WBBL 2024/25: Sydney Sixers teammates Ash Gardiner and Sophie Ecclestone preparing to face each other in the Ashes

Teammates in pink, combatants in green and gold, navy and red. That’s the prospect facing Sydney Sixers teammates Ash Gardiner and Sophie Ecclestone as they prepare to face each other in next year’s Ashes at the SCG.

Ash Gardner and Sophie Ecclestone might take to the SCG on Sunday as teammates, but they’ll be returning early next year as foes when the women’s Ashes come to town.

For the first time since the T20 World Cup in 2020, Australia’s women will play an international match at the historic ground as it hosts the first T20 of the series. It’s part of a wider push for the team to return to bigger stadiums with the MCG and Adelaide Oval also hosting Ashes matches this summer.

England will come into the series with plenty of confidence given the last Ashes ended in an 8-8 draw. Ecclestone is hopeful her WBBL experience will give her that extra edge when the urn is on the line.

“I think it’s the most love-hate relationship I’ve ever had in my life,” Ecclestone said. “When I play alongside (the Australian players) I obviously love them to pieces.

Ash Gardner and Sophie Ecclestone might be Sixers teammates, but the next time they return to the SCG they will be fighting for the Ashes. Picture: Phil Hillyard. Image digitally altered.

“When I play against them, I obviously hate them to an extent because they’re so good at cricket. They’re amazing and hopefully, we can come out on top in January.

“We played at big grounds last year in England for the Ashes, and I think it’s amazing they’ve followed suit and we’re playing at massive grounds here too.

“I think we deserve to be playing here too with how many we got to crowds in England. Hopefully, the Aussies can fulfil that too. I think it gets you up for the game even more.”

The Australians know even more will be riding on the Ashes than usual following their unsuccessful defence of the T20 World Cup. The team was bundled out in the semi finals by South Africa, ending their streak of three consecutive titles.

Gardner is hoping the first women’s Ashes match at the SCG since 2008 could act as extra motivation for the side to find its best form again.

“Being from Sydney, this is certainly the ground I look forward most to playing at,” Gardner said. “It’s really unfortunate that we haven’t played more games here for Australia.

“We’ve obviously had so much success over the last five to six years. So hopefully being able to get a lot of people here for a T20 match is something that we’re all looking forward to within that set-up.

Australia retained the Ashes in 2023, but a disappointing end to the series left a bitter taste in the mouth. Picture: Steve Bardens/Getty Images

“(The Ashes) probably sits just under a World Cup, to be honest. We know that we’ve played a lot against England. We know their strengths and stuff like that. And I think both teams match up really well.

“I think looking at recent things, going over to England we probably didn’t play amazing cricket over there. And to come away with the drawn Ashes series wasn’t something that we were hoping for after winning the Test match and the first T20.

“So certainly coming over in our conditions, we want to win the Ashes again, not just retain them.”

However, Gardner and Ecclestone will first turn their attention to keeping the Sixers’ finals push on track as part of the WBBL Stadium Series.

The Sixers take on the Sydney Thunder on Sunday afternoon at the SCG as part of the stadium series double-header, with the Hurricanes and Scorchers doing battle in the morning.

Two wins in a row has provided the team in magenta with some much needed momentum. But for Gardner in particular, she knows finding some individual form as soon as possible is vital in the shortened 10-game season. And there would be no better place to do it than her favourite ground.

Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath pose for a photo at the MCG. Picture: Darrian Traynor - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“Certainly from a personal perspective, I’ve obviously been quite short (of runs),” Gardner said. “That has been frustrating and certainly something that I wasn’t hoping would happen at the start of the season.

“But, unfortunately, that’s cricket and these types of things happen. For me, it’s staying confident, which is quite hard in cricket. But I think if I’m walking out to the crease confident, hopefully, the other things will take care of themselves.

“I still feel like we’re in a really good place. We have some fantastic additions that have come back into the team, and having someone like Amelia Kerr come into the side is certainly a massive boost.

“Having someone like Amelia, and to have Soph for another two matches, I can see us being really good over these next couple of games and stay in winning ways.”