Wareham recalled as Australia bat first in third ODI

Georgia Wareham has been called into Australia's XI for the third and final Ashes ODI in Hobart, with Australia to bat first after Alyssa Healy won the toss.

Leg-spinner Wareham has replaced quick Darcie Brown as Australia look to extend their advantage in the multi-format, points-based series.

Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (c), (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt

 

England XI: Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones (wk), Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell

"The wicket looks a little bit dry, it could get hard later on, but we'll hopefully get out there and set a good total," Healy said at the toss.

"I think probably both teams learned a little bit out of the other day.

"We didn't play that well ourselves, so we reflected on that and how we can be a little bit better and we know we're up against a really good side, and there's still a lot of games left in this Ashes series, so we're not taking anything for granted."

England have remained unchanged, with captain Heather Knight saying would also have elected to bat first.

Knight said while veteran pace bowler Kate Cross was not far off a return, they had elected to stick with the same attack that dismissed Australia for 180 in Tuesday's second ODI.

"It's a used surface, but I think it might do a little bit, so we have to be really tight with our lines, trying to attack hard really early.

"We feel like we could be a little bit braver as a batting unit so we've talked around our how we're going to go about that.

"(Kate's) a great person to have around, and she was pretty close to coming into the side but we felt like we wanted to keep it the same and obviously Kate hasn't had a huge amount of cricket."

Australia lead the multi-format, points-based series 4-0 and if they sweep the ODI leg, England would be left needing to win all three T20Is and the day-night Test at the MCG to regain the Ashes.

Spinners from both teams dominated the first two one-dayers at North Sydney and Junction ovals – two venues typically known as batting paradises – with Alana King the destroyer for Australia as they defended 180 in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Leg-spinner Wareham has played just one ODI this summer, the series opener against India in December, before she was replaced in the XI by left-armer Sophie Molineux, while Brown was preferred in New Zealand and in the opening two games of this series.

But given England's struggles against King's leg-spin, Australia elected to add a second wrist spinner to their attack – while Wareham's powerful lower-order hitting is a boost to a batting line-up that has yet to hit its straps in this series.

Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

Australia lead the multi-format series 4-0

First ODI: Australia won by six wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by 21 runs

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