Alyssa Healy has increased the pressure on England ahead of the women’s Ashes tournament, emboldening them to follow up their bold claims with action.
The Australians will be looking to retain the Ashes for a fifth consecutive series later this month, but two stars from England have warned the tourists that they won’t have everything their way.
All-rounder Emma Lamb said last month that Australia were not perfect and that it was “in our hands to beat them”, while fast bowler Essie Wong suggested it was time to play their old foes.
Between them, Lamb and Wong played only once against Australia and Healy said she was not worried about the English duo’s verbal onslaught.
She told Code Sports: ‘They made some bold statements that came out here in the recent Ashes series and didn’t really follow through on any of it.
Alyssa Healy England dared to follow through on her bold claims on the field
So we’ll let them talk and do all the talking. Perhaps ironically, these two players didn’t play much for England.
However, Healy acknowledged that the war of words between the two teams only added to the excitement ahead of a long-awaited series.
“But at the same time, that’s the beauty of the game,” she said.
There are many unknowns on the English side […] This is where the challenge will be for us.
‘It’s exciting.’ I think writing us off at your own peril, especially if they’re already talking about it, is a dangerous way of thinking.
Australia are the reigning world champions in ODI and T20 cricket, they currently hold the Ashes title and are the Commonwealth champions.
Their continued success makes them a prized scalp in world cricket, and Healy, who will replace Meg Lanning as Australia’s captain after the latter’s withdrawal from the series, admitted the pressure would be all on them before the Ashes.
“We know everyone wants to hit us,” she said.
England footballer Emma Lamb (left) and bowler Essie Wong (right) have claimed the hosts will enjoy playing Australia in the upcoming series.
Australia have won the last four Ashes series and are aiming to defend the trophy this month
Maybe it’s really frustrating to keep winning all the time, but we love it.
We don’t want to be the team that loses or returns the Ashes or lets the World Cup slip away. We know what that feels like.
“We’re glad we’re chased.”
The women’s Ashes competition begins with a one-off Test at Trent Bridge on June 22, followed by three T20s and three ODIs.
