England Women head coach Jon Lewis says his side are in “a really good place” for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, which he describes as cricket’s “hardest challenge”.

Lewis’ side bounced back from their T20 World Cup disappointment with a dominant multi-format series win in South Africa earlier this month.

The Women’s Ashes series begins on January 11 with three ODIs, followed by three T20s and a single Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 30.

Lewis said: “We’ve come off the back of a really successful tour of South Africa, which gave us some really nice preparation.

“We’re in a really good place. We spent a lot of time reflecting on what happened at the World Cup and we’re in a better place now than when we got on the plane to South Africa.

“It’s a tough, tough challenge. Is it the hardest challenge? Yes, probably, just about.

“Winning a 50-over World Cup in India is a big challenge as well, so 2025 is a huge year for us. We’ve got two very different challenges that we’re really looking forward to.”

England, under captain Heather Knight, are bidding to win The Ashes for the first time in 10 years, with Australia retaining them in a thrilling drawn series in England in 2023.

Australia have also bounced back from T20 World Cup disappointment – they lost to South Africa in the semi-finals – by beating India 3-0 in their one-day international series.

Lewis added: “Their record has to be respected and as a team they have to be respected and we are really aware of how hard the challenge will be to go and play our best cricket in Australia.

“I suppose the thing we’ll focus on rather than on the opposition will be ourselves and how we want to play.

“If we play our best cricket it will be a competitive series and I hope everyone gets thoroughly entertained like they did a couple of years ago in England.

“We’re pretty confident but we also understand what a huge challenge of playing against Australia is for any team.”

England have named four potential Ashes debutants in their squad.

All-rounder Freya Kemp and spinner Linsey Smith are both named in the T20 squad, with wicketkeeper Bess Heath included in the T20 and Test squads as the trio compete to make their Ashes debuts.

Seamer Ryana MacDonald-Gay is also included in the Test squad after impressing on debut in the recent tour of South Africa.

Nat Sciver-Brunt is set to be the key figure for England in their pursuit of The Ashes, after a superb year which culminated in her hitting the fastest century in women’s Tests against South Africa, from just 96 balls.

England Women ODI squad: Heather Knight (captain; Somerset), Tammy Beaumont (The Blaze), Lauren Bell (Hampshire), Maia Bouchier (Hampshire), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Kate Cross (Lancashire), Charlie Dean (Somerset), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Lauren Filer (Durham), Sarah Glenn (The Blaze), Amy Jones (The Blaze), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Surrey).

England Women IT20 squad: Heather Knight (captain; Somerset), Lauren Bell (Hampshire), Maia Bouchier (Hampshire), Alice Capsey (Surrey), Charlie Dean (Somerset), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Lauren Filer (Durham), Danielle Gibson (Somerset), Sarah Glenn (The Blaze), Bess Heath (Durham), Amy Jones (The Blaze), Freya Kemp (Hampshire), Linsey Smith (Hampshire), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Surrey).

England Women Test squad: Heather Knight (captain; Somerset), Tammy Beaumont (The Blaze), Lauren Bell (Hampshire), Maia Bouchier (Hampshire), Kate Cross (Lancashire), Charlie Dean (Somerset), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Lauren Filer (Durham), Bess Heath (Durham), Amy Jones (The Blaze), Ryana MacDonald-Gay (Surrey), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Surrey).

2025 Women’s Ashes schedule

UK dates and times

CommBank Women’s Ashes ODI Series

• First ODI: North Sydney Oval, Sydney – Saturday, January 11 (11.30pm)
• Second ODI: Junction Oval, Melbourne – Monday, January 13 (11.05pm)
• Third ODI: Bellerive Oval, Hobart – Thursday, January 16 (11.05pm)

CommBank Women’s Ashes IT20 Series

• First IT20: SCG, Sydney – Monday, January 20 (8.40am)
• Second IT20: Manuka Oval, Canberra – Thursday, January 23 (8.40am)
• Third IT20: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide – Saturday, January 25 (8.10am)

CommBank Women’s Ashes Test Match

• One-off Test: MCG, Melbourne – January 30 to February 2 (3.30am)

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