Women's Ashes 2015: England prepare to defend their trophy in the full glare of publicity

The team will again be led by Charlotte Edwards, competing in her eighth Ashes series

England captain Charlotte Edwards will be competing in her eighth Ashes series later this month (Getty Images)

The dramatic upsurge in women’s team sport will be witnessed again this month as England attempt to retain the Ashes. They have named their squad for the start of the series against Australia on 21 July.

The series comprises three separate components – three 50-over one-day internationals, one Test match of four days’ duration and three Twenty20s – and every ball will be broadcast for the first time on television and radio. Points will be awarded for each match – two to the winners of the limited-overs games, six for the Test.

Clare Connor, the ECB’s director of women’s cricket, said: “In terms of pressure and a great stage to play on, there has probably never been a bigger series. There is the sense that there is so much on this summer. It’s not only the Ashes, that it’s live on Sky and the radio, it’s also that there are points at stake for World Cup qualification as well.”

It makes it doubly disappointing, then, that there is no men’s Ashes Test further north than Nottingham and the women are only venturing as far as Worcester, making a nonsense of the ECB’s mission statement to promote the game throughout the country.

Connor said: “It is a little disappointing that we’re not going further north, but I think the nature of the venues in the south-west and south-east lend themselves better than venues in the north.”

England have taken no risks in their first squad. Only one of the 14 players has not played before in an Ashes series and the team will again be led by Charlotte Edwards, competing in her eighth Ashes.