The Women's Ashes

Countries	Australia  England
Administrator	International Cricket Council
Format	Mixed, points based system
First edition	1934–35 (Australia)
Latest edition	2023 (England)
Next edition	2024–25 (Australia)
Tournament format	Series
Current champion	Australia
Most successful	Australia (10 titles)
Most runs	Ellyse Perry (1761)[lower-alpha 1][1]
Most wickets	Ellyse Perry (66)[lower-alpha 1][2]

The Women's Ashes is the perpetual trophy in women's international cricket series between England and Australia. The name derives from the historic precedent of the Ashes in male cricket and, until 2013, was similarly decided exclusively on the outcomes of Test matches.

Since the Australian tour of England in 2013, the competition is decided on a points system, taking account of One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 International matches as well as Tests. Four (previously six) points^[3] are awarded for a Test victory (two points to each side in the event of a draw), and two points for a victory in a limited-overs game.

History

Heralded in 1931,^[4] the first women's Test series between England and Australia—the first women's Test series anywhere—was played in 1934–35.^[5] At that time, according to the English captain, Betty Archdale, women played only "for love of the game" and did not wish to be associated with the male concepts of Tests and Ashes.^[6]

A total of 24 series have taken place, with 51 Test matches played (and one scheduled Test abandoned). The length of series has varied between one and five Tests. Series have been played biennially since 2001, with only one or two tests played in a series. Since the 2013 series, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 International matches have counted, as well as Tests, toward the trophy result. As of 2015, a Test victory is worth four points (two to each side for a draw), and two points are awarded for victory in a limited-overs match.^[3]

Australian Beth Mooney batting in the 2017–18 Women's Ashes Test at North Sydney Oval with England's Sarah Taylor keeping wicket behind her.

In February 2007, England Women travelled to Australia to defend the Women's Ashes, doing so successfully by winning the one-off Test in Bowral by six wickets. In July 2009, England retained the Women's Ashes after the one-off test at Worcester ended in a draw. In January 2011 Australia was victorious, winning a one-off test in Sydney. England regained the trophy on the new points system in August 2013, and successfully defended it in a series played in Australia in January–February 2014.^[7] Australia succeeded in regaining the trophy during the 2015 series played in England.^[8]

Australia has retained the Ashes for three consecutive series - 2017-18, 2019 and 2021–22 - making them the current holder of the trophy.^[9]

Trophy

Before the ODI series in July 1998, the president of the Women's Cricket Association, Norma Izard devised a way for the women to have a trophy of their own, like the men's Ashes urn. The England and Australia players both signed a miniature cricket bat which was burned at Lord's in a wok alongside a copy of the WCA constitution and rulebook, as the WCA had voted 4 months earlier to merge with England and Wales Cricket Board.^[10] Izard had commissioned a trophy to hold them: a wooden cricket ball^[11] carved from yew.^[10]

The plaque commemorating the Women's Ashes trophy creation at Lord's.

Following the 2001 series, the Australian team took an empty replica home with them and the ball containing the ashes remained in the Lord's museum. However, in the intervening years, one of the two wooden balls went missing.^[10] When the ECB and Cricket Australia commissioned a new trophy, the remaining ball became the focal point of the new trophy, inside nine stumps.^[12] Because of this, it remains unclear if the modern trophy contains those original ashes or not.^[10]

In July 2023, to mark the 25th anniversary of the trophy's creation, the MCC unveiled a plaque at Lord's.^[13]

Results summary

Series

Series decided on Test results:

Series decided on a points system:

Player statistics

Tests (until 2010–11)

Batting

Most runs^[20]

Runs	Player	Matches	Highest	Average	100	50	Span
1024	Jan Brittin	11	167	56.88	3	5	1984–1998
919	Myrtle Maclagan	12	119	43.76	2	6	1934–1951
896	Charlotte Edwards	10	114*	56.00	1	7	1998–2011
874	Karen Rolton	11	209*	58.26	2	4	1998–2009
740	Rachael Heyhoe Flint	9	179	49.33	2	4	1963–1976

Bowling

Most wickets^[21]

Wickets	Player	Matches	BBI	Average	Economy	5	10	Span
53	Betty Wilson	9	7/7	12.69	1.67	3	1	1949–1958
52	Cathryn Fitzpatrick	9	5/29	18.26	2.01	2	0	1998–2005
51	Myrtle Maclagan	12	7/10	16.90	1.68	2	0	1934–1951
47	Mary Duggan	11	7/6	14.76	1.88	3	0	1949–1963
31	Peggy Antonio	6	6/49	13.90	2.61	3	0	1934–1937

Multi-format (from 2013)

Player names in bold text are current international players.

Batting (all matches)

Most runs^{[1][lower-alpha 2]}

Runs	Player	Matches	Highest	Average	100	50	Span
1693	Ellyse Perry	36	213*	62.7	2	12	2013-2023
1182	Heather Knight	33	157	35.82	1	10	2013-2023
1119	Nat Sciver-Brunt	34	129	37.30	2	5	2013-2023
1033	Meg Lanning	25	133*	39.73	2	6	2013-2019
774	Alyssa Healy	32	71	25.8	0	6	2013-2023

Updated to include 2023 Women's Ashes, however some matches for the 2021-22 Women's Ashes are missing from the records.

Bowling (all matches)

Most wickets^{[2][lower-alpha 2]}

Wickets	Player	Matches	BBI	Average	Economy	5	Span
59	Ellyse Perry	42	7/22	16.29	2.79	3	2013-2023
45	Megan Schutt	28	4/22	19.15	3.36	0	2013-2023
41	Jess Jonassen	34	4/38	26.46	3.86	0	2013-2023
39	Katherine Sciver-Brunt	26	6/69	29.03	3.6	1	2013-2022
37	Sophie Ecclestone	17	5/63	25.08	3.57	2	2017-2023

Updated to include 2023 Women's Ashes however some matches for the 2021-22 Women's Ashes are missing from the records..

1. 1 2 Unfortunately, some matches from the 2021-22 series have been excluded from the record, meaning these numbers are likely an underestimation.
2. 1 2 For any player who participated in the series prior to 2013, those scores have been subtracted to achieve their post 2013 records.

References

Further reading