Women's Ashes: Australia Will Be Stunned By Back-To-Back Losses, Says Alex Blackwell

The Ashes: Former cricketer Alex Blackwell believes the Alyssa Healy-led Australian team will be stunned by the back-to-back losses which led to them losing the T20I series to England in the ongoing women’s Ashes.

Apart from being reigning ODI World Cup winners, Australia are also the current holders of the T20 World Cup and won a gold medal in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. That stood for little when England defeated them in second and third T20Is to win the series and make the multi-series scoreline 6-4.

"Australia will be stunned by back-to-back losses. They haven't felt that for a very long time. I see this England scrapping, and that is something that Australia usually do so well. England have definitely shown that there has been a shift (between the sides)," said Alex on BBC Test Match Special.

It is also the first time since 2017 that Australia have lost a T20I series as England chased down 119 in a rain-hit match at Lord’s and England’s 2017 ODI World Cup winning spinner Alex Hartley has credited an aggressive mindset under head coach Jon Lewis as key reasons behind their success.

"The way this team believes in themselves, it's almost like they are thinking, 'what have we been doing for all these years!?' Australia are human and they are making mistakes. Yes, they are a remarkable cricket team and the best in the world and yes, they don't lose many cricket matches, but England have self-belief and that is what Jon Lewis has done," Hartley said. 

With the three-match ODI series coming up in Women’s Ashes, Alex thinks England are in the mix to stop Australia from winning the multi-format series. 

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"It is going to take something special and remarkable for England to win the Ashes for the first time since 2014. But they are fighting and scrapping," she concluded.