With the Women’s Ashes delicately poised, what do England need to do to win the first-ever day-night Ashes Test?
History will be made at the North Sydney Oval over the next four days as England and Australia play out the first-ever day-night Ashes Test
But with the Women’s Ashes delicately poised, who will win in whites and how will the sides react to a relatively novel format?
Neither side has played a Test match for two years, so selection is hard to read. Having lived on a diet of limited-overs cricket what will change?
England’s selection at Blacktown could give a few clues, with Georgia Elwiss and Laura Marsh back in having missed the ODIs.
But with 400 overs to come over the next four days, those who missed out may simply have been rested
Either way England could have as many as four Test debutantes, with Alex Hartley, Danni Wyatt, Fran Wilson and Sophie Ecclestone yet to make their Test bow.
For Australia the questions are similar, with the balance of the bowling attack in particular an unknown. Will it be three seamers and three spinners or might they plump for all four tweakers?
The left-arm seam option of Lauren Cheatle will be attractive, but all-rounder Tahlia McGrath impressed in the warm-up match.
All eyes will be on both teams at the toss.
Not only is a Test match a rarity for both sides, the fact it’s a day-night game makes it that bit different again.
Although the pink ball is closer in behaviour to the white ball than the red, which may make it feel that bit more similar, there are a lot of new elements to the game.
How both sides get the pink ball to talk will be interesting, and how they look after it will also be a factor.
Unlike with the red ball you’d imagine that reverse-swing won’t come into play, leaving a big focus on the spinners and how they can control the run-rate.