Australia's stand-in captain is wary of the new faces in the hosts' squad but believes they remain the team to beat this summer
Stand-in Australia captain Alyssa Healy has shrugged off England's confidence ahead of the women's Ashes, warning the hosts "it's a dangerous way to think."
Heather Knight's side have not won a series since 2013/14 but that has not stopped Emma Lamb and Issy Wong from talking up their chances ahead of the stand-alone Test starting on June 22.
Healy will lead the tourists following the withdrawal of Meg Lanning, and she is happy to leave the talking to England.
Speaking to Code Sports, she said: "They made some bold statements coming out here in that last Ashes series and didn’t really follow through on any of it.
Issy Wong is gearing up for her first exposure to Ashes cricket (Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)
"So, we'll let them speak and do all the talking. It’s probably ironic that those two players haven't played a lot for England."
The Cricketer understands there are seven uncapped players part of England's training camp ahead of the series, with seamers Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer among the new faces.
"There is a lot of unknown about the English side, that’s where the challenge is going to be for us," Healy acknowledged.
Healy will lead Australia in the absence of Meg Lanning (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
"It's exciting. I think to write us off at your own peril, especially if they’re already talking about that, it's a dangerous way to think."
She added: "We know that everybody wants to beat us. It probably is really frustrating that we keep winning all the time, but we love it.
"We don’t want to be the team that loses or hands the Ashes back or lets a World Cup slip. We know what that feels like.
"We’re happy being the hunted."
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.