Tammy Beaumont insists England have to take the positive approach if they are to beat Australia in a Test match and go ahead in the Women’s Ashes.
Beaumont is set for her eighth Test cap when a much-anticipated multi-format series starts on Thursday, with England looking to defeat an all-conquering Australia side for the first time since 2014.
Captain Heather Knight is adamant England have to be “disruptors” to upset the odds and Beaumont feels the attacking mindset they have adopted in recent months can unsettle double world champions Australia.
She has experienced one loss and six draws in the longest format but both England and Australia have been boosted by the curtain-raiser lasting five days at Trent Bridge, as opposed to the customary four.
While this gives both sides a chance to force a positive result, Beaumont believes England must grasp the nettle in a manner similar to their male counterparts under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Beaumont said: “I’ve played seven Test matches in my career and I haven’t played in a victory. We’ve got to change something, we’ve got to do something to move the game forward quicker.
“Obviously we’ve got five days which will massively help but we’re going to have to shift the game and we’re going to have to put pressure back on the opposition.
“It’s not reckless, you can compare it to how the England men have gone about things: you watch Harry Brook – there’s no slogging there, Joe Root, there’s a few inventive shots but there isn’t slogging as such by every player.
“We can definitely do it in Test cricket and we have to if we want to force results and try and get ahead in the Ashes.”
Knight and head coach Jon Lewis have ushered in this more adventurous mindset. Lewis was briefly England men’s bowling coach under Stokes and McCullum before joining the women’s side late last year.
England have shown their hand in the warm-ups last week, with Beaumont’s 201 off 238 balls the jewel in a total of 650 in 118.2 overs at Derby against Australia A.
A separate England A side, meanwhile, racked up 562 in 115.1 overs against a full-strength Australia side at Grace Road.
Ahead of the one-off Test in the series which also features three T20s and three ODIs, Beaumont said: “Australia have led the way for the last five or six years, everyone is playing catch up.
“But the way that we are playing and the way we want to play can certainly challenge them and compete with them.
“Once you put good teams under pressure, you never know how they’re going to react and you never know what can happen.”
Beaumont could face the opening ball of the series if England bat first, an occasion she has encountered in the past and one she likens to one of the most nerve-wracking of her career.
She added: “It’s probably second only to facing the first ball of a World Cup final. Normally the heart’s going pretty hard. But that’s part of the job and why I love opening the batting.
“I want to be out there setting the tone, going in first and coming up against the best bowlers with a fresh ball. Whether you win or lose in the situation, that’s the bit you live for as an opening batter.
“With it being an Ashes, there’s a bit more on it but I think you try and keep the processes and emotions the same.”
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