England set to attract record crowds for women's Ashes in summer

One hundred days before the start of the 2023 Women's Ashes, England Women are set to attract record crowds this summer.

Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and ESPNcricinfo understands that over 55,000 tickets have already been sold for England's home fixtures. The Ashes, a multi-format series, start with the Test match at Trent Bridge on June 22, followed by white-ball fixtures from July 1-18, while Sri Lanka will tour for six white-ball matches in September.

The sales figures mean that England are already guaranteed a record-breaking total attendance this summer, having attracted around 50,000 fans to series against South Africa and India in 2022.

England will play at some of the country's biggest stadia in 2023. Ticket sales for the Ashes T20Is at Edgbaston, The Oval and Lord's are internally considered a major priority by the ECB, who have made a point of marketing the women's series alongside the men's.

Warwickshire announced last week that they have already sold over 14,000 tickets for the Edgbaston T20I, which looks set to become the best-attended England Women's home game outside of world events. The current record, set at Lord's for last year's India ODI, stands at 15,187.

"It's really exciting that we've sold so many tickets," Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is playing for Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Women's Premier League, said. "You see it out here in the WPL and back home in the Hundred: a big crowd makes such a difference.

"The prospect of playing in front of a full Lord's or Edgbaston in an Ashes game is pretty cool. It's what you grow up watching, so I'm really looking forward to that."

Early-bird ticket prices are available until March 9.