Women’s ashes are more than just bragging rights this time | Women’s ashes

wattWe have a point to prove. After missing out on the T20 World Cup in October and the last Women's Ashes series ending in a draw, there's more to it than just bragging rights this time around. England will feel the same way. It sets the stage for a great series.

We also want to show people what we can do. Following the men's Test match against India, the Ashes comes at the perfect time. Interest is already high. Everyone knows the competition in the Ashes, whether it's men or women, and we know we're signing up for seven tight, high-quality games.

Competition is real. Player interactions have changed a bit since the advent of franchise leagues, but that's all forgotten when we wore different colored jerseys. Once you cross that line, you quickly put aside any friendship.

If anything, the games get more intense because when you have a good rapport with one or two players on the other side, there's more banter and minor bickering. It actually makes the game better through healthy and friendly competition, both internally (when we're on the same team) and externally (when we're not on the same team).

This is a great drama for the UK in 2023, even if I don't want to give them too much credit. They had 20,000 fans at Lord's and the Oval, which was great, and there were a lot of people watching the Test at Trent Bridge. I remember batting before lunch one day and the crowd was really cheering for a couple of bowlers trying to get some wickets and applauding slowly as they ran in. Great, it feels like we are changing the sports landscape around the world and making it a viable and attractive option for kids.

That might push Cricket Australia to do all the right things in this Ashes to promote the series and make sure we get a big crowd here as well. We're really lucky to be able to play on the biggest stage and really showcase the craft of the game, hopefully to a new audience.

Entertaining audiences isn't something we're thinking about right now, but when you look back at some of the games we've played, you're like “Wow, we created this.” The T20 World Cup final five years ago was held at the MCG and people came to watch it. It was pretty one-sided, but the crowd was a part of every pitch that was thrown and absolutely loved it. We knew the occasion, but we didn't let it defeat us, and I hope there's a similar story in the Ashes series. We want to make it as difficult as possible for England to go out and bat or bowl against us because we know the crowd is on our side.

This will be my fourth Ashes after 2017, 2019 and 23. Two of the series have been tied, which gives it a flat feel. When you finish a game or series like this, it's really hard to know if you won or lost, or let the other team win or lose.

England have struck a good balance this time. They have the fast Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer who both approach the ball slightly differently and then serve as great options for the spin bowling unit. They are a balanced team, which makes them a real threat in situations like this. In Australia, you need to be versatile and have options to succeed.

However, while they have some good bowlers in their lineup, our batting depth is very high. It will be an engaging game and our batting depth may be tested at times and their bowling depth will be tested as well. One thing I love about our team is that guys can hit the ball almost anywhere and no matter what position they're in, they can have a real impact on the game. If so, the players batting seven, eight, and nine can definitely change the momentum of the game.

I love multi-format series. Coupled with fierce competition, this has resulted in performance pressure cookers. Often, the team that can stay calm, cool and collected for an extended period of time will ultimately come out on top. Playing out 10 days of games in about three weeks means the best team will win in the end. Unless it's another tie.