Australia has taken a commanding lead in the multi-format series against England, with aspirations of achieving an unprecedented 16-0 clean sweep. Skipper Heather Knight, who has led the England team since 2016, finds herself under pressure after a challenging series in Australia, where her team failed to secure a single win. The last series in 2022 saw England earning just four points through two washouts and a drawn Test.
In the latest encounter, Australia clinched victory in the second T20 in Canberra with a narrow six-run win, securing the series outright. This victory allowed the hosts to establish a 10-point lead in the multi-format series, which has never been won via a clean sweep since its inception in 2013. Grace Harris, a key player for Australia, expressed her desire for a comprehensive 16-0 victory to "embarrass" England.
"Of course I have thought about 16-0. A whitewash would be outstanding. England got the better of us in the last series." – Grace Harris
Harris played a pivotal role in Australia's recent success, contributing a crucial 35 runs from just 17 balls in their total score of 185-5. Her performance has been instrumental in Australia’s dominance, which contrasts sharply with the previous series in 2023. In that series, England managed to overcome a 6-0 deficit to draw level, leaving Australia with only the retention of the Ashes rather than an outright victory.
"To me, it's a loss, a draw is boring. But 16-0, that would be very, very good if we could embarrass this England team because they're actually a very competitive outfit and they've got some really good players among them." – Grace Harris
Heather Knight acknowledges the tough position her team is currently facing but remains focused on turning things around in the upcoming matches. She insists that the priority is to strategize and prepare for their next game in Adelaide.
"Yeah, it's certainly frustrating but that's not really a question for now. I'm just focused on what we need to do to try to win the next game and turn things around, and focus on Adelaide." – Heather Knight
Leave a Reply