Ashes rivals set for pitch battle at 'Ciderabad'

Australia and England are expected to opt for spin-heavy attacks tonight (AEST) for the start of the sole Test of the women’s Ashes on a used pitch in Taunton that’s expected to take turn.

Both teams had a chance to inspect the wicket on the eve of the match on Wednesday at a ground where Somerset’s spin attack thrives in county cricket, which has led locals to dub the ground ‘Ciderabad’, a play on the region’s favourite tipple and the turning nature of the pitch that's similar to those in India.

Image Id: 37F6C34734F74EBBA06A5229EB58B434 Image Caption: The pitch in Taunton // cricket.com.au

The pitch being used for the four-day red-ball encounter is not a fresh one; it was last played on during the men’s World Cup on June 8, but visible marks remain on what looks to be a dry surface.

Since that match between New Zealand and Afghanistan, the ground has hosted two further World Cup games and two four-day county fixtures, the most recent of which saw 24 wickets fall to spin and, in one innings, all but six of the 60 overs bowled come from spin bowlers.

With that in mind, both captains expect spin to play a significant role in a match England need a win to keep the multi-format Ashes alive.

"It would be great to see a result in this Test match and I think there will be one," Australia captain Meg Lanning said on Wednesday ahead of Australia’s final training session.

"It’s a used wicket so there’s the potential it could turn later in the Test, which is pretty exciting with both sides going out there to win. I think it will be a great contest."

Australia could field as many as four spinners in their XI, with left-armers Jess Jonassen and Sophie Molineux, off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner and leg-spinner Georgia Wareham all a chance to play.

For England, they could call on two left-arm tweakers of their own in Sophie Ecclestone and the uncapped Kirstie Gordon, while off-spinner Laura Marsh is also vying for selection.

"It looks a little bit dry,” England skipper Heather Knight noted.

“I think it will generally play okay to start with, but we’ll have to see how it adapts as the game goes on.

"Kirstie’s done very well in the warm-up game against the Australians and it’s put her in contention. We’ll make a final decision (later) and that’ll be announced at the toss."

While England need a win to stay in the series, Australia are equally keen for a victory – and to play an exciting brand of cricket throughout the Test match – with both teams acknowledging a good spectacle will enhance the argument for women’s Tests being played more frequently than the biennial basis on which they’re currently held.

The past two Tests, both played as part of the seven-game multi-format Ashes, were held on dull, slow pitches in Canterbury and North Sydney and while the former produced a result and the latter enabled Ellyse Perry to showcase her batting skills in a memorable unbeaten double-century, neither were conducive to attacking cricket.

"We obviously need a result, so we want a pitch that will be conducive to that," Knight said.

"I think the last few pitches we’ve played (Tests) on have been very flat and slow, which haven’t been great for the spectacle and haven’t been great in terms of creating exciting cricket to watch and creating results.

"I think it will be slightly different to that. We’ll obviously have to see how it plays and as a team we’ll have to adapt in terms of how we play our cricket."

Lanning was also confident this week’s match will be a different story.

"The last few Test matches haven’t been as good a contest as they could have been, but no doubt this game will be very different," Lanning said.

"We’re happy playing whatever comes our way, I think it will be a really good contest and it will play reasonably well early on, it’s just towards the back end we’ll just have to see how it goes."

Another uncontrollable factor standing between England and the win they need could be the weather in Taunton, with rain forecast for days two and three of the four-day fixture.

Australia hold a 6-0 lead in the series after sweeping the three ODIs and need just eight points in total to retain the trophy. It means a draw in the Test, worth four points for a win and two for a draw, will be enough to dash England’s hopes of regaining the Ashes trophy.

"There’s a bit of rain around, there’s no hiding from it," Knight said.

"Hopefully it doesn’t have an impact but there’s nothing we can do about it and nothing we can control."

Day one of the Taunton Test will begin at 11am on Thursday local time (8pm AEST) and will be broadcast live and free in Australia on the Nine Network and ABC Radio

CommBank Ashes Tour of England

Australia lead England 6-0

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Kirstie Gordon, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole (vc), Lauren Winfield, Sarah Taylor

First ODI: Australia won by two wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by four wickets

Third ODI:  Australia won by 194 runs

July 18-21: Only Test, The County Ground, Taunton

July 26: First T20, County Ground, Chelmsford

July 28: Second T20, The County Ground, Hove

July 31: Third T20, Bristol County Ground, Bristol

A Test victory is worth four points (two each for a draw), two points are awarded for ODI and T20 wins