England have once again slumped to an Ashes defeat against Australia.
Now 10-0 down in the multi-format series with only the final T20I and one-off Test yet to play, England haven't won an Ashes game in any format in Australia since 2018, and last held the Ashes in 2014. That win down-under over 10 years ago featured several players who part of the current set-up, and who will be in their late thirties by the time England next embark on an away Ashes tour.
Over the next four years in between the two series, new faces will transition into a side alongside the younger stars already in England's squad. Here's a look at who those players could be.
Paige Scholfield
The experienced 29-year-old was included in England's T20I squad in South Africa late last year but was ruled-out before the series had started with an ankle injury. Having made her debut in both ODIs and T20Is against Ireland last summer, Scholfield is the next cab off the rank for England and was earmarked by Jon Lewis to bat at No.7 as an innings finisher. That's in contrast to the role she filled for Oval Invincibles over the summer, where she opened the innings alongside Lauren Winfield-Hill. She scored 71 off 40 in her first game of the tournament and averaged 27.14 across the competition.
Scholfield's story is different to most of those coming through to the international set-up. At 29-years-old, Scholfield made her county debut in 2012 and played for Loughborough Lightning and Southern Vipers in the KSL. She moved to South East Stars at the end of the 2022 season, and scored her first List A century for them in April 2023, making a second hundred the following month. Having started out as a bowling all-rounder, injuries have forced her to re-develop herself to be picked on batting prowess alone. She hasn't bowled in a T20 match since 2023.
Davina Perrin
At just 18-years-old, Perrin has already made a significant name for herself. She was picked up by Birmingham Phoenix at just 15, becoming the youngest player ever in the competition. However, she did not play a match for the side in either that competition or in 2023, making her debut in 2024. She played four games in last season's Hundred, scoring 33 runs across them.
Perrin was one of the earliest women to come through the ACE program, and the first to receive a professional contract when she signed for Central Spars in 2022. She scored three half-centuries for the side in 2024 as a top-order batter. In the ongoing U19 World Cup, Perrin scored 74 off 45 balls in England's match against the USA opening the batting.
Ryana MacDonald-Gay
The 20-year-old has generated a considerable amount of excitement around her future prospects, having impressed in England’s recent Test victory against South Africa. With two critical breakthroughs with the old ball, she clean-bowled Marizanne Kapp, and removed the dangerous Nadine De Kerk the over later. She has been included in England's Test squad against Australia, with Kate Cross's fitness still in doubt following her injury in South Africa. MacDonald-Gay won praise from Lewis after her performance: "Ryana's got real steel in her character. She seems really unflappable at times and she's really logical in how she thinks about a cricket match... What I will say is that Ryana, in time, will have the tools to play all formats and be a really good competitor for England."
England's pace ranks are currently well-stocked, with both Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer at the top of the pecking order. While MacDonald-Gay may find it harder to break through into the T20I side where England usually play three spinners, there may be a place for her in the ODI side. She also won an ECB developmental contract at the end of 2024.
Seren Smale
Smale is another who has already had a call-up to a senior England tour. She came into England's squad for their series in South Africa after reserve keeper Bess Heath was ruled-out with injury. Smale made her T20I debut in Ireland after a successful domestic summer in 2024. She scored 88 off 61 balls for Thunder in the final of the Charlotte Edwards Cup, in a lone effort batting at No.4, and scored 515 runs at an average of 39.61 in last year's Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
With Heath England's current chosen reserve keeper, Smale is on their radar as the next one coming up behind her. Given Heath's recent record with the bat in domestic cricket, Smale is closing the gap on occupying that position.
Grace Scrivens
Scrivens' name has been mentioned as future England star ever since she was a teenager. She captain England U19s to the final of the 2023 U19 T20 World Cup in 2023 and was second on the run-scoring charts in the competition. She was also given the captaincy of her regional side at the end of the 2023 season, and led Sunrisers to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint title last year - third on the run scoring charts in that competition.
While Scrivens' 50-over record is exceptional, her record in T20s is less impressive, with a strike-rate of just over 100. Nevertheless, her success in the 50-over format could well lead up to an international call-up if it continues.
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