Cricket Australia has told Missing Perspectives that while there are “differences with venues, capacities, and scheduling,” pre-match ticket sales for this international series are currently tracking above the 2017/18 Women’s Ashes, and that Cricket Australia expects this women’s international series will the highest attended in Australian cricket history.
Let’s circle back to the beginning for those not across the Women’s Ashes and all things ODI.
What are the Women’s Ashes?
The Women’s Ashes is the name given to the women’s international cricket series between England and Australia. The competition is decided on a points system. Four points are awarded to a Test victory, with two points for a win in a limited-overs game.
This month marks 90 years since the first international women’s cricket Test match, with the anniversary set to be commemorated by a four-day Test between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) starting January 30. You can read Lucy Small’s explainer of the history of the Ashes and the progress made, here.
“To begin with, the commemorative four-day Test match is the only Test the women will play this summer. The Ashes series, as the contest between Australia and England is called, takes a multi-game format made up of one day internationals and T20 games along with a singular Test,” writes Lucy. “Test matches are considered the most prestigious and testing form of cricket. The men’s Ashes series is played over 5 five-day Test matches.”
If you want some more background regarding cricket rules, watch this great explainer video from Isha Singhal:
What is the ODI and what happened over the weekend?
ODI stands for One Day International, which is a format of cricket where each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs (same as the men’s game).
Over January, there’ll be a few more ODIs: the 2nd ODI taking place on 14 January 2025 in Melbourne, and the 3rd ODI on 17 January 2025 in Hobart.
So, what happened at North Sydney Oval over the weekend? Australia smashed the first opening ODI, with Alyssa Healy achieving a half-century with 11 boundaries in a 78-ball innings (read: this is a HUGE deal), while Ash Gardner hit 42 from 44 deliveries.
The best bit is that the opening face-off took place in front of a sell-out crowd of 6,236 at North Sydney Oval.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store over the coming week – will you be watching?