England set off in Ashes defence

	Charlotte Edwards and some of the England squad ahead of their departure © ECB

England women have departed Heathrow to head to Australia in a bid to defend their Ashes title. The four-day match, which will be played at The Bradman Oval, starts on February 15.

The team will also play a five-match ODI series, including games at the MCG and the SCG and a Twenty20 game at the MCG. After their tour of Australia, the players head to New Zealand for a five-match ODI series, with all games played at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln University.

"We're all really looking forward to it," Edwards said. "We've all been working hard over the winter. It's going to be a tough tour as both Australia and New Zealand are two of the best sides in world cricket, but we're taking a young talented squad with lots of potential, and we're fully prepared for it."

England certainly are a young squad: they are taking just three players who took part in the last Ashes on Australian soil: Edwards, Claire Taylor and Lydia Greenway.

The side will arrive having not played an outdoor match since last September, although they will link up with five players who have been playing grade, and in Jenny Gunn's case state, cricket.

A standby player and first batting reserve, Ebony Rainford-Brent, has also made arrangements to head out to Australia, with Surrey paying for her flight, and she arrives on Tuesday in South Australia. She will play grade cricket for Port Adelaide, Karen Rolton and Emma Sampson's team, and will be match-ready should England need her.