Australia captain Alyssa Healy excited for ‘most hyped Women’s Ashes series’ against England

London [UK], June 22 (ANI): Alyssa Healy isn’t afraid to admit of having a few jitters before leading Australia out in the Women’s Ashes Test against England.

The Healy-led side will feature in the only Test to be played from June 22 to 26 at Nottingham. This will be the first five-day Test for England women on English soil.
Australia had a very comprehensive training session outdoors at Trent Bridge, after being trapped indoors by weather the day before, which Healy claimed delayed their decision on a final playing XI.

“A sense of nervousness but I think at the same time it’s mainly excitement,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Healy as saying.

“This is probably one of the most hyped Women’s Ashes series that I’ve been a part of over here and especially off the back of yesterday [Australia Men’s Test victory at Edgbaston] it’s a really exciting time to be out here to play cricket. From that sense, me and the whole entire group are just ready to get out and get underway and see what’s going to unfold,” she added.

As Healy moves down the batting order to manage wicketkeeping duties across the five-day match, Phoebe Litchfield is anticipated to open with Beth Mooney.

The 20-year-old Litchfield and uncapped in Tests scored 68 and Annabel Sutherland 116 for Australia in a three-day warm-up match against England A last week in Leicester, and Healy pointed out that Australia has two legspinners – Litchfield and Alana King – in the squad, which presented the biggest selection conundrum.

Kim Garth, who played 85 white-ball matches for Ireland before transferring to Australia in 2019, might make her Test debut and head the pace attack alongside Darcie Brown, having been Australia’s warm-up bowler of choice in Leicester.

“She did a fantastic job for us, she looked the goods that’s for sure in the three-day match against England A. She’s a great option for us at the top. There’s been a lot spoken about the opportunities up there and she looks like a brilliant international cricketer for Australia and I can’t wait to see what she can do,” Healy said.

“If you look at the make-up of our squad, we’ve got two legspinners so naturally, looking at the balance of our side and potentially the conditions out there is probably going to dictate where we lean on that. But other than that, I think we’re pretty much settled, it’s just a couple of calls here and there and what it probably what it looks like from a line-up perspective as well,” the Australia captain said.

The Women’s Ashes 2023 will be a multi-format series comprising a one-off Test, three T20Is and three ODIs. The Test carries four points, while each of the T20Is and ODIs carries two points.

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham.