Match report
That’s all for today. Tanya Aldred will be here for the third and final T20 international on Saturday morning. See you soon.
More from Tahlia McGrath
My brain is fried, I’m telling you. It’s a weird feeling right now but we’re very happy to have won the Ashes outright.
I’m loving the opportunity to lead the side. I learn every time I do it. It was pretty stressful tonight but I’m really proud of the team. Our bowlers were really good in some tough conditions.
Updated
Heather Knight’s reaction
It was a brilliant game of cricket, wasn’t it? I’m disappointed for the crowd that we weren’t able to let it reach its climax. It would have been a tough ask to get those runs but it was a good wicket, I was set and it was definitely possible.
Danni was outstanding and she and Dunks gave us a chance. The rain break slowed us down a bit and upset their rhythm.
There are real some positives today. Australia played pretty well, T-Mac in particular when she came in and took the game on. We weren’t quite able to restrict them but I’m really proud of the way the girls fought. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get over the line.
The player of the match is Tahlia McGrath, who hit 48 not out from 35 balls and captained superbly under pressure.
Yeah it feels pretty nice. My heart rate’s only just settled down; it was pretty tense. I was constantly thinking about Duckworth-Lewis, constantly thinking about the radar. My brain’s exhausted. I’m glad it’s over.
It was a team performance, everyone played their role. Grace [Harris] was outstanding at the back end and all the bowlers chipped in in tough conditions.
We’re so pleased to do win the Ashes outright this early.
The whitewash is still on but England ran Australia very close tonight. Ultimately it was decided by the death hitting of Grace Harris and an outstanding 13th over the England innings from Megan Schutt, who conceded one run and dismissed two set batters in Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley.
Australia win by six runs (DLS)
It’s all over. The umpires call the captains over, they shake hands and that means Australia have won the Ashes outright. They are 10-0 ahead with six points to play for.
Updated
Heather Knight is chewing her nails in the dugout and looks quite emotional. She played such a cool, skilful innings, 43 from 19 balls with six fours and a six.
The state of play is that England need 18 from five balls and Australia are six ahead on DLS.
Updated
Rain stops play
The umpires are going off! A frustrated Heather Knight flips her bat up in the air. She’s chuntering as she walks off and you can’t blame her – she was batting quite brilliantly and there are only five balls remaining. But it is raining as heavily as when the players came off earlier in the innings.
Updated
19.1 overs: England 168-4 (target 186; Knight 43, Jones 0) Knight, playing a gem of an innings, makes room to flash Sutherland past short third for four runs! Eighteen from five balls needed. And now it’s raining heavily again. Australia are six ahead on DLS.
19th over: England 164-4 (Knight 39, Jones 0) England need 22 from the last over. Heather Knight is on strike and batting beautifully, but it’s a helluvan ask.
WICKET! England 164-4 (Sciver-Brunt b Garth 22)
That could be the match. Sciver-Brunt throws everything at a wide ball and drags it onto the stumps. She just couldn’t get going and maded 22 from 20 balls.
Updated
18.5 overs: England 164-3 (target 186; Sciver-Brunt 22, Knight 39) Knight pulls for a single – she hit that almost too well.
18.4 overs: England 163-3 (target 186; Sciver-Brunt 22, Knight 38) Knight charges Garth and top-edges a pull over short fine leg for four! England need 23 from 8 balls.
18.3 overs: England 159-3 (target 186; Sciver-Brunt 22, Knight 34) Knight improvises beautifully to steer a wide yorker for two. She has 34 from only 16 balls, NSB 22 from 19.
18.2 overs: England 157-3 (target 186; Sciver-Brunt 22, Knight 32) Just a single. England need 29 from 10.
18.1 overs: England 156-3 (target 186; Sciver-Brunt 21, Knight 32) Sciver-Brunt slices two over backward point.
Kim Garth will bowl the penultimate over.
18th over: England 154-3 (Sciver-Brunt 19, Knight 32) McGrath brings herself back into the attack. A fierce pull from Sciver-Brunt is superbly stopped on the boundary by the sliding McGrath. That saved a couple of runs.
It’s a superb over from McGrath – until the last ball, which Knight pulls desperately for six. The leaping Perry made a fabulous attempt to stop it but could only deflect the ball over the rope. England need 32 from 12 balls.
Australia are seven minutes behind, which they will have another fielder inside the circle for the final over.
17th over: England 142-3 (Sciver-Brunt 15, Knight 24) Heather Knight won’t go down without a fight. She has a wonderful record on this ground and races into the twenties by driving Schutt over mid-off for a couple of boundaries.
Sciver-Brunt crashes Schutt’s last ball to cow corner for four to complete a fabulous over from England: 17 from it. They need 44 from 18 balls.
16th over: England 125-3 (Sciver-Brunt 11, Knight 11) Knight drives Kim Garth over mid-off for four, another classy stroke, before surviving a run-out chance when Voll’s throw flashes past the stumps. Knight was well short.
Singles aren’t enough for England; in fact twos are no longer enough. Garth concedes ten from the over, which means England need 61 from 24 balls.
DLS is an irrelevance for now, with Australia 12 runs ahead at the end of that over.
15th over: England 115-3 (Sciver-Brunt 7, Knight 5) Wareham, who has had less trouble with the wet ball than Alana King, returns to the attack. England may have to target her.
Wareham cuts Sciver-Brunt in half with a ball that bounces this far past the stumps and runs away for four byes. Sciver-Brunt gets her first boundary with a sweep, as does Knight with a graceful drive over extra cover. A better over for England, 13 from it.
14th over: England 102-3 (Sciver-Brunt 1, Knight 1) Australia are trusting their seamers, which makes sense given the wet conditions. Sutherland bowls three dot balls in a row to Knight, each one pushing Australia closer to victory. England need 84 from 36 balls. Nah.
“Commiserations to Phil Withall,” says John Starbuck. “ It seems to be the day for it as we’ve just finished getting the old hi-fi down from the loft, preparatory to taking it to an audio shop which wants exactly this sort of thing. It’s got the full tape cassette deck, radio and record player turntable with large speakers. I’d forgotten how large it all was, but I won’t forget my wife receiving a blow on the head as she came down the ladder with one bit.”
Ouch, I hope she’s okay. I hope everyone’s okay. All of youse.
13th over: England 99-3 (Sciver-Brunt 1, Knight 0) That feels like a matchwinning over from Schutt: one run, two huge wickets.
WICKET! England 99-3 (Dunkley b Schutt 32)
Megan Schutt has flipped the game on its head! Dunkley is bowled by an immaculate delivery that zips on to hit off stump as Dunkley shapes to cut. She played really well again, hitting 32 from 22 balls. But Australia are well on top now.
Updated
WICKET! England 98-2 (Wyatt-Hodge c McGrath b Schutt 52)
Another twist in this compelling game. Wyatt-Hodge clubs a slower ball from Schutt high towards mid-off, where McGrath backpedals to take a good catch. Wyatt-Hodge played her best innings of the series to date; her departure puts Australia ahead on DLS.
12th over: England 98-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 52, Dunkley 32) McGrath drops another chance, a really tough return catch off her own bowling. The ball bursts through her hands for a single, whicb brings up a terrific fifty from 36 balls.
It looks the rain has eased to we may got a full game. England take a single off all six McGrath deliveries, which reduces the target to 88 from 48 balls. They’re two ahead on DLS.
11th over: England 92-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 49, Dunkley 29) Wareham concedes two singles from the first four balls, which brings the scores level on DLS. Wyatt-Hodge pushes England back in front with a very good, premeditated sweep over square leg for four. Her next shot is even better, pinged over the cover fielers on the run. She has 49 from 35 balls, Dunkley 29 from 17; they’ve played beautifully.
10th over: England 82-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 40, Dunkley 28) Dunkley slices Sutherland’s last ball past short third for four, doubling the numbers of runs scored in the over. England are four runs ahead on DLS.
“I’ve spent the day dismantling wardrobes, shifting furniture and discovering long forgotten literary gems,” says Phil Withall, which sounds lovel- oh. “I may also have managed to break a toe, destroy a shoulder and get a large gash in my right leg.
“At least I may be able to find solace in the Duckworth Lewis Stern system. I’ve never fully understood it, definitely won’t fully understand it but at a time when comfort is required, I will embrace it like a long lost relative...”
Hope you’re okay, Phil. That sounds a bit grim and shows once again the value of indolence.
More rain, more lightning. Dunkley has a look at the square-leg umpire, who gives nothing back. Play will continue for now.
9th over: England 74-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 37, Dunkley 23) Dunkley picks up where she left off, sweeping a full toss from King behind square for four. It will be hard for the legspinners to grip the ball – but King should have Dunkley caught off the last ball of the over. She top-edged a sweep and was dropped by Tahlia McGrath, diving forward at short fine leg. It wasn’t a dolly, but Australia rarely drop chances like that.
Updated
The rain has cleared and play is about to restart. Get your DLS sheets at the ready. No overs have been lost at this stage.
We should stress that the match isn’t over. The forecast isn’t too bad so the players may well get back on. But as things stand England have their noses in front thanks to some fine batting from Danni Wyatt-Hodge (37 from 27 balls) and Sophia Dunkley (18 from 11)
Rain stops play
8.4 overs: England 69-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 37, Dunkley 18) Play continues despite another lightning bolt. This doesn’t feel right. The non-striker Wyatt-Hodge is almost run out after trying to steal a leg bye to keep England up with the DLS par score.
No matter: Dunkley clips the next ball through midwicket for four, a brilliant stroke that puts England two runs ahead on DLS. And now the players are going off the field! Australia were in front before that last delivery to Dunkley.
Updated
8th over: England 62-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 34, Dunkley 14) Sublime batting from Sophia Dunkley, who drives Perry over mid-off for four and then straight back over her head for six. What a shot that is. Perry ends the over with two dot balls, which means the scores are level on DLS. The rain is getting heavier but play will continue for now.
“I don’t think Wyatt-Hodge is worried about the lightning,” says Matt Dony. “I think she’s just frustrated that she has competition suddenly. She’s been bringing the thunder and lightning pretty effectively in these early overs.”
Are you saying the lightning stole her thunder?
Updated
7th over: England 50-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 33, Dunkley 2) On comes the legspinner Georgia Wareham. This is really tense because it has started raining so the players could go off the field at any time. A brilliant over from Wareham, just two from it, moves Australia ahead on DLS. THe par score at the end of the over is 54.
6th over: England 48-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 32, Dunkley 1) Sophia Dunkley pulls her first ball over mid-on for a couple. The DLS par score is 47.
WICKET! England 46-1 (Bouchier ct and b Sutherland 13)
Urgh, this is a horrible dismissal. After cutting superbly for four, Bouchier tries a reverse ramp and spoons the simplest of return catches to Annabel Sutherland. The shot looked horrible but that can happen in T20. The worst part was the timing – wickets make such a difference in a potential DLS chase and, with rain apparently imminent, England were in control. Past tense. Poor Maia Bouchier has had a horrible series.
Updated
5th over: England 41-0 (Bouchier 9, Wyatt-Hodge 31) There’s a run-out referral against Wyatt-Hodge when Bouchier cracks the new bowler Perry down the ground. Wyatt-Hodge was back in her crease and it wasn’t entirely clear whether Perry touched it anyway.
Bouchier edges well wide of the keeper Mooney for her first boundary. There’s a bolt of lightning just before the last ball of Perry’s over. England’s openers start to run off the field, only to realise nobody else is joining them. The umpires have decided to continute; Wyatt-Hodge isn’t happy at all.
4th over: England 35-0 (Bouchier 4, Wyatt-Hodge 30) Wyatt-Hodge continues her brilliant start with back-to-back boundaries off Schutt. The first was a thump down the ground, the second a tickle off the pads. Mooney got a touch on it, I think, but it was an extremely difficult chance.
Updated
Healy and Gardner in Test squad
Australia have named a 13-player squad for the Test match at the MCG. Alyssa Healy has been included and hopes to be fit enough, but Beth Mooney will keep wicket either way.
This is the squad: Healy (wk), Brown, Gardner, Garth, King, Litchfield, McGrath, Mooney, Perry, Schutt, Sutherland, Voll, Wareham.
3rd over: England 25-0 (Bouchier 3, Wyatt-Hodge 21) Alana King comes on very early. Maybe Australia want to get ahead of the game before the rain. But for now it’s all about Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who hits consecutive boundaries in the reverse V with a sweep and a deliberate carve past short third. She has raced to 21 from 14 balls.
Updated
2nd over: England 15-0 (Bouchier 3, Wyatt-Hodge 12) Wyatt-Hodge charges Kim Garth’s first ball, carving it over point for four, and cracks another boundary through the covers later in the over. A fast start from Wyatt-Hodge would make such a difference for England, especially if DLS comes into play.
1st over: England 4-0 (Bouchier 3, Wyatt-Hodge 1) A quiet, typically accurate first over from Megan Schutt. No real swing but she gave the England openers othing to work with.
The players are back on the field. So far so good with the weather, although the radar suggests a shower might be imminent. I think we’ll get a game either way.
Updated
Incidentally, the wicket of Mooney – stumped off a wide – was definitely deliberate. You can see Sophie Ecclestone signal to Amy Jones with her left arm that she’s going to bowl it down the leg side.
England need 186 to win
That was blistering cameo from Grace Harris, who smashed three sixes in a 17-ball 35. She added 71 in 5.5 overs with McGrath, including 48 from the last three. After 17 overs of the innings England were arguably on top; not any more.
Updated
20th over: Australia 185-5 (McGrath 48, Harris 35) Lauren Bell, who left the field earlier feeling unwell, takes the lats over. She smiles sheepishly after getting away with a delivery that should have been called wide.
Harris thumps four over mid-off, misses an excellent wide yorker and ramps another attempted yorker for four. That’s a brilliant shot. One ball to go… and Harris clumps it down the ground for two.
Updated
19th over: Australia 172-5 (McGrath 48, Harris 23) Australia have become so good at the death. McGrath hits Ecclestone’s first three balls for four, the last with the aid of a misfield from Wyatt-Hodge in the covers, to bring up the fifty partnership from only 26 balls.
England’s fielding continues to falter. McGrath cracks Ecclestone to long off, where Dean puts down a slightly awkward running catch. It should still have been taken. McGrath cuts another boundary to make it 18 from the over and 35 from the last two.
18th over: Australia 154-5 (McGrath 30, Harris 23) Grace Harris shows her devastating power, driving and slog-sweeping Glenn for successive sixes. Three singles and two wides make it 17 from the over; Glenn ends with figures of 4-0-39-0. Australia have played her brilliantly in this T20 series.
17th over: Australia 137-5 (McGrath 28, Harris 10) McGrath rocks back to pull-sweep Ecclestone through square leg for four. England appeal for another stumping when Ecclestone deliberately spears one wide of off stump. It was another glorious piece of wicketkeeping from Amy Jones but McGrath did really well to drag her back foot behind the line.
This is a beautiful over from Ecclestone, who has an LBW appeal turned down when McGrath jams a curving yorker onto her toe. McGrath tries to ramp the last ball and ends up mishitting a single to short third.
16th over: Australia 132-5 (McGrath 23, Harris 10) Charlie Dean ends a good evening’s work with figures of 4-0-28-2.
Four overs to go, two of which will be bowled by Sophie Ecclestone.
Updated
Harris is not out It’s umpire’s call on the point of contact with leg stump so Harris survives.
15.3 overs: Australia 129-5 (McGrath 22, Harris 2) Dean makes the mistake of tossing one up to Grace Harris, who clouts a slog-sweep for six. That made the sweetest sound off the bat.
The next ball leads to both an LBW appeal and then a run-out chance. Heather Knight decides to risk the last review; this looks close.
Updated
15th over: Australia 122-5 (McGrath 22, Harris 2) A loose delivery from Kemp flies down the leg side for five wides; not even Amy Jones could stop that. That’s a shame because apart from that it was an excellent over.
Lauren Bell was “feeling unwell”, apparently. I’m slightly surprised she’s back on the field so soon but I’m not a qualified medical professional.
WICKET! Australia 114-5 (Sutherland c Dunkley b Kemp 14)
Lauren Bell returns to the field just in time to see the wicket of Annabel Sutherland. She picked Freya Kemp’s first ball up towards deep square leg, where Sophia Dunkley steadied herself to take the catch. For a split-second it looked like the ball might slip out of her grasp; it didn’t.
14th over: Australia 114-4 (Sutherland 18, McGrath 21) McGrath belts back-to-back boundaries off Glenn, a mow to cow corner and a thump to the left of mid-on. Even with the loss of four wickets, Australia are on course for an imposing total.
13th over: Australia 104-4 (Sutherland 17, McGrath 12) Sutherland smashes Sciver-Brunt over her head for four, then wallops six over midwicket. The ball landed on the outside of the boundary rope. Australia’s depth allows them to just keep on swinging; Sutherland has 17 not out from nine balls.
12th over: Australia 89-4 (Sutherland 4, McGrath 11) Ecclestone ends the over with three dot balls.
Bell is leaving the field. She’s walking unaided, which is a good sign, but it’s still concerning.
11.3 overs: Australia 89-4 (Sutherland 4, McGrath 11) Ecclestone returns for her second over. McGrath, whose poor form with the bat feels a long time ago, gets her first boundary with a superb late cut for four.
Hang on, this isn’t good. Bell is on her knees, with her hands on her head, and looks very distressed. She chased that ball to the boundary, turned and then seemed to suffer a dizzy spell. This is all rather worrying.
Updated
11th over: Australia 83-4 (Sutherland 3, McGrath 6) Sutherland is dropped by Freya Kemp! She drove Glenn to long on, where Kemp misjudged the flight of the ball and put it down as she swooped forward. England’s fielding has let them down all series and that was another relatively straightorward chance.
It’s a decent over nonetheless from Glenn, a dot ball and five singles.
10th over: Australia 78-4 (Sutherland 1, McGrath 3)
McGrath is not out She tried to flick a straight delivery to leg and was hit on the pad. Replays confirm a thick inside edge so that’s the end of that.
England review for LBW against McGrath This could be three in four balls for Charlie Dean.
WICKET! Australia 75-4 (Litchfield b Dean 17)
Two wickets in three balls for Charlie Dean! This is a really important wicket. Litchfield premeditates a lap, misses and is bowled behind her legs. “Come on!” shouts Dean, who is having her best day of the series so far.
Updated
WICKET! Australia 74-3 (Perry c Bouchier b Dean 2)
Elysse Perry tries to slog sweep Dean but mishits the ball miles in the air onthe off side. Bouchier backpedals to take a comfortable catch.
These are useful wickets for England. Mind you, Australia have such power in the lower middle-order that they can feel like a mixed blessing.
Updated
9th over: Australia 74-2 (Litchfield 17, Perry 2) The legspinner Sarah Glenn, who was taken apart on Monday, rushes through her first over. It starts well, with three singles from five balls, but Litchfield skips down the pitch to drive the last delivery over mid-off for a one-bounce four. Lovely shot.
Updated
8th over: Australia 67-2 (Litchfield 12, Perry 0) In theory that wicket could have been a happy accident. But, as Alex Hartley says on commentary, Sophie Ecclestone just doesn’t bowl rank bad balls like that; it must have been a plan.
WICKET! Australia 66-2 (Mooney st Jones b Ecclestone 44)
Beth Mooney is stumped off a wide. It was really clever bowling from Ecclestone, who sensed that Mooney was coming and floated the ball well wide of leg stump. Jones, who would have been unsighted, made an awkward stumping look easy. We take Jones for granted but she is a genius behind the stumps.
Updated
7th over: Australia 62-1 (Mooney 43, Litchfield 10) Nat Sciver-Brunt into the attack. She sees Litchfield coming and spears the ball wide outside off stump; Litchfield manages to not only reach the ball but also guide it past point for four. That’s such a good shot.
Updated
6th over: Australia 54-1 (Mooney 41, Litchfield 4) That didn’t take long. Litchfield gets off the mark by reverse sweeping her third ball over backward point for four. Dean has figures of 2-0-15-0.
Updated
5th over: Australia 45-1 (Mooney 38, Litchfield 0) That was the last ball of the over.
WICKET! Australia 47-1 (Voll run out 5)
Bell changes ends to replace Kemp. Voll gets off the mark by muscling a good-length delivery over midwicket for four; that’s a ferocious shot.
It’s also her last boundary. She tried to steal a third run and was well short when Bouchier’s excellent throw from deep point was taken smoothly by Amy Jones.
Updated
4th over: Australia 36-0 (Mooney 32, Voll 0) Beth Mooney is flying. She comes down the track to drive the new bowler Charlie Dean over mid-off for her sixth four. Dean moves over the wicket, so Mooney skips down to crash a drive between the two cover fielders. That’s a glorious stroke.
Mooney has 32 from 23 balls, Voll 0 from 2.
3rd over: Australia 28-0 (Mooney 24, Voll 0) Freya Kemp has already been through so much in her career that it’s easy to forget she’s still a teenager. Injury permitting she will surely get a good run in England’s white-ball team.
After a good start to her second over, Kemp is lifted for two boundaries by Mooney – one over extra cover, one over midwicket. Mooney averages 104 in T20 internationals on this ground, including an unbeaten 117 against England in 2017-18.
2nd over: Australia 18-0 (Mooney 15, Voll 0) Bell’s first ball is a hooping full toss that Mooney tickles down the leg side for four. The line wasn’t quite right but England will be encouraged by the swing that Kemp and Bell are getting.
Oof, that’s not good. Bell sends down a high full toss that is carted through midwicket for four by Mooney. It’s a no-ball on height, which means a free hit; Mooney slugs it over Bell’s head for four more.
Voll, slow to react to the chance of a quick single, survives a run-out chance when Wyatt-Hodge’s underarm throw just misses the stumps. An eventful and expensive over, 14 from it, ends with Voll almost offering a return catch.
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Mooney 2, Voll 0) A pretty good first over from Kemp includes a gorgeous outswinger that beats Beth Mooney. England have an interesting field for Mooney, with a kind of deep fourth slip just a very fine short third.
“Good morning,” says John Starbuck. “As we sit around awaiting the deluge, it’s good to be reminded of summer, even on the other side of the world. Not that England’s prospects are encouraging. The batting shot selection has been puerile; the bowling inaccurate; and the fielding lamentable. Let’s face it, this series is going to be a whitewash. While there’s no shame in losing to a better team, it needs at least to happen gracefully. Something Must Be Done.”
I know what you mean by ‘puerile’ but that word feels too strong. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to keep a cool head when you are batting under such relentless pressure.
Time for the action. Freya Kemp will open the bowling to Beth Mooney.
Read Andy Bull on England’s struggles
Forget the gap between England and the opposition. The bigger problem is the gap between the way England have been playing since they arrived in Australia and the team they are supposed to be. If Heather Knight, her players, and their head coach, Jon Lewis, are honest with themselves they will know they’ve fallen well short of their own standards, let alone Australia’s. It is one thing to be second best to a better team, but another again if the side you are falling behind is the one you were yourselves this time last year.
The weather forecast isn’t great for the second half of the game, which is another reason for England to bowl first. Tahlia McGrath says she was 50/50 all day about what to do at the toss.
Team news
Both teams are unchanged. Heather Graham has been added to Australia’s T20 squad as cover for the injured Ash Gardner and Alyssa Healy.
Australia Mooney (wk), Voll, Litchfield, Perry, Sutherland, McGrath (c), Harris, Wareham, King, Garth, Schutt.
England Bouchier, Wyatt-Hodge, Dunkley, Sciver-Brunt, Knight (c), Jones (wk), Kemp, Dean, Ecclestone, Glenn, Bell.
England win the toss and bowl
That means they’ll be chasing for the fourth game in a row.
Preamble
Good evening, good morning, good afternoon. When the Women’s Ashes schedule was announced there was understandable criticism that it was far too short, with the whole thing squashed into 24 days between 11 January and 2 February. Now it’s in danger of outstaying its welcome. Australia retained the Ashes after 10 of those 24 days, and the rest of the series – containing the last two T20s and the Test in Melbourne – could be one big anti-climax.
Still, this is the Ashes, and there’s always something to play for. Marsellus Wallace can say what he likes about pride but he clearly wasn’t a cricket fan. A number of the England players, and the coach Jon Lewis, are fighting for their futures. Australia’s future looks almost as bright as their coruscating recent past. The present looks pretty good too. The Class of 25 have the chance to achieve something extraordinary: the first whitewash in Women’s Ashes history.
Tonight’s match starts at 7.15pm AEDT, 8.15am GMT.
Updated
