The Women's Ashes is the perpetual

trophy A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, i ...

in women's international cricket series between

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. The name derives from the historic precedent of

the Ashes The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first ...

in male

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

and, until 2013, was similarly decided exclusively on the outcomes of Test matches. Since the Australian tour of England in 2013, the competition is decided on a points system, taking account of

One-Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...

s and

Twenty20 International A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are th ...

matches as well as Tests. Four (previously six) points(Formerly six points were awarded for a Test victory, prior to the 2015 series.
Women's Ashes 2015: England v Australia schedule announced
BBC News, 11 November 2014. are awarded for a Test victory (two points to each side in the event of a draw), and two points for a victory in a limited-overs game. , the trophy is held by Australia.

History

Heralded in 1931, the first women's Test series between England and Australia—the first women's Test series anywhere—was played in 1934–35. At that time, according to the English captain,

Betty Archdale Helen Elizabeth Archdale (21 August 1907 – 1 January 2000) was an English-Australian sportswoman and educationalist. She was the inaugural Test captain of the England women's cricket team in 1934. A qualified barrister and Women's Royal Naval ...

, women played only "for love of the game" and did not wish to be associated with the male concepts of Tests and Ashes. The contest was not officially designated "the Women's Ashes" until the 1998 series, when an autographed bat was burned before the first Test at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...

, some ashes then being placed inside a hollowed-out wooden cricket ball replicaThe Women’s Ashes Trophy Made in Kyneton
''

Kyneton Connect Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. The town has four main streets ...

'', August 2013 to manufacture a trophy. In 2013, a new Women's Ashes trophy was produced. A total of 22 series have taken place, with 49 Test matches played (and one scheduled Test abandoned). The length of series has varied between one and five Tests. Series have been played biennially since 2001, with only one or two tests played in a series. Since the 2013 series,

One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...

s and

matches have counted, as well as Tests, toward the trophy result. , a Test victory is worth four points (two to each side for a draw), and two points are awarded for victory in a limited-overs match. In February 2007, England Women travelled to Australia to defend the Women's Ashes, doing so successfully by winning the one-off Test in

Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, about ninety minutes southwest of Sydney. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and Highlands. Bowral once served ...

by six wickets. In July 2009, England retained the Women's Ashes after the one-off test at

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

ended in a draw. In January 2011 Australia was victorious, winning a one-off test in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

. England regained the trophy on the new points system in August 2013, and successfully defended it in a series played in Australia in January–February 2014. Australia succeeded in regaining the trophy during the 2015 series played in England. The last Women's Ashes series was contested in England in July 2019, and was won comprehensively by Australia.

Results summary

Test (until 2010–11)

Multi-format (from 2013)

Series

Series decided on Test results: Series decided on a points system:

Player statistics

Tests (until 2010–11)

Batting

;Most runs

Bowling

;Most wickets

Multi-format (from 2013)

Batting (all matches)

;Most runs ''Updated as per end of the 2019 Women's Ashes.''

Bowling (all matches)

;Most wickets ''Updated as per end of the 2019 Women's Ashes.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Women's Ashes

Ashes Ashes may refer to: * Ash, the solid remnants of fires. Media and entertainment Art * ''Ashes'' (Munch), an 1894 painting by Edvard Munch Film * ''The Ashes'' (film), a 1965 Polish film by director Andrzej Wajda * ''Ashes'' (1922 film), ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1934 Cricket awards and rankings 1934 establishments in Australia 1934 establishments in England