Where to now for Southern Stars?

They may have lost the Commonwealth Bank Women’s Ashes Series but the Southern Stars still have plenty to play for in the two remaining T20 matches, as they seek to turn around their form ahead of the ICC WT20 World Cup in Marsh.

England’s nine-wicket victory in Hobart on Wednesday gave them an unassailable 10-four lead in the multi-format series but both sides will be looking to take the momentum out of the final games.

The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars are the reigning world champions in both limited overs formats but England have had the most recent success after winning back-to-back Ashes series in the past six months.

Jess Cameron believes selectors won’t make wholesale changes to the side that played in the loss at Blundstone Arena.

“We need to make a statement leading into the World Cup,” said Cameron. “We can’t do that if we keep chopping and changing.

“That’s why we need to make sure the best XI the selectors think are the best XI are out there playing, and we really need to win these next two games.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing to lose the Ashes,” she said. “We all worked really hard to get back into the series and for it to be taken away like that is very gutting.

“Now we’ve just got to look to winning this T20 series that we’ve got ahead.”

After losing the Test and the first One-Day International, the Southern Stars were in the position of needing to win every remaining match to keep the series alive, but after winning the two remaining ODIs, the opening T20 match proved to be a bridge too far.

England chased down the target of 151 with 13 balls remaining, thanks to an unbeaten 114-run partnership between captain Charlotte Edwards (92 off 59 balls) and Sarah Taylor (50 off 37 balls).

“Yesterday especially I think their bowlers were just more determined to bowl good areas and if we moved around the crease it didn’t seem to faze where they wanted to bowl,” said Cameron.“Whereas I think our bowlers got a bit flustered when they started to move around the crease a little bit.

“(With) the batting I thought we didn’t assess the wicket quick enough to realise we needed more runs than we did,” she said “So at the end of our innings we had to try and capitalise there where we should have been capitalising earlier on, particularly in the first six (overs).”

Cameron said that with the series decided, the Australians can play with more freedom in the remaining matches, which will be staged as double-headers with the men’s T20 Internationals at the MCG on Friday and at Stadium Australia on Sunday.

“Where it lies at the moment I think we’ll just go out there and not worry too much about the opposition and just worry about what we can do to make sure that we win the game,” she said. “I think our group is that sort of group that we can turn it around pretty quickly.

“Our group is more determined than ever to stay number one in T20 cricket so we’ve got to do that now with these next two games.”