2022 Women's Ashes preview: Can England put up a better fight against Australia this time around?

Australian cricket fans were given plenty to cheer about the last time the women's Ashes were played, as the national team kept hold of the urn in a landslide victory, 12 points to 4. 

English fans not so much, after the team got off to the worst possible start, losing 4-19 in the space of five overs in the first ODI in Leicester, United Kingdom.

It was a typical British summer's day in 2019 when Ellyse Perry struck early with her second ball; waving off Amy Jones (0), Tammy Beaumont (16), Sarah Taylor (1) and Heather Knight (0) with the help of swing bowler Megan Schutt. 

Batting at five, Nat Sciver was forced to head out to the middle much sooner than she'd hoped, but she was able to dig in and score 64 runs to help England build a somewhat respectable total of 177 as wickets fell around her.

In reply, Australia chased down the target with seven and a half overs to spare, claiming their first win of the series in emphatic fashion and humiliating the hosts in front of their loyal fans.

This match set the tone for the rest of the multi-format tour, as the visitors went on to celebrate incredible highlights like Perry's 7-wicket haul in Canterbury and Meg Lanning's splendid unbeaten century (133* off 63 balls) in Chelmsford, where the captain dismantled England's fortress to set a record high score in women's T20 Internationals at the time.

The same was true for the hosts, who followed a similar pattern in each game to well and truly limp towards the finish line, struggling to establish partnerships, suffering multiple batting collapses and losing more confidence in their ability day by day.

In the last T20 International, England finally got their first win of the series, beating Australia by 17 runs for a desperate consolation