The Way Women's Ashes Is Set Up, It Could Come Down To MCG Test To Retain Trophy: Alyssa Healy
Melbourne Cricket Ground: Australia skipper Alyssa Healy believes the side’s quest to retain the Women’s Ashes trophy could come down to the one-off pink-ball Test, to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from January 30 to February 2.
The match will also mark Australia playing a women’s Test at the MCG for the first time since 1949. Add to it, it will also be the first time Australia will play at the iconic venue since their 2020 T20 World Cup final win over India, which came in front of 86,174 fans.
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“The way that our Ashes series is set up, there’s white ball games beforehand, and it could come down to the Test match to try and retain the trophy, or for England to (take) the Ashes trophy off us. That adds a little extra excitement to it, a little extra spice.”
“Last time we were in England playing the Ashes series over there (in 2023), the crowds are quite hostile. We were playing alongside the men’s at that stage as well, and it got even spicier towards the back end.”
“So for us, it’s a cool opportunity (for) Aussie sporting fans to come out and support our teams and reassure them that they’ve got our back as well … Melbourne fans turn out; they turn up,” said Alyssa on Fox Sports’ Follow on podcast episode on Monday.
She also feels young batter Georgia Voll, who impressed with scores of 46 not out, 101 and 26 in the 3-0 ODI series win over India last month, can be Australia’s X-factor in the Women’s Ashes, starting on January 12 with three ODI games, before going to three T20Is and the Test.
“She just brings some real stability and consistency it feels, and that’s exactly why the WBBL is such an amazing breeding ground for our young players. We’ve picked her on the back of some form in the WBBL, she was comfortable with the way she was hitting the ball, the way she could contribute - you get her into the side, and you hope that we’ve got an accepting culture within our group that will encourage her to just be George Voll when she goes out there and plays.
“We’re not asking her to be anybody else, so that’s been really exciting to see. She’s obviously been on the radar for a long period of time, and we knew one day that she would play for Australia. It was just a matter of when we felt a there was opportunity, but also when she was ready. To be able to pick her off the back of form was not only great for us, but great for her," said Alyssa.
Alyssa’s preparation for the Ashes hasn’t been smooth, as a knee injury kept her out of later part of WBBL and ODIs against India. Though she made a return for the ODI series win over New Zealand, she didn’t keep wickets. Alyssa is now scheduled to play a Governor General XI’s game against England on January 9 before going into Women’s Ashes.
She admitted that not playing many matches due to injuries felt a bit weird for her, and feels the ongoing summer of cricket in Australia may signal a change of guard in the team. “Traditionally, I’ve not had to miss a lot of cricket throughout my career due to injury. So it was a bit of a weird couple of months watching that unfold, watching the semi-final unfold in the World Cup, not being able to be out there with your mates … you feel like you’re a little helpless.
“That kind of shifted in the India series. Obviously, I knew that was going to be a really tough stretch to get back on the park, and even New Zealand was a little bit of a stretch. So to be able to get there and partake was cool. I think this whole summer has felt almost like a changing of the guard.
“The WBBL just felt like, not that it had passed us, but it was so much more about the young players on show and what they were doing. The likes of Georgia Voll having an amazing season, Phoebe Litchfield captaining the Sydney Thunder, Annabel Sutherland captaining the Melbourne Stars… it was almost like the next generation were taking over."
“As an older player at the back end of my career, that was just an amazing thing to watch unfold and be a part of, and just accept that and enjoy it. That was the same in the Indian series; I was almost like a proud Aunty, just watching the next generation go out there do their thing, and do it better than what I could if I came back into the side.
“The WBBL just felt like, not that it had passed us, but it was so much more about the young players on show and what they were doing. The likes of Georgia Voll having an amazing season, Phoebe Litchfield captaining the Sydney Thunder, Annabel Sutherland captaining the Melbourne Stars… it was almost like the next generation were taking over."
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Article Source: IANS
