Contrary to popular belief, this is not the first time the women’s and men’s Ashes have run concurrently, nor is it the first attempt at joined-up marketing by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The 2013 “#RISE for the Ashes” campaign featured Alastair Cook and Charlotte Edwards, admittedly on separate posters, with the same squiggly orange flames as the backdrop.
The following summer, with Waitrose on board as the new £3m sponsor of men’s and women’s Test cricket, a TV advert showed Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson and Katherine Brunt shopping in what purported to be their local supermarket, while Jonathan Agnew commentated on their choice of groceries.
