If a week is a long time in politics, then it can be a lifetime in sport, and the last 10 days have changed the course of the English cricketing summer.
When Mitchell Starc sent Josh Tongue’s stumps flying to end the 2nd test of the men’s Ashes on the 2nd of July, England’s men’s and women’s teams were without a win in their respective series. The maths was, therefore, very simple, both the men’s team and the women’s team had to win every remaining game to win their Ashes series.
A quick look at the record books did not provide much comfort for either team. In the women’s game, the Australian side is something of an unstoppable force, particularly in white ball cricket. Australia’s women are the number one ranked team in the world and going into the series hadn’t lost a 50 over game since 2021. In all formats, they had not lost since a series since 2017.
In the men’s game, only one team has ever comeback from 2-0 down to win the Ashes, and that team featured Don Bradman. Australia won the 1936/37 Ashes 3-2, in the first series since the controversial Bodyline series, where England had resorted to short bowling and leg side heavy fields to try and bounce Bradman out. England’s men don’t have a Don Bradman in their side and the odds appeared to be stacked against them.
Despite the pessimistic gloom that surrounded both teams, when England’s women met Australia in the second T20 international the ground was bathed in sunshine, where their epic comeback would begin. England held their nerve in a tense finish, having set Australia a challenging total thanks to a blockbuster performance from Danni Wyatt. Australia required 20 runs to win from the final over and, despite two sixes from the final two balls from Ellyse Perry, they fell short, with England winning by three runs.
If the first T20 victory had caused uncertainty in the Australian camp, the next T20 turned that drip into a torrent. In the rain at Lord’s, England chased a revised target of 121 to make it two wins on the spin. A sell out crowd of 21,160 cheers on as England inflicted Australia’s first defeat in a bi-lateral series since 2017. The comeback was on, and Australia’s once unbeatable stars appeared rattled.
Then at Headingley, England’s men hauled themselves off the canvas to become the first team since 1982 to win a match at 2-0 down in an Ashes series. Mark Wood’s heroic return to the side seemed to inject them with an intensity that had previously been missing from a one-paced bowing attack. Ably supported by significant contributions from Ben Stokes, Harry Brook and Chris Woakes, Wood’s man of the match performance was fitting for a stadium which has seen some of the most famous moments in Ashes history. Everyone has a plan until they get punched on the nose and this was the first blow the Men’s side were able to land on this Australian side, they now have some momentum and must force it home.
While the women’s side had won the T20 series, it was almost unthinkable that they could win the remaining one-day international fixtures. As mentioned above, this Australian team is unbeaten in the format for several years, surely, they would maintain that record. If winning is a habit, then so is losing, and Australia’s women’s team seems to have lost their mojo.
England won by two wickets, with Kate Cross stating after the game that she was doing her best Chris Woakes impression when scoring the winning runs. The team spoke of trying to remove the mythology from their opponents and focusing on facing the ball, not the opponent. It is a tactic that is working wonders, as they have leveled the series with two matches to play.
If Kate Cross was doing her best Chris Woakes impression, then England’s men should take some notes from the way the women’s team have overturned their series against the odds. In 2019, when Ben Stokes’ heroics brought England back into the Ashes with victory at Headingley, they immediately squandered that momentum, losing the following test match at Lord’s. They cannot afford to do that this time. They must be more ruthless, cut out the dropped chances and press home the advantage when they are ahead of the game.
At the end of the women’s ODI, Kate Cross stated she was simply thinking that she did not want to lose this game, an attitude the men’s team needs to adopt. They had enough chances in the first two tests to win them both but wasted them and allowed Australia to seize the initiative. Any missed chances now, for either team, could cost them the Ashes.
Both teams have the experience in their ranks to remain level-headed and complete their comebacks. They both have players in their squads who have competed at the highest level, winning world cups. This will be essential experience to draw upon in the coming weeks. In the 2019 world cup, England’s men suffered unexpected defeats which left them needing to win every game to progress to the final. They did this and famously lifted the trophy at Lord’s against New Zealand. The run to the final featured a significant number of this team. They know how to get the job done when under immense pressure.
In the build up, many commentators called this the most anticipated summer of test cricket since 2005. The rise of the women’s team has added an element of joy that 2005 was missing. Cricket has captured the imagination of the country with both the men’s and women’s Ashes drawing record viewing figures. This is largely thanks to the developing narrative of two potentially history defying comebacks.
If England’s men’s team can win the next test at Old Trafford, they will level up their series. If the women’s team can continue their winning run at the Ageas Bowl, they will go ahead for the first time. The small drip of hope of that started at the T20 match at the Oval could turn into an outpouring of joy. This will see fans of both teams dancing in the fountain at Trafalgar Square, celebrating their victories like in 2005.
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