Amy Jones and England cannot avoid the Ashes shadow over Australia’s rematch

Amy Jones has claimed that January’s Ashes whitewash “has not been a topic of discussion” before Wednesday’s World Cup match between England and Australia. If you believe that, you will believe anything.

Both teams have qualified for the semi-finals, so you could say that there is little at stake in Indore. That would be wrong. Firstly, given the run of results at this World Cup, these teams will almost certainly finish first and second and thus avoid a semi-final against each other – meaning this match could well be a precursor to the final in Navi Mumbai on November 2. Cricket is a game played partly in the mind: no one wants to be defeated by their opponents two weeks before meeting them in a global tournament final.

Equally importantly, this is the first time the teams have met since Australia humiliated England 16-0 on Ashes points last winter. Since then, England have sacked Heather Knight as captain, catapulted Charlotte Edwards into the role of head coach and desperately tried to shake off their reputation as a side that drops their catches and wilts under pressure. Their win against India on Sunday undoubtedly contributed somewhat to that. A win against Australia would be the icing on the cake. “We know they are a huge challenge, but we are very excited about them,” Jones said.

The big news on the eve of the match was that Australia’s captain, Alyssa Healy, was ruled out due to a calf injury suffered during training on Saturday. Tahlia McGrath will lead the team in her absence. It’s certainly a blow: Healy has just hit back-to-back hundreds against India and Bangladesh, the former of which allowed Australia to make a record run of 331 look like a cakewalk. On the other hand, she also missed the entire T20 leg of the Ashes, which Australia (if we needed reminding) won 3-0.

Australia haven’t been infallible in this tournament – they faltered dangerously against New Zealand and Pakistan – but those swings simply gave them the opportunity to showcase their enviable batting depth, with centuries from Ash Gardner and Beth Mooney respectively saving the day. Phoebe Litchfield hit 84 not out against Bangladesh – more runs in one innings than Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey have managed between them in the entire tournament. The most likely candidate to replace Healy is 22-year-old opening batsman Georgia Voll, who has spent the tournament so far on the bench spinning a rugby ball, but who would likely have already walked into another country’s starting XI.

England, on the other hand, are likely to play an unchanged XI after their dramatic four-point win against India. Jones, who scored a face-saving half-century after a string of low scores, said her team’s morale had been boosted after silencing the sell-out Indore crowd. “It definitely gives me confidence,” she said Tuesday. “I probably felt some extra nerves in that match. Atmospherically, it was completely different from any match we’ve played in the World Cup so far. It was really cool to walk out and open the batting in front of that big crowd.”

England will once again rely on their world-class spinning trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith and Charlie Dean to make up for their mid-range vulnerability. The Indore pitch is likely to be a haven for batters, but Jones said she thought England’s spinners would still do well. “They’re very threatening whether it’s running or not, given the guile they have and their changes of pace,” Jones said. “I’m sure they will play a big role.”

Left-arm spinner Smith has taken a wicket in all of England’s completed matches in this tournament and held her nerve to concede just four runs from the 48th over against India. She may be the missing piece of the puzzle that England have been looking for: a reliable death bowler. Whether that will prove enough against opponents like Australia remains to be seen.