Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that, starting in England in August 2013, the Women’s Ashes will be contested through a new multi-format series.
The multi-format Women’s Ashes Series will encompass one Test match, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 International (T20Is) matches. The winners of the Test will be awarded six points, with two points awarded to the winners of each of the limited overs matches (see table below). The team that accrues the most points across all three formats will win the Women’s Ashes Series.
Cricket Australia Senior Manager – Centre of Excellence Belinda Clark said: “Cricket contests between Australia and England have a special place in the hearts and minds of players and the public. The new Women’s Ashes Series format acknowledges the past, embraces the present and takes a bold step towards the future. The recent ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and the ICC Women’s World Cup in India demonstrated that the standard of women’s cricket across all competing countries is more evenly balanced than ever before, which, in part, is due to the increased focus on the shorter forms of the game. The Women’s Ashes Series in England in 2013 and the return series in Australia in 2014 will pit two highly competitive teams against each other and I for one can’t wait for the first ball to be bowled.”
Head of England Women’s Cricket Clare Connor said: “The women’s game has seen huge growth in interest and profile as a result of the limited overs formats in recent years. The new Women’s Ashes Series looks to combine this reality with the prestige and tradition of Test match cricket. We believe that this new multi-format series will gain significantly more profile and context than can be generated by playing a one-off Test match every couple of years. Re-branding the Women’s Ashes to a multi-format series is an innovative way forward for players, spectators and the media and we look forward to a hard-fought contest spanning three weeks in August.”
The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars are the current Ashes holders, having reclaimed them in Sydney in 2011. Of the 18 women’s Ashes series that have been played since its inception in 1934-35, Australia have won seven, England have won four and seven series have been drawn.
Women’s Ashes Series 2013
|
Date |
Format |
Venue |
Points for a Win |
Points for a Draw |
| 11-14 August | Test | Wormsley Cricket Ground, Buckinghamshire | 6 points | 2 points |
| 20 August | ODI | Lord’s, London | 2 points | 1 point |
| 23 August | ODI | The County Cricket Ground, Hove | 2 points | 1 point |
| 25 August | ODI | The County Cricket Ground, Hove | 2 points | 1 point |
| 27 August | T20I | The County Ground, Chelmsford | 2 points | 1 point |
| 29 August | T20I * | The Rose Bowl, Southampton* | 2 points | 1 point |
| 31 August | T20I * | The Riverside Ground, Durham* | 2 points | 1 point |
*Double-header with men’s T20 International (England v Australia)
Notes
• The winner of the Women’s Ashes Series has previously been determined based solely on the results of the Test(s) in each series.
• Six points have been allocated to each format of the game.
• If the Series is drawn Australia will retain the Ashes as they are current holders. The Women’s Ashes trophy will be presented to the winning team after the last game of the Series (31 August at the Riverside Ground, Durham)
• The Women’s ODI and Women’s T20 trophies will still be presented to the winning captain on 25 August and 31 August respectively.
• A player-of-the-match award will be presented after every game and a player-of-the-series award will be presented after the final game of the series (31 August at The Riverside Ground, Durham)
• The Women’s Ashes trophy was created in 1998 and contains the ashes of a bat signed by both of the 1998 teams.
• Australia and England have played women’s Test cricket since 1934.