It’s been a weird warm-up but we’re ready to win Ashes

EnGLAnd have a point to prove in this Ashes. our last series, at home in 2019, did not go how we wanted and it was a shock to us how poor we were. Since then we have pretty much dominated against everyone else so now we want to prove we can do it against Australia. This is a big tour in so many ways because not only are we trying to win the Ashes for the first time since 2014 but we then go to new Zealand for our defence of the World Cup. These are big moments that will define a lot of careers. Australia, and I hate to say this, continue to set the standards for women’s cricket. They have been professional for longer than us and a lot of teams have followed them because they do set the benchmark for equality in cricket. It is so hard to win here, as it was for the England men, but the fact they are formidable opposition drives us to want to succeed. We haven’t had the preparation we wanted but I’m sure something will click in the first Twenty20 in Adelaide today. This tour actually started for me on Boxing day because we had to avoid contact with as many people as possible with omicron prevalent before we left for Australia. That meant spending Christmas day with my family and then not seeing them again. That was difficult because I was on my own for 10 days and there is only so much bowling at a set of stumps you can do to prepare for a big tour. others practised with family they live with which led to mums and dads batting and feeding bowling machines and boyfriends and girlfriends slinging the ball. There were a few funny sights and stories. Sarah Glenn’s dad, for instance, tried to give her as varied practice as possible, batting right and then left-handed, and he claims she did not get him out once! It did show how far families will go to help you. So if you were planning the perfect preparation for an Ashes trip, this has not been it. But if Covid has taught us anything it is how adaptable we are as a team. once we got to Canberra and now Adelaide everyone has been switched on to cricket and what lies ahead. our schedule has been changed, with the three T20 matches in the multi-format series coming first, but I don’t think that will affect the outcome. What it does mean is the bowlers can get some overs into their legs without going straight into a Test match. And all it would take is for someone like danni Wyatt to get us off to a flyer in the first match and we will be off and running.

I would be surprised if I feature in the first three matches because I have not made the T20 team for some time. That has made the build-up strange for me because I know I probably won’t be able to influence this part of the Ashes. But I am here on the back of a summer that has given me more confidence than I have had in an England shirt so I am ready when required. I’ve also worked hard on my action in the last year to make it a lot more repeatable and able to bowl the overs England want from me in, say, the middle overs of a 50-over game. When I turned 28, two years ago, my dad david, who was a footballer with West Ham, Manchester City and others, sent me a lovely message saying he had his best years between 28 and 33 and believed it could be the same for me. The point being, with all the experience I’ve had and setbacks along the way, I understand myself and my game a lot more now. Crucially, I’m enjoying it a lot more and there are a lot of things that have gone into that. The Ashes and the World Cup are two huge events you want to be part of and they have come at an amazing time for me as I feel I can help England win games rather than just fight for a place. I’m in the best place I’ve been ahead of this series. now I want to play my part in England winning the Ashes.