Women’s Ashes 2024-25 – Sophie Molineux ruled out of Ashes, Georgia Voll included

Molineux, a left-arm spinner, managed a knee problem through the WBBL, where she is leading the Melbourne Renegades to a maiden title, and the problem flared up again after the ODI series against India. Molineux were ruled out of the recent trip to New Zealand and now face a further spell on the sidelines.

“Sophie Molineux will undergo left knee surgery next month, after which we will provide further updates on an expected return date,” said team physio Kate Beerworth.

One of the key questions for Australia to resolve ahead of the Ashes will be whether Healy is able to keep wicket after handing over the gloves to Beth Mooney in New Zealand. Healy has been included in the Governor General’s XI squad for a 50-over warm-up match against England on January 9 at North Sydney Oval, which she said would be a good test for her knee.

“It will be a great opportunity for me to take the gloves off a bit and see how everything progresses,” Healy told reporters at the MCG. “I can’t really give you more information than that. It’s kind of playing it by ear at the moment to see how it all plays out.

“But I really enjoyed running around the pitch in New Zealand. So if that’s the option and is less disruptive to our side, then that could be the way forward. But the aim is to take the gloves and hopefully I can do that.

“Having an angry joint in there and flaring it up and knowing the really tight schedule with the Ashes as well, probably managing it and not wanting to blow it up too much that it’s going to affect my ability to play at all. So that I think that will be the real test, I think, in the next 10 days as we move into the series in terms of how it pulls up, how it reacts to keep again, and we’ll just assess as we go.”

“It was pleasing to see Alyssa Healy return to action against New Zealand and looking good, along with a number of batsmen who continued their strong form from the recent series against India,” said national selector Shawn Flegler.

“While Georgia Voll did not play against New Zealand, she has made a brilliant start to her international career and will be a strong option with the bat if required in her debut Ashes series. The bowling line-up provides plenty of variety which will be important against a strong English batting line.”

A squad for the day-night Test at the MCG in late January will be named in the coming weeks.

“I think you look at the way we’ve probably shaped up in Test cricket over the last couple of seasons, it’s looked a bit different to what we’ve done in the whiteball format,” Healy said. “So there’s a reason why that Test squad hasn’t been announced and we’ll probably look at that over the next couple of weeks, just to see where all the bowlers in domestic cricket are and their workloads and how they should prepare for a test match.

“Knowing it’s pink ball, knowing it swings a bit more and what the conditions are going to be like, I think there’s a few players around the country at the moment who could put their hand up for a baggy green, which I think is really exciting.”

The Ashes start with the first ODI in North Sydney on January 12, followed by matches at the Junction Oval in Melbourne and Hobart.

Meanwhile, leg-spinner Georgia Wareham has also been called into the Governor-General’s XI squad in place of fast bowler Darcie Brown to give Wareham more playing time ahead of the Ashes after featuring in just one of Australia’s last six ODIs in which she did not was required to bat or bowl.

Australia’s ODI and T20I squad for Women’s Ashes

Alyssa Healy (capt), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham