The 2005 Edgbaston Test

Lore & Background

Australia played their first Test match in 1934–35 against England. The two teams now compete biennially for the Women's Ashes. A rich history with New Zealand stretches back almost as far while strong rivalries have also developed more recently with India and the West Indies, manifesting predominantly via limited overs cricket. In the 50-over format of the game, Australia have won more World Cups than all other teams combined—capturing the 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013 and 2022 titles. They have achieved similarly emphatic success in Twenty20 cricket by winning the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2026.

In Their Own Story

The sun hung low over Edgbaston on the final afternoon, casting long shadows across the worn pitch. The air was thick with anticipation as Michael Clarke walked to the crease, needing just two runs to secure victory for Australia. James Anderson, bowled with a steely focus, delivered a perfect yorker that skidded through. Clarke, desperate to drive, missed the line, and the ball raced past him to the stumps. The crowd erupted as Flintoff leaped to catch the edge, his hands meeting in mid-air. In that split second, history was made.

Reader's Guide

In 2003, Women's Cricket Australia (WCA) and the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) merged to form a single governing body, known as Cricket Australia (CA), which remains to this day. CA has expressed a major goal of the organisation is for cricket to be Australia's leading sport for women and girls, citing the performance and exposure of the national team—which is heavily dependent on its increasingly professional domestic structures, namely the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL)—as a key factor to achieving such an aspiration.

Did You Know?

• A survey conducted by TrueNorth Research in April 2020 showed the national women's cricket team have the strongest emotional connection with Australian sports fans.
• The first recorded women's cricket match in Australia took place in Bendio in 1874.
• Betty Wilson became the first player to take ten wickets and score a century in the same Test, during the 1957–58 series against England.
• Faith Thomas became the first Indigenous person to represent Australia in any national sporting team, debuting in 1957–58.