After that Kim Garth wicket how does she rank in amongst well known Irish-Aussies?
Kim Garth gets an early wicket!
Maia Bouchier ended 16 dot balls by smacking the ball high over mid on and it wasn’t too far off from a six.
But Kim Garth gets a huge wicket, getting the edge off Bouchier and Healy makes no mistake behind the stumps. Lovely stuff from the former Irish international.
What a story Garth is, she played over 100 times for her native Ireland, before moving to Melbourne to try her luck at grade cricket, now here she is taking wickets in the Ashes.
She also briefly gave up cricket in her late teens to play for Dublin in gaelic football, who are Ireland’s strongest team. In Aussie terms, stopping cricket to play a season in the AFL. Sort of.
England 1-11
Australia huddle before the first ODI of the women’s AshesCredit: Getty Images
Maiden over from Kim Garth and Megan Schutt
Some lovely work from Kim Garth with a maiden over and giving Maia Bouchier lots to think about. Was that let-off from the Schutt wicket in her mind a little?
The crowd has gone very quiet after that frenetic start.
Schutt follows up with another maiden over to follow. Tense stuff so far.
England 0-7
The teams at the coin toss ahead of the Women’s Ashes first game.Credit: Getty Images
The anthems are done, time for the cricket and Australia denied early wicket
Your fair skinned Irish correspondent is absolutely delighted to be kept out of the sun in the press box as the sun hammers down on the brave souls on the hill at North Sydney.
Tammy Beamont and Maia Bouchier are out in the middle to bat.
The first ball is a dot from Megan Scutt, the second is nicked for one and the third looks a wicket on Maia Bouchier. Ball outside the off stump and slammed into the wickets, but no, it’s a no ball after over stepping by the tiniest of margins.
Bouchier then rubs some salt into the wound clubbing a four on the free hit, with a massive pull shot over mid-on.
What a start!
England 0-7
The first women’s Ashes 91 years ago
Last night, I found myself deep in a YouTube vortex finding out about the very first women’s Ashes and I would encourage you to take a look.
The England captain of that series Betty Archdale led a fascinating life, her mother Helen was a leading suffragette who was jailed for smashing windows of Whitehall Palace in London while her father was an Irishman is the British army.
The series was started after Archdale and the Australian captain Margaret Peden started corresponding by letter, sharing the idea that both countries could compete at the highest level and history was made when Archdale brought her touring party from England.
Archdale studied economics in Canada, before becoming a barrister in London, and then eventually migrated to Australia in 1946, where she went on to lead Sydney’s Abbotsleigh school 30 minutes up the road from North Sydney Oval, encouraging more Australian history to be taught rather than British.
She died at 92 in Killara after being on the Sydney University senate and the Australian Council for Arts, alongside her long career as an educator.
Have a look at some of the footage here from that historic first series which set the foundations for what we see today.
How does this series work?
Now some housekeeping..
I will state the obvious first, the women’s Ashes also operates very differently to the men’s.
The women’s Ashes enjoys a rich history with the very first contest taking part way back in 1934/1935, but since 2013 the series has been been decided via a points system using every format of cricket, including three Twenty20 contests, three ODIs and a Test match to finish, this year it will be at the MCG.
For the white ball contests, the winner gets two points and the Test victor will get a mighty four points, with points split for draws, ties and abandoned games.
If I’ve made a meal out of this, never fear, this helpful video from the skipper makes it all beautifully clear, including why the trophy has changed its look.
The teams for series and the schedule
Here are the teams that are set for this Ashes series with Annabel Sutherland enjoying some great form, scoring successive ODI centuries against India and New Zealand in December.
Finally, as mentioned the skipper Alyssa Healy takes her place behind the stumps in a huge boost today and we all know what Ellyse Perry can do, averaging 45 against England in ODIs.
In terms of England’s key players, all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt is a world-class talent and seamer Lauren Filer will give the Australian batting line-up plenty to think about. There is also the tried and tested talent of the England captain Heather Knight, who averages 32 runs in ODIs against Australia and also has some decent off spin if needed.
This is a packed schedule and it will be a huge test for all of the players, physically and mentally.
England
ODIs: Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Twenty20: Heather Knight (captain), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Linsey Smith, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Test: Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Australia
ODIs: Alyssa Healy (captain), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
T20s: Alyssa Healy (captain), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
Test: TBC
DATES (Times in AEDT)
First ODI – January 12, 10.30am: North Sydney Oval, Sydney
Second ODI – January 14, 10.05am: Junction Oval, Melbourne
Third ODI – January 17, 10.05am: Bellerive Oval, Hobart
First T20I – January 20, 7.40pm: SCG, Sydney
Second T20I – January 23, 7.40pm: Manuka Oval, Canberra
Third T20I – January 25, 7.10pm: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Day-Night Test – January 30 – February 2, 2.30pm MCG, Melbourne
The coin toss: Australia decide to have a bowl
Australia win the toss and Alyssa Healy decides to go for a bowl. Georgia Voll and Georgia Wareham miss out, with Darcie Brown playing.
Interestingly, England captain Heather Knight said she would have done the exact same thing, although she says that she is confident that her team can get a lot of runs on this wicket.
Ellyse Perry of Australia looks on prior to game one of the Women’s Ashes ODI series between Australia and England at North Sydney OvalCredit: Getty Images
Large crowd expected
The sun is shining, there is barely a cloud in the sky and the queues are stretching all the way around North Sydney Oval to get in, and that’s just the shawarma stand.
There are kids decked out in the local cricket club jumpers on the hill and parents holding a massive esky on each side for what looks like a very decent crowd here, with the stands filling and the hill slowly building up too.
I chatted to the ticket desk and over 6000 tickets have been sold and there are plenty of walk-ups, including a decent crowd people that have come straight from church opposite the ground to buy a ticket.
