England Women's Ashes 2023 to witness record crowds

Hundred days ahead of the 2023 Women's Ashes, England are reportedly set to attract record crowds this summer.

After the voting process last year, the ticket sales began in November and over 55,000 tickets have already been sold for England's upcoming summer fixtures at home, reported ESPNCricinfo. Interestingly, the news broke on Wednesday – which marks international Women's Day.

Unlike the Men's Ashes, the women's Ashes is a multi-format series, with this year's edition including a Test, three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

Exciting English summer coming up

Heather Knight-led England will look to win the Women's Ashes this year, with the Aussies triumphing in the 2021-22 series. In fact, Australia have won three out of the last four editions of the women's Ashes, with one ending in a draw. England's previous win came back during the 2013-14 series, which was played Down Under. The series victory marked two straight women's Ashes wins for the English players, but they have not managed to replicate the same success over the last few years.

England Women are scheduled to kickstart their 2023 summer with an Ashes Test at Trent Bridge on June 22, followed by limited-overs games from July 1 to July 18, while they will host Sri Lanka in six white-ball matches series in September.

The last time England hosted the women's Ashes was in 2019 when Australia won 3-0 and it had a total attendance of 32,281.

Meanwhile, 2023 also records the first instance of both men's and women's Ashes being played alongside one another on a joint platform and without any fixture clashes.

"It's really exciting, and a big crowd makes such a difference. The prospect of playing in front of a full Lord's or Edgbaston is pretty cool, it's what you grow up watching. We want to play in front of the biggest crowds we can and hopefully put on a show for them," said England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt said in an interview.

The WODIs during the women's Ashes this year is going to be played in Bristol, Southampton, and Taunton, while the shortest format fixtures are scheduled to be played at the iconic Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord's.

The WT20I at Edgbaston, which will be played on July 1, has already sold 14,000 tickets and looks well on course to break the previous attendance record of 15,000 for a single fixture when England played India at Lord's in 2022.

Edgbaston's historic moment

In total, England Women have played four Tests, one ODI, and six T20Is at Edgbaston, with five of those coming in the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The demands for Edgbaston tickets have been skyrocketing because the Birmingham ground is set to host its first-ever Women's Ashes clash. Around 70 percent of the ground's capacity already filled up, according to a release from Edgbaston.com.

This year is extra special for Edgbaston as it has completed 50 years since hosting the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1973.

Former England Women opening batter Laura MacLeod, who is the current director of Women's Cricket at Warwickshire CCC, has said eagerness is picking up pace ahead of the T20I against arch-rivals Australia.

"It'll be an amazing occasion. There is a real buzz in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands around women's cricket thanks to the legacy of the Commonwealth Games. Anyone who came to a game at Edgbaston will have felt they were part of a special atmosphere," said MacLeod, who played 13 Tests and 73 ODIs between 1997 and 2007.

Recollecting her playing days, MacLeod said there were times when her side played in front of just a few hundred people. "So the prospect of turning out in front of thousands of fans will be an amazing thrill for the players. I can't wait for the game," the former opener added.