'Different look': Healy hints at change for T20s ahead of Ashes

Australia captain Alyssa Healy wants to return to keeping duties for the upcoming women's Ashes but a niggling knee injury could stand in her way.

Healy played as a batter-only during the ODI series in New Zealand after resting for earlier games against India.

The 34-year-old is trying to get to full-fitness ahead of England's arrival for the series in Australia, starting January 12.

"(I'm) in the Governor-General's squad and that will be a great opportunity for me to take the gloves and see how everything is progressing," Healy told reporters on Saturday.

"It's kind of play it by ear at the moment to see how everything pulls up, but I did enjoy running around the field in New Zealand, so if that's the option and it's less disruptive to our side, then that could be the way moving forward.

"The real test will be in the next 10 days moving into the series, as to how that (knee) pulls up, how that responds to me keeping again."

Despite having to deal with a knee concern personally, Healy said the group is in a strong position to take on the Ashes after a short break over the New Year period.

"I feel like the squads in such a great place to really attack this Ashes," she said.

"I think it's been a hectic summer, but I think we just feel like we're in a really nice place and hopefully we can really take it on in the ODIs first."

When the sides met in the previous Women's Ashes in June-July 2023, Australia followed a solid win in the one-off Test match at Trent Bridge with 2-1 series losses in the ODI and T20 formats.

But the Aussies retained the Ashes in the multi-format series as it finished in a draw following the final ODI.

Since then, Healy said her side has evolved and improved but she is still expecting a "huge challenge" and it's not just because of England's recent 3-0, 2-1 and 1-0 away triumphs over South Africa in the T20, ODI and Test formats respectively.

"I think we also saw what they (England) did to us over in England in the last Ashes series that we played," she said.

"We sort of had to take a bit of a backward step early on, but I think we learned a lot of lessons from that last series and kind of evolved the way that we've played, knowing how teams are going to come at us moving forward.

"Especially in the one-day format I think we're really comfortable with that, but I think the T20s in the middle (of the series) are going to be a real show for both sides obviously coming off the back of the T20 World Cup."

England finished with the equal second-best win-loss record (3-1) in the group stages of the recent T20 World Cup but missed out on a semi-final appearance based on net run rate.

Healy hinted at a potential "different look" to their T20 side this summer so their destructive batters down the order like Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham could be utilised.

"How do you utilise the depth we have got just to get the most out of everything we do have in our team... that's been some of the discussion post World Cup," she said.

"I mean, we were only four down at the innings break there in the World Cup semi-final with not enough runs on the board, so how do we how do we fix that.

"We've had some really great conversations, some really positive conversations, about how we want to take our T20 cricket moving forward and keeping that fearless approach to our T20 cricket.

"How we use Annabel, how we use everybody, Ash Gardner didn't bat in that semi final either so how do we utilize the capabilities that we've got right down (the order) is a test moving forward, but hopefully we'll find the right answer for that in this series.

"We might see a bit of a different look T20 side to what we showcased in the World Cup." 

The first ODI is on January 12 at North Sydney Oval.

Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

First ODI: January 12: North Sydney Oval, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Second ODI: January 14: CitiPower Centre, Melbourne, 10.05am AEDT

Third ODI: January 17: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 10.05am AEDT

First T20I: January 20: SCG, Sydney, 7.40pm AEDT

Second T20I: January 23: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7.40pm AEDT

Third T20I: January 25: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 7.10pm ACDT (7.40pm AEDT)

Australia squad (ODI/T20Is): Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc),  Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

England squad (ODI/T20Is): Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont*, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross*, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson+, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath+, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp+, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith+, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

Day-night Test: January 30 - February 2: MCG, Melbourne, 2.30pm AEDT

Australia Test squad: TBC

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

The rivalry resumes with a blockbuster series in Australia from Jan 12 - Feb 2. Learn about the remarkable 90-year history at the Women's Ashes Hub