England ready to put Australia "under pressure" ahead of must-win ODIs

Heather Knight’s side trail Australia by two points heading into the three-match ODI leg of the women’s Ashes but are riding high on confidence following their characterful draw in the Test

Heather Knight believes England can put Australia "under pressure" as they head into a trio of must-win ODIs.

Her side trail Australia 6-4 and must win all three remaining ODIs, or win two and pray for no result or a tie, to have any hope of regaining the Ashes for the first time since 2013-14.

The two sides shared the spoils in an entertaining drawn Test in Canberra. Australia declared on day four with a lead of 256 and 47 overs of play remaining, but Meg Lanning’s decision initially appeared foolish as England’s top five delivered a gutsy and free-scoring display.

Just as England began to close in on victory, Annabel Sutherland and Alana King wrestled back momentum. Knight’s side lost six wickets in under six overs to tighten Australia’s grip on the trophy but 10th wicket partners, Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone, safely navigated the final 13 deliveries to rescue a draw.

It was an emotional result for both sides, with Knight, the disappointment still evident in her voice days later, admitting, "it felt a bit like a loss."

However, the England skipper also feels her side have laid down a marker and exposed "cracks" in Australia’s armour.

^{Kate Cross (batting) and Sophie Ecclestone hang on to secure a draw [Mark Koble/Getty Images]}

"It felt like we were in a great position to win it and at the end, it felt a bit like a loss," Knight said. "But the way we went about the chase was awesome. [There was] real character from the girls to show that we can do that, and we want to go at the Australians. I think they [Australia] were the most relieved.

"It shows we can fight back and when we do go hard at them, we can put them under pressure and create a few cracks. It gives us real confidence, particularly that second innings. It was like a one-day chase and all of the top five put in a performance."

Lauren Winfield-Hill (33), Tammy Beaumont (36) and Nat Sciver (68) all contributed with the bat in the second innings while Knight herself added 48 runs to her impressive 168 not out in the first innings. But it was young Sophia Dunkley, who scored 45 runs off 32 balls at no.5, who stood out for Knight.

"I feel really good with my batting and I’m excited to get out there and hopefully contribute to the team, keep scoring runs and lead by example," she said.

"I thought [Dunkley’s] partnership with Nat [Sciver] was really smart. The thing that’s impressed me most about her in the past couple of years is she’s really worked on her composure, her mental game at the crease and how she deals with that pressure.

"It was really pleasing for her to go and show everyone what she can do in Australia. She’s had a brilliant 12 months, making her Test debut, performing brilliantly not just for us but in domestic cricket, she’s outstanding. She’s certainly a really key player for us in ODI cricket as well."

The ODI leg of the Ashes begins in Canberra on February 3 before moving to Melbourne’s Junction Oval and England have looked impressive in the format over the past 12 months.

Since their international schedule resumed in 2021, the reigning 50-over world champions have recorded series wins over New Zealand (twice) and India and been defeated just three times in their past 11 matches.

Beaumont and Knight, both ever-present in ODIs, scored 503 runs and 423 runs, respectively, last year while Cross and Ecclestone took a combined 33 wickets. And then there's Charlie Dean, who took to international cricket like a duck to water and finished September’s series against New Zealand as leading wicket-taker (10).

^{India are the only side to defeat Australia in an ODI since October 2017 [Albert Perez/Getty Images]}

Unfortunately, Australia have been even more dominant. Following  a 20-run defeat against England in Coffs Harbour in October 2017, Lanning’s side embarked on a record-breaking 26-match winning streak in the format before being defeated by India (two wickets) in their most recent outing in September.

During that period, they whitewashed India, Pakistan, New Zealand (three times), Sri Lanka, West Indies and England, defeating the latter 3-0 in the 2019 women’s Ashes.

Knight, however, is unfazed by Australia’s form after spending the past few years preparing for this series and come March, a World Cup title defence.

"We’ve created a bigger squad and a bigger pool of players that we’ve rotated a bit over the last couple of years with an eye on this series and trying to create competition for places and I think we’ve done that," Knight said.

"We’ve had a really good summer with ODI wins over New Zealand and India which has given us a lot of confidence. Playing Australia, you always get a vibe of where you’re at and I think we feel reasonably confident."

England have no injury concerns ahead of Thursday’s match, with Danni Wyatt, who wasn’t selected for the Test, in line to accompany Beaumont at the top of the order.

Megan Schutt is expected to return for Australia after battling Covid-19 and being rested for the red-ball section of the series while King could make her ODI debut. Australia have opted against promoting fellow spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, a member of their World Cup squad, to the main Ashes squad. 

However, the key match-up for the next three games will be the battle of England’s bowlers against Australia’s batters. The home side have four players – Alyssa Healy, Lanning, Beth Mooney and Rachael Haynes – ranked inside the top 10 of the ICC’s ODI batting rankings while Ecclestone, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole and Cross are all ranked among the top 10 bowlers.