Women's Ashes: Charlotte Edwards says England can retain the urn
Tuesday 25 August 2015 12:59, UK
Captain Charlotte Edwards says England Women believe they can upset the odds and win the three remaining games in the series against Australia to retain the Ashes.
The hosts cannot afford to slip in any of the upcoming NatWest International T20s after a 161-run defeat in the only Test of the series left them trailing 8-2 in the multi-format contest.
With two points on offer to the victors of the matches – at Chelmsford on Wednesday, Hove on Friday and Cardiff on Monday - Edwards' side can still defend the urn they lifted in Australia 18 months ago.
Edwards said: "As far as we believe in our dressing room we truly believe we can win these three games.
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"We've got to play a lot better than we've played over the series so far; we need to just completely go out there and express ourselves.
"I think that if there's one form of the game that we can turn things around in it is T20 cricket.
"Every game we play for England we want to win. In effect it doesn't change our mindset. We just know that we need to put in a strong performance here."
England have called up spinners Danielle Hazell - the top-ranked bowler in Women's T20 cricket - and Danielle Wyatt to their 14-man squad - with Kate Cross and Fran Wilson missing out.
ECB's Head of England Women's Performance, Paul Shaw, said: "We know that we face a huge challenge to get back into this Women's Ashes contest, but there is a lot of pride and fight within this England Women's squad, and I know that the players will give it everything in these last three matches."
Australia's T20 record in England is poor - the Southern Stars have lost their last five games - but they go into Wednesday's match with a 16-game winning run behind them and captain Meg Lanning says her team will aim to hit the hosts hard.
"If England come out and play really well and win the three games I think they deserve to win the series," she said.
"I'm certainly glad that we're in the position that we are; it just means that we need to come out as hard as we can in the first game and hopefully get the win in Chelmsford."
Watch the first Twenty20 international between England Women and Australia Women live on Sky Sports Ashes from 6.30pm this Wednesday.
