England lock in new ODI opener, Aussies mull options

England will debut a new opening combination when the ODI leg of the multi-format Ashes kicks off in Bristol on Wednesday, while Australia have remained coy about who will join Alyssa Healy at the top of the order.

Heather Knight confirmed on Tuesday that Sophia Dunkley would be elevated to open alongside Tammy Beaumont, with the attacking right-hander tasked with replicating the scintillating starts she has produced performing the same role in England's T20I XI.

Emma Lamb, who opened in eight of England's nine most recent ODIs, has been axed from the one-day squad entirely, while Alice Capsey, who partnered Beaumont in the first ODI against West Indies last December before injuring her collarbone, will instead be deployed in the middle-order.

Dunkley came in at first drop in England's last nine ODIs since June 2022, scoring 292 runs at 32 with a strike-rate of 90.

Test opener Lamb hit 336 runs at 42 and striking at 93 across the same period, but 234 of those runs came in one series against South Africa at the start of the last northern summer, with the 25-year-old averaging 20 and striking at 76 in her five ODI innings since.

"Sophia moved up to three last year and was brilliant, really successful, made an impact, so she's going to move up to open … and I'm going to move back up to three," Knight said.

"We obviously want to maximise the powerplay and that was a change we made with Sophia moving up to three last year, to try and take on (those overs) a little bit more.

"With Sophia she's a proper batter as well, she's not just a little pinch hitter to the top ... she got a hundred here (in Bristol) last year batting at No.3.

"Naturally, she scores quite quickly and she can score big runs as well."

Beth Mooney opened the batting for Australia alongside rookie Phoebe Litchfield in Australia's most recent one-dayers against Pakistan in January, but they were without regular opener Healy for that series as she recovered from a calf injury.

Those ODIs in Brisbane and Sydney were Australia's first since the retirement of Healy's former opening partner Rachael Haynes.

Mooney had appeared the heir apparent for her fellow left-hander at the top of the order, but the 29-year-old has played a successful role in Australia's middle-order in recent years and could return there, or even line up at No.3 in place of the absent Meg Lanning.

That would leave 20-year-old Litchfield to continue the opening role she played in January, which saw her hit back-to-back unbeaten fifties in her first two ODIs.

Australia's rain-affected training session in Bristol on Tuesday offered few clues, with Mooney and Litchfield sharing a net while Healy was not present at the optional session.

Australia vice-captain Tahlia McGrath told reporters in Bristol prior to that session Australia had not yet confirmed who would open the batting on Wednesday.

"I think the best thing about our side is the flexibility we have in that there's a few options that can do the job and the other positive is we're team first," McGrath said.

"Whoever it is will do the job and then other people slot into the middle-order and do whatever role is required for the team."

Victory at the Bristol County Ground on Wednesday evening will see England draw level with Australia at six points apiece in the multi-format Ashes with two ODIs to play.

Australia only need to win one of the remaining one-dayers to ensure they retain the Ashes, but even if they do prevail in Bristol, McGrath said simply drawing the series would not be good enough.

"We want to win every game of cricket. First and foremost, we want to retain the Ashes but we want to win all three games coming up," McGrath said.

"(Retaining the Ashes) eight-all doesn't sound as good as winning them outright."

CommBank Ashes Tour of the UK 2023

Australia lead the multi-format series 6-4

Test: Australia won by 89 runs

First T20I: Australia won by four wickets

Second T20I: England won by three runs

Third T20I: England won by five wickets (DLS)

First ODI: July 12 at The County Ground, Bristol, 1pm (10pm AEST)

Second ODI: July 16 at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 11am (7pm AEST)

Third ODI: July 18 at The County Ground, Taunton, 1pm (10pm AEST)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

England ODI squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt (vc), Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt