Like the men’s team, England’s women had a convincing series victory over Australia during the English summer, but they’re expecting the upcoming Commonwealth Bank Women’s Ashes series to be a tougher prospect.
"The men went out there off a big summer and we're going out there with the same thing, so it doesn't mean that gives us the edge," fast bowler Katherine Brunt told The Guardian. "I think it's been good for us watching how the men have gone about their business out there and how the wickets have played and how Australia have reacted to losing in the summer."
The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars were dual World Cup holders when they travelled to England last year, but could only manage one victory across seven games in the multi-format series.
Wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor, one of the standout players for England, believes the Australians will be smarting from the loss.
"The Aussies will come out harder," she said. "Before the summer we lost to the Aussies in two World Cups in the winter, so we had a point to prove and came out fighting, so they're going to do the same."
Speaking before the squad’s departure for Perth, Heather Knight, who scored a century in the solitary four-day Test match in the most recent series, said while the matches would be hard fought, she wasn’t expecting the same level of verbal aggression that has marked the men’s games.
“They're going to come hard at us,” Knight said. “Hopefully no-one will tell us they're going to break our arms. We'll be prepared mentally. Against Australia there's always that competitive streak. You get a bit fiery at times.
"When you're out in Australia, it feels like the whole country is against you,” added Knight. "We're going to try to use that to our advantage and group together as Team England. We'll use that as motivation.”
Before leaving the English winter behind, some players have gone to great lengths to prepare for the hot weather expected for the Perth Test, including training in a heat chamber.
"We've been doing a lot of work," said Taylor. "I know a few of the girls have done a few sessions in a heat chamber at Loughborough but it is a bit of a shock to the system when you get out there.
“There's only so much preparation you can do, so it's about using the 10 days we've got before the Test match to prepare."
"It's going to be 40 degrees and cricket is a sport where you can be out in the sun eight hours a day," added Brunt. "That's quite brutal when you're sprinting in to bowl over four days."
The series begins with a four-day Test at the WACA ground, starting January 10, followed by three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches. The Test is worth six points for a win, while the remaining matches net two points each.
