`Dominant` Oz women`s team set to battle England in Ashes as elite men`s side struggles

Sydney: The Australian women`s cricket team is reportedly set for battle in England for the women`s Ashes series, even as the elite men`s team struggle to remain in contention to win the same goal.

The enduring strong rivalry of the Southern Stars with England has been sparked by the Australians having won the past three major international tournaments, most recently the one-day World Cup earlier this year, despite widespread expectations England boasted a superior team. Stating that they are aware that England was disappointed with their performance, Stars captain Jodie Fields said that she believed that they would out to prove a point at this series. the centrepiece of the tour is a Test between the two countries, a format typically played only once every two years in women`s cricket, with their last Test happening two-and-a-half years ago, in Australia. Similar to the men`s team, one area the Stars are likely to attempt to exploit involves spin, with champion Australian tweakers Shelley Nitschke and Lisa Sthalekar both having retired since the last Ashes series, which Australia won. This time, the report said that the spin duties are likely to be shouldered by Erin Osborne, with support from Jess Jonassen and veteran Sarah Elliott. ANI