Into her fifth over now, Kim Garth.

Our first glimpse of Australia’s newest and perhaps brightest star. Few cricketers in the world have had a better 18 months than Sutherland. She gets a crack with a relatively new ball.

It’s a beamer! Sheesh! That one slipped out of Sutherland’s hand and was coming through at Beaumont’s head height. An easy no ball called, a first strike for Sutherland and some smiles between the players.

FOUR RUNS! Knight gets a look at the free hit and creams it through point off the front foot. Classy shot.

Knight whips one down to fine leg and thinks she’s earned four, only for Darcie Brown to put in a wonderful dive and stop on the rope. She keeps it to two.

Eight runs and a head-high full toss from Sutherland’s first over. Probably not her best.

Beaumont clips one neatly off her pads and takes the single on offer.

Knight is lured into the big cover drive again, but Garth sneaks past the outside edge once more.

Garth possibly flagging a little now, letting that one slip will down the leg side for another wide.

Knight absolutely crunches the first ball back down the ground, but Garth does very well to get down and save the boundary. Tight stuff early at NSO.

Interesting to see how many Schutt bowls in this first spell. The ball is still swinging dramatically for her so Healy may want to give her every chance.

FOUR! But the straight ones will still get put away. Short and wide, Beaumont cut that with purpose.

Beaumont pulls down to deep square leg for one more. Beaumont looks settled.

FOUR MORE! Glorious square drive from Knight. It was a half-volley from Schutt but was wonderfully put away all the same.

Good comeback from Schutt. Better length, and a little bit of pace taken off it. It beats Knight’s outside edge.

Nine runs from that over, Schutt leaking a little bit of oil now.

A loose one to start the over, and justifiably called a wide outside the off stump.

EDGED FOR FOUR! Knight chased the wide one and got a thick outside edge, but found the gap between slip and gully.

That close call for Knight has put her back in her shell a little bit. She nibbles at the last ball of the over but gets away with it.

Excellent contest from that end.

Beaumont takes strike and a quick single to mid-off. Heather Knight is the new batter, and the skipper will get an early look at Schutt.

Healy straight up to the stumps with Knight at the crease.

SHOT! Short, wide, hammered through point by Knight. Ominous signs from the England star.

Knight gets a big inside edge onto her pad, but it pops safely away to square leg for a single to end the over.

Six from it.

What a start to the series that could have been for Megan Schutt and Australia.

She thought she had bowled Maia Bouchier in the first over, only for it to be called a no ball.

Remarkably, it was only the eighth no ball of her 92 match ODI career.

A carbon copy of the last ball which Bouchier missed. This time she found a tickle through to Healy behind the stumps and the Aussies have their first scalp.

Great bowling from Garth who has hardly put a foot wrong so far. The perfect outswinger’s wicket.

Bouchier is forward to defend the first ball. More conviction in the defence from the English opener.

SHOT! Garth strays onto the pads and Bouchier whips it over midwicket for a one-bounce four. Lovely timing, classy shot.

Great comeback from Garth. Pulls the length back a little and finds that fifth stump channel. Bouchier is beaten.

Schutt will be deflated after the no ball blow in the first over, but encouraged by the probing swing she is finding. Important Australia finds early breakthroughs having chosen to bowl first at the toss.

Risky business trying to cut Schutt when it’s swinging in so dramatically, but Beaumont is trying it on. She misses the straight one and the chops down hard on the one that swings. Good bowling.

Beaumont charges at Schutt’s final ball but is hit on the thigh. That’ll make for another maiden.

She kicks off with a couple of big outswingers which Bouchier leaves alone.

Garth is full, wide and swinging away. Bouchier has a dip at one but plays and misses outside the off stump. Nearly a wide in truth.

And again. Garth hasn’t quite got her radar right but it is absolutely hooping for her.

BEAUTY! Best ball of the over. Tighter to the off stump but still past the outside edge of Bouchier’s bat.

It’s a maiden from Garth.

So it’s a free hit now for Bouchier after getting a life.

FOUR! And Bouchier belts the free hit back over Schutt’s head for four. Electric start to this game.

One more for Maia Bouchier and the over ends. Seven from the first set of the series, plus a wicket off a no ball.

Megan Schutt thinks she has a wicket from the third ball of the series, but the third umpire deems it a no ball!

And I’ve got to say, that is one of the closest no balls I’ve ever seen. The back of Schutt’s foot was nearly flush on the back of the crease.

A stroke of luck for England and Maia Bouchier.

So here we go. The players are out in the middle of North Sydney Oval and all is in readiness. The Women’s Ashes is upon us and both sides are desperate to make an early statement.

Schutt has the ball, Tammy Beaumont has the strike.

Big in-swing from Schutt, but too straight that time. Beaumont takes a single to the leg side from the second ball of the over to get the scoring underway.

The 2025 Women’s Ashes will begin with three ODIs, followed by three T20s before a sole test match at the MCG will round out the series.

Two points will be awarded for each limited format win and four for a triumph in the test.

In the case of a draw in the test or a tie in the shorter format games, two points will be awarded to each team.

That’s potentially 10 days of cricket in just over three weeks.

While the general structure carries over from the tournament’s 2023 edition, the order of games has been shuffled.

Two years ago, the test was the first leg of the series.

A win saw Australia go 4-0 up early, and despite England winning both the ODI and T20 rubbers, they were unable to overcome Australia’s significant early lead.

We could be in for an epic test match finale at the MCG in a couple weeks’ time.

More good news for the Aussies, which was confirmed yesterday: Alyssa Healy is fit to keep wicket for Australia in this first ODI at the very least.

It’s been a long road back to full fitness for the skipper, who is elated to be back doing what she does best.

“There was a little bit of doubt for an extended period as to whether that would actually happen again so the fact that everything has gone smoothly and that’s a viable option for me is a really good thing.

“I’m pretty happy about that, to get the gloves back on and do what I’ve been doing my whole career.”

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Having held the trophy since 2015, Australia heads into the 2025 Women’s Ashes as firm favourites.

However, things haven’t gone all their way in recent years.

In 2023, the multiformat series was tied eight points apiece, with Australia first winning the lone test match, then losing 2-1 in both the ODI and T20 legs.

Nat Sciver-Brunt was particularly impressive for England.

The all-rounder scored 271 across the three ODIs and again will be pivotal to their chances of springing an upset over the next month.

Both captains are well aware of how important this opening ODI is in setting the tone for the series to come.

Alyssa Healy has painted England as an “emotional” team, one that is good at holding a lead when it has momentum.

“For us, we’re hopefully coming [on Sunday] throwing the first punch and saying ‘good luck catching us’.

“You want to get out there and take the first two points, and then you can hopefully settle in from there.

“If we can manage our emotions and our bodies in particular, we will go a long way to winning it.”

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Not a lot of surprises for the Australia in regards to team selection, not once Healy was passed fit. Kate Cross hasn’t quite pulled up for England so she misses out.

Australia: Alyssa Healy, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ash Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

England: Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell