The Ashes: England confident before must-win Ashes T20 at Oval
- Published
Glenn gets the wickets of Gardner and Harris with back-to-back balls
Women's Ashes: England v Australia - second T20 international |
|---|
Venue: The Kia Oval Date: 5 July Time: 18:00 BST |
Coverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Live and the website and app, where there will be live text commentary and in-play video clips (UK only) |
On paper, the equation for England going into the second Ashes T20 at the Kia Oval is simple.
Win, or surrender the trophy at the earliest opportunity.
Alyssa Healy's Australia hold a six-point advantage after winning the Test match, worth four points, and the first T20 at Edgbaston.
England now need to take nine points from a possible 10 in order to regain the Ashes.
It is a tough task against any side, let alone the current double world champions and Commonwealth Games winners.
"We've seen weirder things happen than that in cricket," said spinner Sophie Ecclestone of England's chances of overturning a 6-0 deficit.
"We're up for the challenge - we know exactly what we need to do. We're really not far away from them and that makes us confident going into the rest of the series."
Ecclestone has been key to England's ability to push Australia close in both encounters so far, taking 10 wickets in the Test match at Trent Bridge and 2-24 at Edgbaston as the visitors scraped a victory off the penultimate ball of the game.
The left-arm spinner, who is ranked number one in the world in T20s, added that the record crowds seen in the series have given England an extra boost despite the results.
And she believes that similar scenes at one of England's most historic grounds, The Oval, could give them the edge on Wednesday.
"All the hard work we put in on and off the field, it makes it all worth it when you walk out in front of crowds of almost 20,000 and know that you're inspiring the next generation.
"We know it's going to be a hard task to win five out of five, but with the crowd behind us, we're confident."
The attendance across both games so far has already eclipsed that of the entire series of England's last home Ashes in 2019.
England seamer Lauren Bell echoed Ecclestone's belief but added that the series had been "frustrating" so far because of how close they have been to overcoming Australia's greatness.
"As a whole, this series has definitely shown that we're closing the gap," said Bell.
"We've got belief as a dressing room that we're getting there, but they are obviously the best team in the world and we'll have to play at our best to beat them.
"There are just a few moments where we can be better, and if we win a few more of those really crucial moments we've got a chance of getting over the line."
Australia have won a remarkable 23 out of their past 24 T20s, the sole defeat coming from a super over against India in December 2022.
What's behind Gary Neville's success? In an emotional interview he opens up about what motivated him despite his very humble origins
How has Wimbledon changed tennis legends' careers? Sue Barker travels the globe to find out
