bit, but that is all forgotten when we’re wearing different coloured shirts. Once you step over that line, you quickly put aside any friendships.

If anything, the contest becomes even hotter, because there’s a bit more banter and light sledging when you’ve got a good relationship with one or two players on the other side. It has actually made the game a lot better with healthy and friendly rivalry, both internally when we’re on the same team and externally when we’re not.

It was a great series in the UK in 2023, even if I don’t want to give them too much credit. They had 20,000 fans at Lord’s and the Oval, which was excellent, and there was a great crowd at Trent Bridge for the Test. I remember batting just before lunch on one of the days with the crowd really cheering on a couple of their bowlers to try and get some wickets, slow clapping as they were running in. It’s amazing to be getting these really cool experiences now as female athletes, to feel like we’re changing the landscape of sport around the world and making it a viable and attractive option for kids.

That probably put Cricket Australia on notice to do all the right things leading into this Ashes, to promote the series and make sure we get big crowds here as well. We’re really lucky to be in the position we’re in now to play on the biggest stages and really showcase the skills of the game, hopefully to a new audience.

Entertaining the crowd is not something we think about in the moment, but when you look back on some games that we’ve played, you go “wow, we created that”. The T20 World Cup final five years ago at the MCG, people came out in their droves to watch that. It was pretty one-sided, but the crowd were a part of every single ball that got bowled, and absolutely lapped it up. We knew the occasion, but we didn’t let it get the better of us, and I’m hoping it’s a similar story during this Ashes series. We want to make it as hard as possible for England to walk out to bat or bowl against us, knowing that the crowd is all on our side.

This will be the fourth Ashes I’ve played in after 2017, 19 and 23. Two of those series have been tied, which leaves a flattening feeling. It’s just really hard when you finish a game like that, or a series like that, to know whether to feel like you’ve won or lost, or whether you’ve let the other team win or lose.

England have got a good balance this time. They’ve got their quicks Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer who both do something slightly different with the ball, and then great options as a spin bowling unit. They’re a well-balanced side which makes them a real threat in these conditions. In Australia, you need to have versatility and a variety of options in your arsenal to be successful.