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The former Australia captain is set to play a first-class game after a gap of more than 18 months

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2022Tim Paine is in line to play his first first-class match for more than 18 months after being named in Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield squad to face Queensland this week.Paine last played for Tasmania in early 2021 but returned to club cricket at the weekend where he took the keeping gloves and made an unbeaten 20.”Was nice to blow off some cobwebs,” he told reporters at Hobart airport. “Been training for five or six weeks. Ready to go. Excited, a bit nervous, but looking forward to it.”Paine did not find a place on the Tasmania contract list earlier this year but approached the state’s coaching staff about being keen to return.”It was nice for him to get out there and play a game of cricket again,” Tasmania’s coach Jeff Vaughan told reporters on Tuesday. “He was quite nervous before that match.””He has been training with us the last couple of months. And it wasn’t until we selected over the last week or two, firstly his name was on the table for one-day cricket and then he was on the table last week when we selected [the Shield]. And it was quite unanimous that everyone wanted one of the world’s best wicketkeepers into our side.”We have absolute faith and trust in Tim and his preparation. Physically he is probably in the greatest spot of his physical career, emotionally he is sound. He has been training really well with us the last two months. We have got full faith in his wicketkeeping skillset so he has ticked all of the boxes.”Paine resigned the Test captaincy amid a text-message scandal last November and a short while after that said he was taking a break from the game for his mental health.Tasmania squad Jackson Bird, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Ben McDermott, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk (c), Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau Webster

Tournament to kick off in Dubai; final of UAE’s new T20 league likely to be on February 12

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2022The UAE’s new International League T20 (ILT20) is set to begin on January 13 in Dubai, with the final likely to be contested on February 12. The six-team ILT20 is expected to have 34 matches, with each team playing the others twice before four playoff matches.The tournament is set to clash entirely with South Africa’s new T20 league, the SA20, which has announced fixtures running from January 10 to February 11, 2023. Australia’s Big Bash League will also be on at the time – it starts in December and runs till February 4. The 2023 season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), meanwhile, is set to begin on February 9, and the Bangladesh Premier League is also expected to be played somewhere in the same window.Related

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• PSL looks to expand salary caps to stay ahead in T20-league game

• Russell, Moeen, Hasaranga among big-ticket sign-ons for ILT20

• Moeen Ali tussle epitomises arms race as ILT20, SA20 compete

• UAE T20 league sets $450,000 contract for top players

While all this adds up to huge competition to attract the best players and also broadcast audiences, the ILT20 will take comfort in the fact that it has a strong roster of players committed to the tournament, including Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Trent Boult, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sikandar Raza.Several of the ILT20 franchises are owned by Indian companies, including those that own the IPL’s Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals. The owners of Manchester United FC, Lancer Capital, are also on the list. The contracts of top players in the cash-rich league are expected to be in the region of USD 450,000 per season, making it the second-most lucrative T20 league behind the IPL.

All three part of a 14-man squad for the first Test against Pakistan in Perth with Boland and Morris with Lyon replacing Murphy as the only change from the last Ashes Test

Alex Malcolm02-Dec-20231:44

Malcom: Lance Morris will bring the x-factor

David Warner is on track to get the Test farewell he desires while Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green have both been named in Australia’s 14-man Test squad alongside Western Australia speedster Lance Morris for the first Test against Pakistan.Australia’s selectors pulled no surprises naming 10 of the 11 that played in the last Ashes Test back in July, with Nathan Lyon replacing Todd Murphy after recovering from his calf injury. Green has been selected as the extra batter/allrounder and two extra fast bowlers in Morris and Scott Boland have also been named in the squad for the first Test against Pakistan at Perth Stadium starting on December 14.As was expected, Alex Carey has retained his place as the first-choice Test wicketkeeper despite losing his ODI place to Josh Inglis at the start of the World Cup. But the selectors still see him as the clear-cut Test wicketkeeper and he tuned up for the series with a classy 81 for South Australia in their tight loss to Victoria last week.Related

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• Johnson lashes out at Warner, asks if he 'warrants a hero's send-off'

• Australia's Test squad takeaways: Warner remains, Marsh vs Green, blooding new quicks

Morris is the only player who was not part of the Ashes squad having been rested over the winter after concerns over his back and his workload coming back from the tour of India. His addition to the squad was long expected though as Cricket Australia’s medical team has carefully managed his domestic summer so far in conjunction with the WA selectors.He has played just two Marsh Cup matches and three of the six Sheffield Shield games, with no back-to-back fixtures. He was rested from WA’s last Shield game against Queensland and instead played club cricket for Scarborough in Perth where his overs were carefully managed across two weekends. He is being groomed as Mitchell Starc’s understudy as the strike weapon in Australia’s Test attack. Morris’ careful management was designed to have him fit for the start of the Test summer as the fitness of Starc was set to be an unknown coming out of the long World Cup campaign. Starc suffered lingering groin soreness after the Ashes series, where he was named Australia’s player of the series, but he managed to play 10 of Australia’s 11 World Cup matches.Warner had long forecast the series against Pakistan, and specifically the third Test in Sydney as his desired farewell from Test cricket. His Test form over the last two years, even with a lone double century against South Africa last year, has raised questions as to whether he deserved to go out on his own terms. But Australia’s selectors believe he is one of the best two openers in the country and has been named for the first Test, having made a half-century in his last Test innings at the Oval and come off a stunning World Cup in India.Marcus Harris, Matt Renshaw and Cameron Bancroft are the three main candidates to replace Warner either before Sydney or for the two-Test series against West Indies in mid-January. The selectors opted not to promote any of them ahead of time. All three will instead play for the Prime Minister’s XI against Pakistan in Canberra starting on Wednesday.Chairman of selectors George Bailey suggested there was scope for any players performing in that game to be added to the Test squad at any stage.”As ever, there will be opportunities in the short to medium term to break into this squad and we look forward to seeing the continued strong performances from players who have been performing domestically, many of whom will get a tremendous opportunity in the PM’s XI fixture against Pakistan later this week,” Bailey said.Green is the only player in the 14-man Test squad who will also play for the PM’s XI. He is coming off 96 for WA against Queensland in his first red-ball innings since he was dropped for the final Test of the Ashes series. Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald suggested last week that there was a way Green and incumbent allrounder Marsh could play in the same side later in the summer if they were to shuffle the batting order post-Warner’s exit but it seems likely that Green will have to bide his time.Australia’s first Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

Scotland’s chase never took off as spinners and Prabodhani helped Sri Lanka defend 169

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2024Captain Chamari Athapaththu’s 102 off 63 balls helped Sri Lanka win the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier against Scotland in Abu Dhabi.As a result, Sri Lanka will slot into Group A alongside Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan, while Scotland will be part of Group B alongside South Africa, England, West Indies and Bangladesh in the World Cup proper in October.After Scotland asked Sri Lanka to bat, Athapaththu lost her opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne in the third over. Harshitha Samarawickrama was the next one to depart in the sixth over, after being pinned in front by Katherine Fraser. Kavisha Dilhari at No. 4 then contributed 15 off 13 balls before being stumped off Abtaha Maqsood.Athapaththu, meanwhile, continued to pile on the runs single-handedly, contributing 83 runs in her 106-run stand with Nilakshika Silva. She brought up her century in the 19th over, off 60 balls. Athapaththu hit 13 fours and four sixes in her 63-ball stay before falling to Rachel Slater with four balls remaining in Sri Lanka’s innings. A six by Silva off the penultimate ball then set Scotland a target of 170.In return, Scotland got off to a decent start in the chase, with openers Saskia Horley and Megan McColl hitting three fours between them before the collapse began. After Horley was run-out in the third over, left-arm medium pacer Udeshika Prabodhani produced a double-wicket maiden in the fourth.Sri Lanka’s spinners then took over, stifling Scotland in the middle overs. Priyanaz Chatterji fought hard with a 34-ball 30, but didn’t find much help at the other end, as Scotland eventually fell 68 runs short.Before they met on Tuesday, both Sri Lanka and Scotland had already booked their spot at the T20 World Cup proper, set to be played in Bangladesh later this year, after beating UAE and Ireland, respectively, on Friday.

Vidarbha knocked out despite racing to 221 for 6 in six fest at KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur

Himanshu Agrawal11-Dec-2024″Beware of us,” was the message Mumbai seemed to convey as they marched into the semi-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Six days after hunting down a record 230 against Andhra, Mumbai mowed down a target of 222 against Vidarbha, with six wickets and four deliveries in the bank.Ajinkya Rahane showed the way by bashing 84 off 45 balls, and adding 83 in just seven overs with Prithvi Shaw. Dipesh Parwani had Shaw caught at long-off to check Mumbai’s flow, and the wicket slowed them down for just a little while. Shaw had cracked 49 from 26 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes.Yash Thakur eventually dismissed Rahane to start the 16th over, by which time he had carved ten fours and three sixes himself but Mumbai still needed another 65 to win. Seeing the hefty requirement, Suryansh Shedge went 4, 6, 6, 6 off Mandar Mahale to pick up 24 runs off the 17th over. Shivam Dube then started the 18th by clubbing two more sixes, off Parwani, to all but kill the contest.That Vidarbha had 221 on the board was down to half-centuries from Atharva Taide and Apoorv Wankhade, who added 81 for the third wicket. Vidarbha were 100 for 2 after ten overs – by then, Taide had reached his fifty – before both batters smashed 46 off the next four overs. Atharva Ankolekar then trapped Taide in front for 66, and Shedge bowled Wankhede for 51, but Shubham Dubey (43 off 19 balls), Mahale (13 off 5) and Jitesh Sharma (11 off six) blasted 54 off the final three overs.By the time the game was done, a total of 39 fours and 22 sixes had been smacked in Alur.

“If what I have heard about the episode is true, it is indeed shocking and disheartening”

12-Jan-2021Former India seamer Irfan Pathan threw his weight behind Deepak Hooda after the player stormed out of Baroda camp alleging misbehaviour by captain Krunal Pandya, saying such incidents can have “adverse effects” on a player.Hooda, who has played 46 first-class matches, was miffed at the behaviour of Pandya, who has also represented India, during the recent camp for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.”During the difficult times of this pandemic wherein mental health of a player is of utmost importance as they have to stay in a bio-bubble as well as keep themselves focused on the game, such incidents may have adverse effects on a player and should be avoided,” Pathan said in a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday.Expressing shock over the incident involving the two players ahead of the tournament, Pathan urged the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) to look into the matter. “Requesting all the members of the BCA to look into this and condemn such actions since they are not good for the game of cricket,” he said.Pathan, who played 29 Tests and 120 ODIs, also slammed the BCA for “overlooking” promising players.”Being an ex-captain of Baroda and having mentored many youngsters, I understand how important it is to have a harmonious environment where players can feel safe, play freely and give their best for the team,” he said. “If what I have heard about the Deepak Hooda episode is true, it is indeed shocking and disheartening. No player should be treated like this.”Pathan, who was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team, spoke about young players being overlooked by BCA despite performing in recent years.”In the recent past, there have been episodes wherein the deserving young talents who have performed well and are under the age of 30 have been overlooked for selection,” he said. “Also, the likes of Aditya Waghmode, who was the highest run-scorer for the Baroda team in the last season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 364 runs and Swapnil Singh, who had all-round performance, scoring 216 runs and took 10 wickets, were overlooked.”

Australia A will face New Zealand A in two four-day matches over the next couple of weeks

Andrew McGlashan31-Mar-2023Alongside those appearing at the IPL and preparing for spells in county cricket, there is a group of Australian players across the Tasman looking to make an impression on the national selectors.The Australia A squad that faces their New Zealand counterparts over two four-day games in Lincoln – using the Dukes ball to replicate Ashes conditions in the UK – is a combination of players close or recently in the Test team, some with a realistic chance of pushing for a place in the near future, a few reasonably experienced domestic cricketers and those at the younger end of their careers.It is not what an Australia A squad would look like if everyone was available – anyone with a county deal was not considered because they will already be playing in UK conditions – but Matt Renshaw and Mitchell Swepson are included from those recently in India. Peter Handscomb was in the original group but withdrew after getting his deal with Leicestershire.Related

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• Bruce, Bracewell, Ajaz in NZ A squad for four-day matches against Australia A

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It will be an important couple of weeks for Renshaw who is viewed as a serious candidate to open again for Australia in the long term when a vacancy arises. However, India was a difficult tour for him where he missed out twice in the first Test in the middle order, having been preferred to Travis Head, then fell cheaply again in Delhi after being called in as David Warner’s concussion sub.He is likely competing with Handscomb, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris for a spare batting spot in the Ashes. One thing in Renshaw’s favour is his versatility of being able to cover any position in the top six.Swepson, meanwhile, faces an interesting time in his career having been overlooked for the three Tests in India where he was available (he missed the Delhi Test to fly home for the birth of his child). With Australia’s next subcontinent Test tour not until visiting Sri Lanka in early 2025, it is difficult to see where Swepson’s chance to add to his four caps will come.Outside Renshaw and Swepson, the only other member of the squad previously capped by Australia is pace bowler Wes Agar who played two ODIs on the 2021 tour of West Indies when a number of first-choice players were not available.Matt Renshaw will still hope to be in Ashes contention•Getty Images

The name closest to breaking through to international level is Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie. He made an important 45 in last week’s Sheffield Shield final, and claimed four wickets, but his overall batting returns for the season with an average of 29.07 were probably a little below expectation.Hardie was touted as a possible replacement for Cameron Green when he was injured during the Australian season and is the closest like-for-like available, although Mitchell Marsh could yet come back into the frame if he is able to bowl substantially after his ankle surgery. Hardie and Nathan McSweeney will share the captaincy in New Zealand.With an eye on the Ashes, the selectors will need to consider how to provide wicketkeeping cover for Alex Carey. They could use Handscomb as was the case in India, but if they wanted a full-time keeper as back-up, Queensland’s Jimmy Peirson has a strong case to be considered although Josh Inglis likely remains in pole position. Over the last three seasons, Peirson has made 1337 Shield runs at 37.13 with five centuries (Inglis has averaged 51.56 in his 14 matches for WA in the same period) and he also impressed on the Australia A tour of Sri Lanka last year.However, the most intriguing name in the squad is left-arm quick Spencer Johnson whose remarkable rise continues after a season that brought BBL and Shield success for Brisbane Heat and South Australia respectively, including six and seven-wicket hauls for the latter.With Joel Paris, the WA quick, having withdrawn through injury, Johnson is now the one left-arm fast bowler in the squad and while it remains unlikely he will get an immediate international call-up, he could well be back-up to Mitchell Starc across formats.Elsewhere in the squad, there is a collection of top-order batters in the 18-25 age group with an eye on the future. The most exciting of them is 18-year Teague Wyllie, another from the WA production line, who made a maiden Shield century this season and was unbeaten in the chase to secure the title.Mitch Perry, a talented allrounder from Victoria, Xavier Bartlett and Jordan Buckingham (who replaced Parris) are pace bowlers who should enjoy the chance to operate with the Dukes ball.New Zealand’s resources are also stretched due to the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, but the side features a number of players with international experience, including Doug Bracewell and Scott Kuggeleijn who have played Tests this season and left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. They will be captained by Tom Bruce who has 17 T20I caps.New Zealand A squad: Tom Bruce (capt), Adithya Ashok, Doug Bracewell, Henry Cooper, Jacob Duffy (game 1 only), Dean Foxcroft, Cam Fletcher, Mitch Hay, Scott Kuggeleijn (game 2 only), Cole McConchie, Robbie O’Donnell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Brett Randell, Sean SoliaAustralia A squad: Wes Agar, Xavier Bartlett, Jordan Buckingham, Aaron Hardie, Caleb Jewell, Spencer Johnson, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Mitch Perry, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Tim Ward, Teague Wyllie

He’s taken a step closer to realising his dream, a year after Rohit predicted he would be an all-format player for India “pretty soon”

Himanshu Agrawal06-Jul-2023In May 2022, Rohit Sharma had forecasted that Mumbai Indians’ Tilak Varma would be an India player very soon. “Having such a calm head is never easy, and in my opinion, I feel he’s going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon,” Rohit had said. “He’s got the technique, and he’s got the temperament, which is the most important thing when you play at the highest level.”Just over a year later, Varma has moved a step closer to the India cap. The 20-year-old was named as part of India’s young-looking squad for the upcoming five T20Is against West Indies, something he wasn’t yet dreaming about.”I was not thinking about the national side,” Varma, who is representing South Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru, said after the second day’s play against North Zone. “My mom and dad were crying on video call yesterday; they were very emotional. My childhood friend called me [saying] you have got selected. That was the time – around 8 o’clock [pm] – that I knew I was selected.”Related

• Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma earn maiden call up to India T20I squad

• Rohit: Tilak Varma will be an all-format player for India pretty soon

Other than his captain Rohit, Mumbai’s set-up also includes former India batter Sachin Tendulkar, who even dined at Varma’s place during the IPL. And Varma, on his part, didn’t let go of the opportunity to get some advice out of the two experienced players.”I have heard a lot from Rohit and Sachin sir, and also from Virat [Kohli] . They always tell that when you are in good form, your subconscious mind is in the right place,” Varma said. “They also tell me to play close to the body… they always tell that [preparing] off the field is very important.”Varma smashed 343 runs in this year’s IPL, where he struck at 164. Only two Indian batters, Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane, had a better strike rate for those to have hit at least 300 runs this season, even as Varma’s debut IPL season in 2022 fetched him 397 runs. He already dreams about delivering in a World Cup, even if he wasn’t thinking about an India call-up just yet.”I visualise every night how I can bat: if in a World Cup match, we are four or five down for 40 or 50, from there on, how can I take the team forward? It helps in making it easy for me,” Varma said.With the next T20 World Cup less than a year away, Varma’s technique and temperament, as highlighted by Rohit, might as well see him doing that there and then. Only time will tell if he can translate his success in IPL to international cricket.

A last-minute injury cost him a crack at last year’s T20 World Cup. Now he’s fit and making a case to be in England’s first-choice attack

Matt Roller03-Oct-2023Warm-up games carry an unwelcome sense of jeopardy for Reece Topley. On the eve of last year’s T20 World Cup, he trod on a boundary toblerone ahead of a game against Pakistan at an empty Gabba and ruptured ligaments in his left ankle, ruling him out of the tournament.There was a sense of relief, then, that he made it through England’s low-key win over Bangladesh unscathed on Monday night. Not only that: he returned figures 3 for 23 in his five overs, spread across two spells with torrential rain causing a long delay between them, and delivered an inch-perfect yorker to Mahedi Hasan with his first ball after the break.”I’ve been steering clear of any mishaps and playing it quite safe – and I’ll continue to do so ahead of the first game,” Topley said, before England flew to Ahmedabad on Tuesday afternoon. “Obviously I don’t want any repeat of what was so gutting last year. It was a tough period to go through.Related

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“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, because these are the moments and the events that you dream of being a part of… hopefully I can play my part this year and make up for lost time, if anything, and make a contribution to England going all the way again. I’m looking forward to getting some game time, just as I was anticipating last year, and this time, hopefully, I can help the team retain the trophy.”For England, it was a useful run-out after their first warm-up game, against India, was wiped out entirely by rain. “We got everything we needed from the game,” Topley said. “What we did out there was a steady effort, but nothing too taxing, to be honest – so, a good box ticked to get us ready and raring to go for the opening match.”Topley will be in the selection mix when England train in Ahmedabad on Wednesday night ahead of Thursday’s tournament opener against New Zealand. He is one of six frontline seamers in the squad, and while he may miss out if they select only three, his case for inclusion is helped by an impressive record against left-handers – with New Zealand likely to field four in their top seven. Topley averages 22.07 against left-hand batters in ODIs, and 29.58 against right-handers.”Everyone is fighting for a spot in that final XI,” Topley said. “But whatever XI they end up picking, the whole squad is right behind each other. It is going to take a squad effort to be successful out here, and the side that goes out in each match will continue to live up to the exciting way we play our cricket.”If anything I would say that I’m pretty undercooked,” he admitted. “But, going into a long tournament, I don’t necessarily think that is the worst thing. I feel like I’m just about to come into my stride, hopefully.”It’s not about tearing in at the warm-up game and impressing the right people; it is about delivering in the nine group games. That last group game [against Pakistan on November 11] is still pretty far away so I feel like I’m where I should be, but there is still some work to be done for sure.”

Healy wants Australia to “throw the first punch” and “take the first two points” going into the Ashes

Valkerie Baynes11-Jan-2025England are wary of a “scarred” Australia team determined to overcome the empty celebration of a drawn Ashes series in 2023 and win this edition outright.Heather Knight, England’s captain, led her side back from six points down at home last year to level the contest at eight points each by winning both white-ball legs. And while that fightback provides this year’s tourists with confidence, Knight believes it will also spur on Australia, who have held the trophy since 2015.”They’re going to be really tough for us to beat out here in one-day cricket but we’re really confident with where we’re at,” Knight told reporters at North Sydney Oval on the eve of the first ODI at the same venue. “We’ve had some brilliant wins over the last year and that 2023 series will give us a lot of confidence.Related

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“We know that the Aussies were probably a bit scarred by that and they’re going to come out really hard, and we’ve got to be prepared for that and have our plans ready to face that, and to try and counteract that ourselves.”Knight’s language echoed that of England spinner Charlie Dean, who 24 hours earlier said her team “don’t have as many scars” from previous Ashes defeats. Last year’s draw marked a significant turnaround for England from back-to-back wins for Australia, both by 12 points to four.Australia captain Alyssa Healy wrinkled her nose and smiled when told of Knight’s comments and subsequently asked about the importance of building momentum early off the back of five straight ODI victories heading into the Ashes, which starts with three ODIs followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test.”I think you want to throw the first punch,” Healy said. “You want to get out there and take the first two points, that’s how it goes, and then you can hopefully settle in from there. But I don’t feel like we’ve played one another very often of late, outside of World Cup warm-up games and whatnot.Alyssa Healy: ‘A draw is not a great feeling for both sides’•Getty Images

“So the opportunity to get out there and sort of feel each other out is an interesting concept. But at the same time, I think we know what we’re going to bring in the one-day format, and, hopefully, we just focus on ourselves tomorrow and go out there and do that.”Getting off to a fast start won’t be Australia’s sole objective, with Healy also reflecting that they had put so much emphasis on winning the Test which kicked off the 2023 series that they ended up being overtaken by England.”It was just the way that it petered out at the end,” Healy said. “We put a lot of work into that Test match. We hadn’t played with the Dukes ball before, and there was a lot of focus on that and we got that job done. And then we assumed that at the white-ball game, you know, we’d be okay.”But England threw a few things at us that we hadn’t seen before, and probably took the game on a little bit more and put us on the back foot, which we’re well prepared for now, from a lot of teams right around the world. So we benefited from that experience. But I think leaving England the girls were like, ‘we don’t want that to happen again’. A draw is not a great feeling for both sides, and probably for them as well for us to keep the trophy in that regard. So we’ll hopefully get the job done outright this time.”Knight felt similar motivation to put this year’s result beyond doubt after 2023.”I have positive memories of it but also tainted with regret and frustration that we weren’t able to do something really special and win it outright,” Knight said. “I don’t think we’ve got a mental edge. They’re an extremely good side that we’re going to have to be at the top of our game to try and beat. They’ll certainly go in as favourites and our job will be, as it was in 2023, to go in and try and disrupt, and try and do things a little bit differently, to try and break that success and run that they’ve had.”Healy, who has been cleared to return to wicketkeeping duties after a knee injury kept her out of the home series against India and restricted her to a batting role on the tour of New Zealand last month, said she felt less nervous heading into this Ashes series as captain.Previously, she was thrust into the role when Meg Lanning withdrew shortly before Australia’s departure for England on medical grounds. Lanning never played for Australia again and later revealed the mental and physical health battles that led to her announcing her international retirement in November 2023.”I won’t lie, I think last one, it was kind of last minute,” Healy said. “There was a lot of uncertainty around what was going to unfold, but at the back of my mind, I was still prepared to lead if need be. In this instance, I feel a bit more comfortable in the role and I’ve probably managed to put my own stamp on the group a little bit more so in that sense, it feels a bit more comfortable. Being at home as well. But in saying that I know that, in particular, we’re going to be put under the pump a lot this this series, and, just hopefully, back myself to get that job done.”