Six talking points from Australia's Ashes warm-up

The opener

Australia will field a brand-new opening combo at Trent Bridge following the retirement of Rachael Haynes and with Alyssa Healy set to shift down the order. One of those new openers will be Beth Mooney, who was superb in Australia's first innings, hitting a century in an impeccable tune-up for Trent Bridge.

The leading candidate to partner her, fellow left-hander Phoebe Litchfield, struck 19 in the first dig before an impressive 78 in the second. Australia mixed things up in the second innings to give Mooney a break and Annabel Sutherland partnered Litchfield, hitting a century – potentially giving selectors another option to consider.

The middle-order

Ellyse Perry made two promising starts without carrying on, scoring 23 and 32, but Australia's leading Test batter is unlikely to be overly concerned by those returns. Tahlia McGrath hit a handy 44 in the second innings, but both Alyssa Healy (1) and Ashleigh Gardner (7 and 11) missed out. What impressed coach Shelley Nitschke was the way Australia batted through the day on Saturday, learning lessons from Thursday's first innings.

"Knowing that we had to bat a bit of time to make sure that we didn't give them an opportunity (to win outright), those are the bits and pieces you can't replicate in the nets," Nitschke told The Scoop podcast on Sunday. "I think they're really invaluable and that's the sort of thing we want to get out of those games."

The quicks

Australia deployed a new-ball pairing of Kim Garth and Darcie Brown in both innings, offering a solid selection hint for the Test. Garth was particularly impressive, taking four England A wickets, while Annabel Sutherland at first change was also a standout. Megan Schutt sent down just four overs across England A's 116-over innings, suggesting the South Australian could miss a second consecutive Test match. With allrounders Perry and McGrath locks for the final XI, Australia are set to have no shortage of pace options.

The spinners

Nitschke said the balance of Australia's XI remains the most significant question that needs to be considered ahead of the Test, and this will determine the fate of Australia's spinners. Assuming allrounder Gardner is a lock with her off-spin, it is likely only two of Jess Jonassen, Georgia Wareham and Alana King will make it into the final XI. King picked up three wickets in the warm-up match and Wareham also bowled well, finishing with one wicket but it could easily have been two if not for a dropped catch. Playing for Australia A in Derby, Jonassen picked up three wickets of her own and plundered an unbeaten 173, further bolstering her all-round status with the red ball.

"Now we just bring everything back to the table and have a look at how we want to structure up and how we want to best be balanced," Nitschke said, suggesting the final XI would be settled on Wednesday, or even as late as the morning of day one. "We've also got to take into consideration the conditions at Trent Bridge, which we haven't had the chance to look at yet."

The silver linings

There was not a lot on offer for the bowlers in the Grace Road deck, which flattened out into a benign surface after the opening morning. It resulted in a long, arduous day in the field for the tourists on day two, but the Aussie camp were focused on the silver linings, namely valuable experience in patience, planning and endurance.

"We didn't have the running in a lot of the game but there was lots to come out of it," Nitschke said. "The game ebbed and flowed a bit and we learned a lot about momentum with our batting … and I know the bowlers have taken a lot away from how to use different fields and when it's a flat track, what their best options are."

The niggles

Australia were taking no risks with their star players during the warm-up, with several players nursing minor niggles. Gardner did not bowl after she was struck on the right index finger during a catching drill on the opening morning of the game, but the allrounder batted in both innings. Healy did not bat in Australia's second innings after copping a knock to the finger while wicketkeeping on day two, but again it was a precautionary move with no concerns over the Aussie skipper's fitness for the Test.

"We've obviously not long been here and we're not in our summer (at home), so the girls haven't been playing a lot of cricket in recent times," Nitschke said. "There's still a little bit of jet lag and then we headed into a three-day game … It is a big ask, it was a fair bit of rotation on and off the field to make sure that we were keeping everyone fresh with the bigger picture in mind."

CommBank Ashes Tour of the UK 2023

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver-Brunt (vc), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt

Test: June 22-26 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 11am local (7pm AEST)

First T20I: July 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham, 6.35pm (3.35am July 2 AEST)

Second T20I: July 5 at The Oval, London, 6.35pm (3.35am July 6 AEST)

Third T20I: July 8 at Lord’s, London, 6.35pm (3.35am July 9 AEST)

First ODI: July 12 at The County Ground, Bristol, 1pm (10pm AEST)

Second ODI: July 16 at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 11am (7pm AEST)

Third ODI: July 18 at The County Ground, Taunton, 1pm (10pm AEST)