Sydney, Jan 08, 2025, IANS

Sydney, Jan 8 (IANS) Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has advocated for more Test matches in the women’s Ashes series, expressing her desire that the multi-format series be expanded to nine matches, comprising three T20s, three ODIs, and three Tests. Since 2013, the women’s Ashes has been decided on a points system in a multi-format series that features three T20s, three ODIs and a Test match. Two points are awarded for white-ball contests, while the winner of the Test match receives four with points split for draws, ties and abandoned games. However, the change may not be possible until the end of the next Future Tours Programme cycle of 2025-2029 "That’s a bit of a hot topic at the moment. Everyone’s going to have their own individual point of view on that. It would be quite tough just with how busy our summers are. But personally, I would love to see three, three, three," Gardner told reporters as quoted by Fox Cricket. “It’s obviously going to make the tours a lot longer. I’m not sure where you’re going to fit it in, knowing that we obviously have to play overseas competitions as well. It would be interesting to see over the next four to five years where that gets to. “I would love to play more Test cricket against England. Playing the one Test feels like a bit of a novelty sometimes. The way that our two teams match up, it would be a really cool Test series to see who would come out on top for that. But I don’t think that’s probably going to change anytime soon.” England opener Tammy Beaumont also threw her support behind the Gardner's "three, three, three" format. "I completely agree with Ash … I’d love to see it. The best thing about the Ashes is the narrative, the rivalry, how it builds over time. You saw in the India and Australia men’s Test series, that the narratives build in a five-match series, even in a three-match series. “As an opening batter, that’s part of why you love the game, that battle of trying to maybe get one up on an opening bowler, and I think it builds even more in Test cricket. That’s why I love getting the whites on," Beaumont said. However, outgoing Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley conceded that adding more Test matches to the current schedule could be challenging as the next FTP cycle, which extends from 2025 to 2029, features dedicated annual windows for the Women’s Big Bash League in November, The Hundred in August and the Women’s Premier League in January. "I think the space in the calendar is a real challenge. For the next period, there’s not too much space in the calendar. It’s all really well set. I think for the next little period, it’s just really trying to find space," Hockley told reporters at the SCG on Wednesday. "What I’d like to see is more countries to play multi-format series. I think it’s a fantastic format … it gives context within series," he said.