Australia has drafted fast bowler Stella Campbell into the squad as a replacement for the injured Tayla Vlaeminck, who sustained a stress fracture last week and has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes and the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
Campbell made her Test debut against India in last year’s multi-format series in Queensland, taking 2 for 47 off 14 overs.
While Vlaeminck bowls at a slightly quicker pace, Campbells height and control can make her awkward to face and her performance in a WNCL match for NSW against ACT at Manuka Oval earlier this month, in which she took 7 for 25, could see her parachuted straight into the Test XI.
“When we played ACT down here for New South Wales, Stella was almost unplayable,” said Campbell’s NSW and Australia teammate, Ash Gardner.
“And to have her back into the Test squad is really exciting.
“I guess the confidence that she can take out of that match going into this match, it’s really exciting to be on her team and hopefully, if she does play, she can replicate that.”
Australia leads the series 4-2 after two of the three T20Is in Adelaide were washed out.
Four points are up for grabs in the single Test match before the series concludes with three ODIs, each worth two points, meaning Australia, who currently hold the trophy, will retain the Ashes with a victory in Canberra.
But victories are hard to come by in four-day women’s Tests and possible rain is forecast over the weekend; the last time there was a result in a women’s Ashes Test was when Australia defeated England in the 2015 series at Canterbury.
Gardner believes Australia will need to be more aggressive and incisive with the ball than they have been in the most recent Tests against England and India.
“I think you've obviously got to play those bowlers and those batters that are going to be match winners,” said Gardner.
“Obviously to win a Test match you have to take 20 wickets and maybe in the past we haven't had bowlers that are really attacking or trying to bowl attacking lines for as long as possible.
“Obviously not playing a lot of Test match cricket, it's hard to kind of know how to go into it and all the chats that we've had so far is just about taking those wickets.
“Sometimes in T20 cricket it's trying to reduce the runs whereas in Test matches, you need to take those 20 to actually be able to win the game.”
Gardner has played two Tests for Australia, making her debut against England at Taunton in 2019 and then playing in the draw against India last year, in which she made a half-century and took two wickets with her off-spin.
The Test looms as a fascinating challenge for Gardner, who admits she has been low on confidence with the bat following a disappointing WBBL in which she averaged 17.90 at a strike-rate of 105.91.
She played two WNCL matches for NSW against Victoria in December, in which she scored 57 and 6 and in an intra-squad practice match leading into the Ashes she made 64 off 36.
“It certainly wasn't my best Big Bash,” said Gardner.
“I can openly admit that I wasn't playing my best cricket and I guess having that time to reset and recharge was instrumental.
“I probably wasn't in a great headspace at the back end and I wasn't really sure what I was going to look like personally after that, whether I was going to play WNCL, whether I was going to be up for selection for this, and being able to play those last two WNCL matches gave me a bit more confidence with the bat going into this series.
“I haven't batted in a game yet but in one of the practice matches I spent some time out in the middle so I guess I can take some competence out of that and also reflect on the things that, when I played against India in the last Test match, I know it was a few months ago now, but I can still certainly, I don't know, watch that footage or take some confidence out of what I did then and try and implement in this game as well.”
Gardner, like the rest of the players, is still learning on the job when it comes to the longest format and trying to balance the need to bat for long periods of time with maintaining a positive scoring rate and pushing aggressively for a result.
“I think with the bat what we pride ourselves on is being really positive and an attacking battle when we are out in the middle,” Gardner said.
“And I think sometimes that might not happen in Test match cricket because you don't want to lose your wicket playing a silly shot, which you might be able to get away with in the shorter format.
“So maybe it's taking more calculated risks throughout the Test match and still being really positive rather than just trying to defend your wicket.”
Meanwhile, Beth Mooney continued her recovery from a fractured jaw by taking part in a full nets session, taking throwdowns and facing Australia’s fast bowlers and remains on track to making a remarkable comeback just nine days after undergoing surgery.
