Former captain Nasser Hussain has shared that the prevailing talk within the England camp ahead of the Women's Ashes, commencing on Wednesday at Trent Bridge, has been centered around a firm belief in defeating Australia on their home turf.
Australia has held the Women's Ashes since 2015, clinching three out of the last four series. Despite the absence of Meg Lanning, the team led by Alyssa Healy enters the multi-format series in England with an impressive record, having recently won the ODI and T20 World Cups, as well as a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. With the odds seemingly stacked against England, their resolute attitude is being praised.
"If you go in thinking 'we can't beat them,' then you're already beaten. I like the confidence emanating from the England camp. We did an interview for the ICC with (England Women's captain) Heather Knight, and she expressed a strong belief that 'we can beat them'," Hussain revealed during an interaction with the ICC.
When your captain possesses such an attitude, it sets a positive tone from the beginning. The talk from the England camp is that they firmly believe Australia is beatable, and that is the only way to approach it," Hussain added.
The women's Ashes series will feature a multi-format structure, comprising one Test match worth four points, followed by three ODIs and three T20Is, each carrying two points.
Notably, England has encountered missed opportunities to claim titles in recent years. They were defeated by Australia in the 2022 ODI World Cup and finished without a medal in the Commonwealth Games after losses to India and New Zealand. In the 2023 T20 World Cup, England suffered a heart-breaking defeat to South Africa in the semi-finals.
Hussain hopes that England's women's team will apply pressure on Australia throughout the series.
"I played in an England side that faced Australia. The mindset was often, 'Oh no, it's Shane Warne again, Glenn McGrath again, can we beat them?' However, in 2005, Michael Vaughan's Ashes side went with the mentality of 'yes, we can beat them,' and they did. That would be my advice to Heather and her team: have genuine belief that you can defeat this Australian side, because any team can crumble under pressure. The key is to put them under pressure," the former England captain expressed.
With over 11,000 tickets already sold for the Women's Ashes Test, England and Australia are set to compete in front of a record-breaking crowd at Trent Bridge. Wednesday's Test match will mark England Women's first five-day game in the longer format on home soil and their return to Trent Bridge since 2000.