The women's Ashes has got off to a dreary start, with rain impacting the series early on.
Australia currently hold a 4-2 lead in the multi-format contest, after winning the first T20 International match last Thursday at Adelaide Oval by nine wickets.
The game was much closer than it sounds, featuring a blistering opening partnership from England batters Dani Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont (82 runs) to help set a record chase for the hosts with a total of 4/169.
Unfortunately for England, it happened to be Tahlia McGrath's night, as the allrounder motored to 91 runs off 49 balls, having already taken 3/26 with the ball.
Since then, there's been just four overs bowled by either side, with the remaining two T20 matches washed out on back-to-back days to bring the series to a grinding halt.
English captain Heather Knight was clearly frustrated with the situation.
"The weather gods don't like us here," she told the ABC.
Knight was alluding to the last time her side toured the country during the T20 World Cup, where they were denied an opportunity to reach the final when their semi-final match against India was washed out at the SCG.
In a cruel twist, the rain later cleared, allowing Australia to play a shortened semi-final at the same venue against South Africa, which they won to progress through to the deciding match before beating India to lift the trophy.
Now, two years later, Australia's summer rain has again put England in a difficult position, as they face an uphill battle to win back the Ashes urn.
With the only Test starting on Thursday at Manuka Oval, and a total four points up for grabs, the touring side are desperate to get some momentum rolling and claim their first victory of the series.
Should the women's Ashes be allocated reserve days?
Typically, women's Tests end in a draw, with captains arguably struggling to grasp the tactics required to enforce a result inside the allocated four days with such limited exposure to the longer format.
This time, both teams are in a better position, with slightly more experience to draw on, having each played a Test against the Indian women's side in 2021.
Considering this, and the false start to the series, fans are expecting to see a greater commitment from the teams to be less conservative and more aggressive in their approach, in order to revive a lulling Ashes contest.
Whether they will get the opportunity to do so is another story, with the weather forecast not looking kind. Thunderstorms are predicted to hit Canberra later in the week and just like the T20 matches, there are no scheduled reserve days.
In recent years, there has been ongoing discussion about whether women's Tests, like men's, should be carried out over five days.
This would allow the players a bit of breathing room should they happen to lose a couple of sessions or a day's play.
Although those within cricket think the idea may well be in the works, the introduction of a reserve day for each format could be the stop-gap solution required to ensure such a big series isn't so impacted by the rain.
Do Australia's bold selections indicate a decrease in sentimentality?
Ellyse Perry is expected to make her way back into the Australian team to play the Test match after the allrounder was controversially left on the sidelines to start the Ashes series.
Australia's best-known player has been a mainstay in the side – barring injury – since her international debut back in 2007, but was dropped for the T20s due to her slow scoring rate.
Perry has 126 caps in the shortest format, averaging a strike rate of 105.47 during that time. But selectors have made it clear that a run a ball simply won't cut it in women's T20 cricket these days, no matter your experience or status in the game.
This demonstrates the depth within the Australian women's squad and its pathways, to now be able to make selections based on each format and shift responsibility onto some of the younger and up-and-coming players to perform.
Still, the move has sparked a broader discussion, as pundits question whether the legend should have had an opportunity to contribute lower down the order.
The 31-year-old wasn't even given the call-up when opener Beth Mooney was ruled out two days before the first game, after copping a ball to the chin and requiring urgent surgery on a fractured jaw.
Instead, power-hitter Grace Harris took Mooney's place in the Australian line-up, while Perry was named at 12th for both of the opening games.
The surprising decision caused Daily Telegraph journalist Jamie Pandaram to bring up the news on ABC Offsiders, where he made the observation that women's sport was starting to shed sentimentality due to rising professionalism.
"I'm really conflicted by this," he said.
"I never thought we would see Ellyse Perry dropped from any Australian cricket team.
"In women's sport we're starting to see that sentimentality [just like men's sport] is now going out the window too."
Mooney, remarkably, is also a chance to return for the Test match, while tearaway quick Stella Campbell has replaced fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck in the squad due to a stress fracture in her right foot.
England have made one change ahead of the Test, adding uncapped seamer Lauren Bell to the squad, after the 21-year-old claimed 3/17 in an England A vs Australia A match.
You can hear Grandstand Cricket's coverage of the match on ABC local radio, ABC Sport digital radio and on the ABC listen app.
