Raf Nicholson’s report from the SCG
The Ashes are gone. Australia have eight points from four comfortable wins in four matches, and England have zero. But, there are still eight points out there so if England win every game (ahem) -two T20s and a Test– they can still draw the series. They have good young players, the worry is how they mentally stop the tour going into freefall. Raf’s (volcanic) thoughts from Sydney will land shortly.
Thanks for all your messages, and apologies that I barely got around to them. Do join us for the second T20 on Thursday at the Manuka Oval, 840am GMT/ 740pm Canberra time. Bye!
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The good news is that the commentary team on TNT of Tash Farrant and Ebony Rainford-Brent has been very enjoyable.
“I don’t really know how they’re going to get themselves out of this rut, says Farrant. “They’re going to have to find a way to get some points on the board, maybe bring some new faces in, look what Dunkley did today, bring in Danni Gibson for example to freshen things up.”
ERB is asked about how much the management should be blamed “I get frustrated with this question. This is not a bunch of 20 year olds who have never played international cricket. There is some serious depth of experience there, the coach doesn’t hold your hand. It becomes frustrating to blame it on the management, the players have so many caps, it is more how the players hold themselves to account.
“I think back to my time and Claire Taylor set the culture, her standards were so high. And if mine fell she would tell me. I think it is a personal responsibility thing, a coach’s responsibility is more around the periphery, the culture comes from personal responsibility.”
I think Guy Hornsby nails it “Australia is just like a conveyor belt of brilliant players. You get one out and another worldie comes in. I’d love to say that Mooney’s LBW was a sliding doors moment, but that would only be a door opening/shutting for another world class player to get a 50. If Beth doesn’t get you, here’s Phoebe, or Ellyse, or Annabel, or Tahlia, Grace, Georgia…. It almost seems unfair.”
They are brilliant and there is no shame in coming second to this awesome side. The frustration for England must be that they haven’t managed to attain the high standards they set themselves. There have been moments of brilliance but the fielding has been shabby at times, catches have slipped through fingers, bowlers have sprayed the ball around and some of the shot-choices have been unwise.
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Sorry to be so slow getting to the emails – non-stop today. Here is a flavour of the messages.
From Marilyn Goreham:
“England need a clear out .
Too complacent and don’t look hungry or fit .
Tired of spin every time they lose and just brush off inadequacies .
Much better preparation needed .
Must be some better batters somewhere?”
I agree that they don’t look as fit as the Aussies and in the field those runs/missed chances have really cost them throughout the series.
And John Starbuck: “At the very least, England Women need a new batting coach, if not a new manager as well. When will this percolate through?”
Unless they suddenly pull a rabbit from the hata to draw the series, I’d have thought there would be changes at the top either/and coach/captain.
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Victorious captain Tahlia McGrath casually accepts the plaudits. “I’m very happy, had a lot going on over the last 24 hours. Showed our depth. We’re so hungry to improve every game. Found a way tonight. It was slightly different role for King in the powerplay, so players again stepping up. Looking forward to Manuka, great place to play cricket. England came hard at us in the powerplay so that’s an area to look at, then trying to boss it in the field again.”
Sophia Dunkley, so impressive today, with the second-fastest 50 for England, has been drawn into the commentary. “There is definitely a lot to reflect on, we can still draw the Ashes which I guess is what we need to remember. Over the last 18 months, I’ve worked on changing my grip and a lot mentally too, be a bit smarter with my options, relaxed in my stance and [something about the bat face]. I have been in the gym but also working on my timing, I had nothing to lose today, unfortunately wasn’t enough but good to get out there.
“There are still eight points out there and if we come out 8-8… there are moments in the game we did really well and if we can do that for longer we can definitely win.”
Heather Knight is grim-faced but, as ever, professional: “I though it was an outstanding innings by [Beth Mooney], probably gave them 20-30 too many runs I think. Sophia Dunkley gave us a chance with the bat, a brilliant wicket too so we had a chance. We felt like we were in it when Dunks was going. I though she was outstanding in her first game of the trip. Frustrating today but onto the next one.”
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Phoebe Litchfield tells the commentators that Australia are going for the whitewash now.
Beth Mooney is the player of the match for her boundary-heavy 75 which took Australia to 190.
The Ashes retained, with two T20s and a pink-ball Test at the MCG to come. The two teams shake hands, poor Heather Knight looks totally deflated as Australia bounce around in green and gold.
That’s a 57 run defeat to go with defeats by four wickets, 21 runs and 86 runs. A shellacking by any reckoning, despite a super innings by Dunkley.
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WICKET! Bell c Mooney b Sutherland 0 (England 141 all out) Australia (198-7) win by 57 runs and retain the Ashes!
With a whimper, Bell skies up and Mooney collects.
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WICKET! Glenn run-out Perry/Sutherland 0 (England 141-9)
England come back for a second but it’s a gamble too many Glenn is short and the ninth wicket falls. The cameras pan to the bench where England’s faces fall.
WICKET! Dean c Mooney b Wareham 2 (England 139-8)
Dean sweeps, a top edge dollies to Mooney who doesn’t drop those.
15th over: England 139-8 (Kemp 9) Wareham builds the pressure and two wickets in the over.
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WICKET! Ecclestone c Sutherland b Wareham 13 (England 137-7)
Goes for broke over long on but this time doesn’t have the welly and Sutherland is a safe pair of hands.
14th over: England 137-6 (Kemp 9, Ecclestone 13) A big fat 17 from Schutt’s over as Ecclestone furious dispatches Schutt for SIX and Kemp joins in with four through backward point. Healthy running, a wide, and England are up with the rate.
13th over: England 120-6 (Kemp 2, Ecclestone 4) Ecclestone sets her stall out by dispatching her first ball through backward point for four.
WICKET! Jones b Wareham 12 (England 116-5)
The air starts to seep out of the balloon. Jones must go after being beaten by one that keeps low and wriggles under the bat. She turns to face the umpires and drops her shoulders in a frustrated shrug.
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12th over: England 112-5 ( Jones 6, Kemp 2) Time for one more four by the hugely impressive Dunkley before she has a hoorah too many and loses her leg stump. She’s given England a platform, do the lower order have it in them to keep rocking. The Australian captain does the business.
WICKET! Dunkley b McGrath 59 (England 110-5)
The big one. Dunkley licks her lips, rocks onto her back knee and flays at McGrath, misses and loses her stumps.
11th over: England 103-4 (Dunkley 54, Jones 6) King strikes with her first ball of the over once again to swing the momentum. A nice strike by Jones, who sends her second ball flying for four, and some on point running between Dunkley and Jones.
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WICKET! Knight lbw King 18 (England 96-4)
Just as Australia did, England lose a wicket immediately after drinks. Knight takes a big stretching step and attempts to reverse-sweep the first ball after the break, but misses. Given not out on the field but Australia review and they’re right – the ball was merrily heading for leg stump.
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Fifty for Dunkley!
10th over: England 96-3 (Dunkley 53, Knight 18) They take drinks with England defying us all by attacking the game with gusto and keeping up – ahead – of the rate (Australia 90-1 at the same time). Dunkley reaches fifty with a single off Sutherland – gets there in 24 balls – five fours, four sixes.
9th over: England 89-3 (Dunkley 49, Knight 16) McGrath nominates herself and brings some parsimoniousness back to proceedings.
8th over: England 84-3 (Dunkley 48, Knight 12) Wareham joins the fray, the crowd watch intently, this innings isn’t tuning out quite like they expected. Knight picks up four over mid-on, and then Dunkley, gorgeously, drives, on one knee, over extra cover for four. And four more – same direction, this time all along the ground, shimmering with gorgeousness.
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7th over: England 69-3 (Dunkley 39, Knight 6) King keeps Dunkley relatively quiet, beating her with a legbreak, but Knight joins in the boundary hunt, going inside out over cover for four. England are ahead of Australia on run-rate at the moment.
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6th over: England 62-3 (Dunkley 38, Knight 0) They’re just discussing on comms how Dunkley has refined the way she holds her bat (hands closer together, more aligned) when she flies at Sutherland pancaking her for six. It’s the penultimate ball of the power play before the first run comes which isn’t a boundary, a leg bye or a wide, as Dunkley picks up a couple, then finishes the over in the usual fashion by flaming Sutherland through the covers for four more. 12 from the over.
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5th over: England 50-3 (Dunkley 26, Knight o) Super from King, the wicket with a short ball which turned wickedly. The scoring slows, with just a couple of legbyes from the over.
WICKET! Sciver-Brunt b King 20 (England 48-3)
First ball! King finds the way through as NSB pulls with low hands, misses and the ball spins through to pluck the bails.
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4th over: England 48-2 (Dunkley 26, Sciver-Brunt 20) My, my! Dunkley fires Garth’s first ball straight for six, pulls her, on one knee, for six more, then gives herself room and sends four through cover point. To finish the over SIX MORE flamed over mid on! There is yet to be a run other than a boundary and two wides.
3rd over: England 26-2 (Dunkley 4, Sciver-Brunt 20) Mission impossible? NSB hasn’t given up yet. After a flaky first over, she picks three boundaries off Schutt’s over.
2nd over: England 12-2 (Dunkley 4, Sciver-Brunt 8) NSB plays and misses first ball at the unstoppable Garth. Picks up two fours through the slips as Garth paws the ground. Great catching, great fielding from Australia and the bowling immediately on the money.
WICKET! Wyatt-Hodge c Litchfield b Garth 0 (England 4-2)
And another. Wyatt-Hodge drifts forward to an outswinger but gets an edge behind and Litchfield, who has just been on the TV mike, scoops it up at first slip.
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1st over: England 4-1 (Dunkley 4, Wyatt-Hodge 0) Not ideal.
WICKET! Bouchier c Wareham b Schutt 0 (England 0-1)
Oh dear. Second ball, Bouchier’s eyes light up and, after the feeling of bat on ball, she pulls powefully. But she has picked out Wareham at deep square who takes the catch almost on her knees.
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Here come England. Wyatt-Hodge and Bouchier bounce gloves, Megan Schutt has the ball in her hand. The Ashes on the line.
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Apologies, I’ve just seen that my email is wrong on the page so if you’ve written in, I won’t have seen it. My email is tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com. Just going to grab a coffee before the England chase begins.
England need 199 to keep the Ashes alive
20th over: Australia 198-7 (Wareham 11, King 1) England do restrict Australia to under 200 – but only just, and will need to equal their highest successful run-chase to win and keep this series alive. An expensive final over, despite the wicket of Harris. Bell not helped by her fielders as Heather Knight makes a flat footed dive at mid-off and a ricochet off Jones’ glove helps the ball fly away for four.
WICKET! Harris c Ecclestone b Bell 14 (Australia 187-7)
A slower ball and Harris goes for gold, but the ball goes only up and behind where Ecclestone waits and calmly collects.
19th over: Australia 183-6 (Harris 10, Wareham 5) Ecclestone with the penultimate over. Two dots to start and then a wide given as Wareham shimmies across off side. Ecclestone is none too impressed. But she’s tight and finishes with just five off the over as Wareham can’t take advantage of a full toss to finish.
18th over: Australia 178-6 (Harris 8, Wareham 2) Knight swaps Kemp back in and she grabs the vital wicket of Mooney with her second ball. A wide, a fistful of singles, and Harris eyes up a slower ball and smokes it for SIX!
WICKET! Mooney st Jones b Kemp 75 (Australia 168-6)
Mooney advances down again, but this time Jones makes no mistake.
17th over: Australia 167-5 (Mooney 75, Harris 1) Ecclestone’s third over. Australia tuck in, both Mooney and McGrath picking up four leg side. McGrath goes again but this time Ecclestone is on top. A magnificent partnership from Australia. Too little too late from England? If they can restrict them to under 200 I think that would be a success in the circumstances.
WICKET! McGrath b Ecclestone 26( Australia 166-5)
England dab at their sweaty foreheads. After a partnership of 45 runs in just 17 balls with Mooney, McGrath goes for another big hit and loses her off stump. Ecclestone roars in fury/joy.
16th over: Australia 157-4 (Mooney 70, McGrath 22) Bell’s first two balls are dismissed away to the rope by Mooney. A third follows past short fine leg, and then McGrath joins in, as a fourth skims through the covers with a kiss.
15th over: Australia 140-4 (Mooney 57, McGrath 18) McGrath gets off the mark shovelling Glenn down to the rope where it gets past a diving NSB, who isn’t quite as on her game as usual in the field today. A scare for England as Bouchier dives to field in the deep, rolls over and comes up clutching her shoulder and grimacing in pain. But the physio gives her the once over and she is fit to continue. An expensive over in the end as McGrath adds another four and a SIX fired over deep mid-wicket.
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14th over: Australia 122-4 (Mooney 56, McGrath 1) Dean with her final over makes a breakthrough!
WICKET! Sutherland c Wyatt-Hodge b Dean 3 (Australia 121-4)
At last, a catch in the deep held with no drama. Wyatt-Hodge a safe pair of hands as Sutherland hauls the ball to deep midwicket.
13th over: Australia 116-3 (Mooney 52, Sutherland 2) Just what the doctor ordered from Ecclestone, the wicket of Perry and the brakes applied. England need to use this over as a pivot and start to squeeze.
WICKET! Perry st Jones b Ecclestone 7 (Australia 114-3)
For the first time in three years, Perry is stumped! Bewitched by Ecclestone she is beaten. With amazing speed of thought she almost throws her back leg back behind the line in time but is out by the width of a paintbrush.
Fifty for Mooney!
12th over: Australia 111-2 (Mooney 52, Perry 7) Click – a 24th half century for Mooney in T20 cricket. Nine from the over including four from Glenn’s first ball which is a full toss and is belted straight by Mooney.
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11th over: Australia 102-2 (Mooney 44, Perry 4) Floodlights now on, the sky a deep inky purple-blue. England got just the start they needed after the break with that run-out, but Australia keep the pressure on as Mooney immediately belts her for four through backward point and Perry slams her first ball over NSB’s head for another.
WICKET! Litchfield run-out 25 (Australia 91-2)
From nowhere! Knight shows the rest of the team how it is done with a direct hit as Litchfield tries to steal a quick single.
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Key event
10th over: Australia 90-1 (Mooney 30, Litchfield 19) Dean rolls through, such a lovely relaxed approach to the crease. Litchfield has her eye in now though, a reverse sweep, for four, followed by a flowing square drive for the rope. They take DRINKS with Australia on top and England needing to find some consistency in the field.
9th over: Australia 78-1 (Mooney 30, Litchfield 19)Ecclestone for her first over. Keeps it tight until the final ball which Mooney dances at and pings dismissively for four.
8th over: Australia 71-1 (Mooney 25, Litchfield 17) Sarah Glenn, such a great T20 spinner. Glenn’s ponytail bright blond against the red shirts England are wearing today. Litchfield drives, like an arrow, through the covers for four. Then a casual switch-hit for SIX! That’s unbelievable actually. She tries again, misses. Then another fielding mishap as Mooney spoons the ball up but the two fielders, NSB and Dean, hovering at cover, are frozen in hesitation. Glenn isn’t hugely impressed.
7th over: Australia 57-1 (Mooney 22, Litchfield 7) Time for some Nat Sciver-Brunt, and oh dear, another chance slips through England’s fingers as Mooney edges behind and Jones can’t hold on with the gloves. I think there was a missed stumping chance there too. Good old NSB, like one of those plucky girls from the Chalet School stories, just smiles away. An athletic bit of diving on the rope by Ecclestone prevents a boundary but Mooney pulls a lacklustre bouncer for four. Ten from the over.
6th over: Australia 47-1 (Mooney 16, Litchfield 3) Just three from Bell’s neat over, England tightening the rope.
5th over: Australia 43-1 (Mooney 15, Litchfield 0) Mooney survives – sent on her way lbw to Dean after missing her sweep, but reviews. The replay shows the ball ballooning over the stumps. A misfield from Dean off her own bowling delivers a single from the last ball.
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4th over: Australia 40-1 (Mooney 12, Litchfield 0) England dearly needed that wicket, you could see on the faces of Bell, of Dunkley, of Dean, that the last week’s events have hit hard. Ah, what’s this? England appeal what seems a fairly innocuous missed ramp shot by Phoebe Litchfield. I don’t think she hit it.. she didn’t. To finish the over, Litchfield advances down the pitch but is beaten.
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WICKET! Voll lbw Bell 21 (Australia 40-1)
A grim faced Bell suddenly has a smile on her face! She traps Voll on the back leg. It looks very out – it is very out! Relief for England.
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3rd over: Australia 38-0 (Mooney 11, Voll 21) Charlie Dean slips into the bowling rota. Mooney isn’t in the mood to let her settle, dances and lofts her inside out for four. Voll joins in, sweeping with gusto. And then – oh dear – she top edges a sweep and is dropped by Bell who seems to be in the right position but somehow gets in a total tangle and lets the ball fall to the ground. It rolls for four. And one more four to close a fabulous over for Australia, going for 17.
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2nd over: Australia 21-0 (Mooney 6, Voll 9) Lauren Bell at the other end. Drifts on the leg side and Mooney flicks her away to the rope, one-legged flamingo style. They run a handful of quick singles and pick up another when Dunkley lets the ball through her legs at cover. And then an overthrow.
1st over: Australia 11-0 (Mooney 1, Voll 6) And Kemp starts with a slightly insipid wide. Exciting young starlet, 21-year-old Georgia Voll, is playing in her first international T20 after making her debut against India in three ODI games earlier this winter. She’s beaten once, but also hooplas Kemp up and over Nat Sciver Brunt at mid-on for four.
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Here they come! Sophia Dunkley looking happy on her first outing this series as she takes up her fielding position. England are opening with Freya Kemp who is also in her first Ashes game of the Australian summer.
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This was a thoughtful piece from Raf earlier this week – Jon-ball isn’t working.
England XI
England: Maia Bouchier, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell.
Australia XI
Australia: Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath (c), Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt
Ash Gardner calf strain
Tahlia McGrath is the stand-in for Healy and very chirpy she is too, despite also losing Ash Gardner with a calf strain. Healy and Gardner are replaced by Georgia Voll and Grace Harris.
England win the toss and will bowl!
Knight looks briskly confident. “A change of format suits us really nicely,” she says, “into a format that we love playing and are really good at.” Then she turns on her heel and marches off. There are three changes for England as Sarah Glenn, Freya Kemp and Sophia Dunkley come in.
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Alyssa Healy injury
Healy will not play today, with soreness in the same foot as her plantar fascia injury. She’s currently wearing a boot and will be seen by specialists over the next couple of days.
Hello! Already the ODIs are over, already England are six points down. Over there on the river are the Ashes, sailing away, with a good wind behind them, almost out of reach. We are a week into England’s tour of Australia and they’ve been thoroughly outclassed – tactically, with the bat and in the field. Australia have been….Australia.
But! Hope (just about) survives as we march into the T20 part of the series. England are pretty good at the shortest form and the last time Australia played one, they lost to South Africa in the World Cup semi-final against South Africa.
Can England re-find their mojo? Will new blood make any difference? Will Australia retain the Ashes today? Play starts at 8.15GMT, there is plenty of space here on the sofa.
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