England host the men’s and women’s Ashes this summer (Picture: ECB)
England captains Ben Stokes and Heather Knight were projected onto London’s iconic Tower Bridge ahead of the double Ashes series.
It promises to be a huge summer for English cricket as both the men’s and women’s teams face Ashes rivals Australia on home soil.
Stokes’ side begin a five-match Test series against Australia on June 16, while Knight leads England in the multi-format women’s series from June 22.
The women’s Ashes includes one Test, three one-day internationals and three T20s and will see England try to overcome an Australian side who have held the Ashes since 2015 and are champions in both 50-over and T20 cricket.
More than double the amount of tickets have been sold compared to the last women’s Ashes in the UK in 2019, with over 70,000 tickets snapped up across seven venues.
England captain Knight said: ‘This summer is going to be massive for women’s cricket, we really can’t wait. To be side by side with men’s team and to have more games in major venues is so exciting.
‘It’s massive for us to play in front of such big crowds and the record-breaking ticket sales will really give us an extra boost when we’re out there on the field during the Women’s Ashes.
Heather Knight’s side take on Australia in a multi-format series (Picture: Getty)
‘I remember seeing the England Men’s and England Women’s teams on the double-decker bus in 2005 and it would be amazing if both teams could have a similar summer this year.
‘When I was little watching cricket, and playing in boys’ teams, I watched the England Men’s team on TV because I didn’t even know about the England Women’s team. So much has changed since then, it’s actually amazing to think of the progress the game has made.
‘And the opportunity that is in front of us this summer across the Women’s Ashes – playing in major venues on the same platform as England Men – goes to show the journey that our game has been on, and how much more likely it is that a girl would choose to get into cricket now, and see professional women’s cricketers on TV to look up to.
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‘I’m really proud of how far cricket has come. We’ve got more distance to go but this is a huge year for women’s cricket and hopefully the scale of the Women’s Ashes will help inspire a few more girls to come and watch us.
‘I think, like the Lionesses last summer, we have the chance to bring a lot of people with us this summer.’
Stokes added: ‘The Ashes is one of the biggest and best rivalries in sport and it’s something that every cricketer wants to play in.
The men’s Ashes begins on June 16 (Picture: Getty)
‘It’s a great opportunity for the game to have the Men’s Ashes and Women’s Ashes side by side, and we’ve already seen from the ticket sales that fans want to be there to support the women’s team.
‘The growth of the women’s game over the past few years has been incredible and is testament to Heather and the team and their quality and success on the pitch.
‘Some of my favourite Ashes memories have been in front of big and loud England crowds, they always get fully behind us and they’ll play a big part for both teams this summer. Hopefully we can continue entertaining them and putting on a show.’
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It promises to be a huge summer for English cricket.
