Aussies ready for fired-up England in second Ashes ODI

Alana King is expecting the second Ashes ODI to be tougher going for the spinners – and for England to hit back strongly following their first-up defeat.

The Australia and England squads touched down in Melbourne on Monday afternoon, fresh off Sunday's series opener that saw the hosts complete a solid, if not comprehensive, four-wicket win at North Sydney Oval.

Two of the architects of that result were Aussie spinners King and Ashleigh Gardner, who squeezed England through the middle overs following the tourists' strong start, claiming five wickets between them to ultimately bowl their rivals out for 204.

They were aided by a North Sydney pitch that provided an unusual amount of assistance to the spinners and some poor shot selection by England's top batters.

King said she was not optimistic the Junction Oval surface would provide the same help on Tuesday – and likewise was expecting to be confronted with a fired-up England determined to get their first points of the multi-format series.

"We saw different conditions at North Sydney than we're used to," King said at Melbourne airport on Monday.

"We saw a lot of turn there – normally it's a high-scoring venue, but I think the best thing about this team is we adapt where we go (and) Junction will be no different.

"Hopefully, there's a little bit of spin, but it's notoriously quite flat, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the first 10 overs."

Australia hold a two-nil advantage in the points-based series, but after a few wobbles in their pursuit of England's well below-par 204 on Sunday, captain Alyssa Healy said there was room for improvement.

"I'm pretty happy … I think there are always some areas to work on but to take the two points into the Junction Oval is pleasing," Healy said on Sunday.

"I thought we could have been more clinical with the bat at the end, but having said that it was the kind of wicket where you never felt in, so we did well to chase that down."

The two-day turnaround between the first two ODIs means neither team will have the opportunity to address their concerns at training.

However, England captain Heather Knight said she was content with her team's first-up performance, adamant they were not far off matching Australia.

"I was pleased with the performance," she said.  "We felt like we were in the game, we just needed to grab a few more wickets at the end.

"I was pleased with how the bowlers went about it. Lauren Bell was outstanding. It's the best I have seen her bowl. It felt like we were really close – we just need to sharpen up a few things before the next game."

Australia and England were treated to a sell-out crowd of more than 6200 people on Sunday, with plenty of those fans hanging around afterwards for a chance to meet their heroes.

King said she hoped the bumper turnout would create momentum for the remainder of the Ashes, which will feature six more matches across Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide.

"It's great that the fans came out to set a record in North Sydney, and hopefully we can do that throughout the Ashes campaign," King said.

"We want to encourage everyone to get there, good cricket's being played and it's two teams that are going really hard at it."

Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

Australia lead the multi-format series 2-0

First ODI: Australia won by six wickets

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, 7.15pm AEDT

Second T20I: January 23: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7.15pm AEDT

Third T20I: January 25: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 6.45pm ACDT (7.15pm AEDT)

Australia squad (ODI/T20Is): Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris+, 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

* ODIs only; + T20Is only

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