Former England captain Alastair Cook believes there are “two or three years of hard work” ahead of the English women after being “20 per cent behind Australia in everything” this Ashes.

Kate Cross will not feature in the Women's Ashes Test against Australia starting on Thursday after failing to recover fully from a back injury.

The only Test of the Women’s Ashes 2025 is set to begin on January 30, with England looking for a comeback after losing both the T20I and ODI series. England captain Heather Knight confirmed the news, expressing disappointment on losing such an experienced player for the crucial game. Knight praised Cross for her efforts to recover quickly.

It is proving to be a drubbing for England women as the series has gone on with Australia 6-0 ahead and 12-0 on points. A whitewash doesn't seem improbable now and England need to pull up their socks in order to not just compete and challenge Australia but be able to avoid a clean sweep.

England's cricketers have been demolished in the Women's Ashes, but their management insist they are close. Change is needed at the top when reality is denied.

It has taken just nine days for Australia's cricketers to retain the Women’s Ashes. The Australians won a fourth straight game in the multi-format series with a 57-run victory in the first of the three T20s between the rivals.

England will miss the services of right-arm seamer Kate Cross or the one-off Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), while two important Australian players make comeback in the squad in order to seek a series whitewash,