Pace bowler Lauren Filer’s talent for bowling aggressively has earned her an unexpected spot in Heather Knight’s team for the Women’s Ashes Test on Thursday. The England captain is looking for an attacking bowling lineup that can take all of Australia’s wickets in the Women’s Ashes , aiming to secure the first decisive outcome in a women’s Test match since 2015.
Knight stated that both she and coach Jon Lewis share the same vision for how they want the team to perform.
“When I started out playing Test cricket I felt I had to go super-defensive, it was all about survival. I want all the girls to have in their minds how they’re going to take the game forward with the ball or with the bat.
“She [Filer] is one of the quickest in the country and she gets bounce. She can move the ball both ways and she can bang the ball in. We need a team that’s going to take 20 wickets.”
Danni Wyatt
When the match starts, Danni Wyatt, who has represented England in 245 white-ball matches over 13 years, will finally receive a Test cap. “She’s really chuffed,” Knight said.
“Probably at one point she felt like she was never going to get a Test cap, but we’ve picked her because we want her to play exactly how she does in the middle-order in ODI cricket. She’s one of the best players and the best attackers of spin in the world game.”
On Tuesday, the squad released Alice Capsey, who many had anticipated would make her Test debut, and she will actively participate in the concurrent T20 series between England A and Australia A.
With the captain, Meg Lanning, sitting out the series due to unspecified medical reasons, and her stand-in, Alyssa Healy, expressing her desire to drop down to the No 5 spot, Litchfield is likely to open the batting. Australia have not yet confirmed their XI, but they are also expected to include two debutants: Kim Garth, the former Ireland all-rounder, and Phoebe Litchfield, the 20-year-old batter.
