The Ashes: What women's cricket must learn from epic encounter

In the end, normal service was resumed: Australia took home the Ashes.

But when choosing words to describe this series, "normal" would be very far down the list.

It may have started that way, with Australia taking a four-point lead after winning the crucial Test match at Trent Bridge, prompting an all-too-familiar groan of "here we go again" in the stands and the press boxes.

And yet, as the supporters filed away and the Taunton outfield was enveloped in a haze of yellow smoke while Australia posed with the Ashes trophy, it ended with an 8-8 draw on points - and a strange scenario where England were somehow the happier side, despite the tourists retaining the urn.

"It's a grimace, not a smile," said Australia captain Alyssa Healy. "We've got the trophy and we're happy about that but we're obviously disappointed about the ODI series."

England captain Heather Knight described it as "the best series in women's cricket history" after Sunday's defeat, and reiterated it here after victory on Tuesday.

It is a notion that few could argue against after the series took us all on an emotional rollercoaster, one that was both captivating and agonising, and that nobody wanted to disembark.

It started with Australia's 89-run win at Trent Bridge - a five-day duel that ultimately decided the series, and ended with the juxtaposition of yellow fireworks after an England win on a soggy Taunton outfield.

And throughout it all, with England defying the odds, it felt like a turning point for women's cricket that cannot be ignored.

After England's memorable World Cup win in 2017, it was Australia - after failing to make the final - who turned the screw, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that resulted in world dominance.

2023 feels like it should become England's moment.

They have set the standard of playing women's matches at Test venues that resulted in record attendances at Trent Bridge, and then in the T20s at Edgbaston, The Oval and Lord's.

The one-day series which was the denouement to the multi-format contest was a sell-out.

Queues were bursting out onto the streets: schoolchildren provided the noise and cricket delivered the joy.

Having set such a remarkable precedent, it must become the norm and not the exception.

The success has been built upon the double Ashes marketing strategy that saw Ben Stokes and Heather Knight's faces lit up on Tower Bridge before the series began, and the numbers in the stands proved the message well and truly cut through.

"The public have really got behind us and the crowds have been amazing," said England captain Knight.

"I'm getting messages from people who haven't really watched cricket before saying they are invested in it.

"It's about capturing this momentum. It's been a hugely successful series because it's been marketed properly.

"People want to come and watch and hopefully, we can take those people and those young girls and boys onto the next series."

Naturally, the on-pitch excitement helped too, with the narrative of England's great escape after surprisingly levelling the series, of Australia buckling under pressure but pulling it off when it mattered the most.

Nat Sciver-Brunt's heroics, Sophie Ecclestone's world-class status and Alice Capsey's fearless nature has helped to make them household names to many.

Honours even was probably the fairest way for it to end, leaving us eagerly anticipating the next reunion down under in 18 months' time.

The question of when and how do England bridge the gap between themselves and Australia is one that has taken a decade to answer.

The short answer is that it has come from increased investment into the domestic structure, providing competition for places and a reliance on Australia being a little below their best.

And while it has provided compelling viewing, there is also an underlying concern bubbling away that international women's cricket is going to become a three-horse race between these two great teams, and the ever-improving India.

Resources and funding is limited for pretty much every other country, with shock performances like South Africa's run to the T20 World Cup final earlier this year occurring so infrequently.

And predictability is not a good thing for a sport.

For so long, Australia have been predictable winners and now England are showing signs of upsetting the world order, but how long will it be before they accelerate ahead beyond reach?

The Ashes has been a phenomenal success but September's white-ball series against Sri Lanka will be telling. Will it remain a big draw against weaker opposition?

The answer is not straightforward, as England, Australia and India draw the biggest audiences and therefore the largest amounts of money from broadcast deals.

But ultimately, sport needs competition to thrive, and women's cricket is in danger of eradicating it.

The Ashes of 2023 has set the benchmark, but it may also have signalled trouble to the nations that may not be able to keep up with it.