Huge credit to both sides, it’s been a riveting series. Congratulations to Australia!
Time for me to go, thanks for your company and correspondence. Enjoy your Sunday evening/Monday morning.
You could forgive England for wanting a bit of time to reflect on another thriller, but they’re all out signing autographs and taking selfies.
— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) July 16, 2023
Big credit to them and Australia for not just playing a brilliant series, but for being superb ambassadors. pic.twitter.com/JOSrYuqGfJ
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Ashes retaining Captain, Alyssa Healy:
Nat was great and our girls showed grit and determination. You talk about momentum, Wareham’s innings allowed us to take a buzz. We were up and about and it was crucial at the back end.
For Alana King to come in and perform right away shows our depth. I have no doubt that anyone in the squad of 15 can do the job.
It was stressful in the end but I really enjoyed it! We pride ourselves on winning key moments. The bowlers were set in their plan in the end for which I’m grateful. We still haven’t played our best cricket. We came here to win the Ashes and we’ve done that, it’s exciting and congratulations to the group for getting it done.
"A little stressful!" 😅
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 16, 2023
Alyssa Healy "chuffed" that the Ashes are heading back to Australia 🔒 pic.twitter.com/XJqRiMvxJ4
Heather Knight speaks:
“I Loved the way Nat batted and I thought we had it in the end, credit to Australia. Two brilliant sides, there’s still an ODI series on the line. I was a bag of nerves in the dressing room. It’s been the best women’s series in my opinion.
Unfortunately we are on the wrong side of the result. I thought after the way we pulled it back in the middle, we let it go in the end. I thought the score was gettable but sometimes you’ve got to accept defeat and learn from these things.
We’re really disappointed with the series loss. We had the momentum and thought we’d win. Ultimately, we can draw the series and win the ODIs which will be a big achievement. We’ve played outstanding cricket, Australia have played really well and we are equal. It’s a hugely positive effort.
"Best series ever in women's cricket!" 👏
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 16, 2023
Heather Knight respectful in defeat 🏴 pic.twitter.com/sYGzntROUp
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Alana King is Player of the Match:
She was magnificent, taking 3-44 with real craft and skill. Her dismissal of Beaumont was a beauty.
It’s a big sense of relief! We are stoked that we’ve won and retained the Ashes! It all comes down to match-ups – I just need to be ready when I can and take the opportunity when called upon.
She talks about not playing but being a consummate squad member:
You’ve gotta control the controllables and you’ve just got to be the best team-mate around and do the work behind the scenes.
Q.Will you watch the Beaumont ball on loop?
Maybe! just stoked to be back on the side.
Q. How long will the champagne last?
I don’t know, ask the captain!
Reaction from the post-match presentation coming up
It went to the final ball but Australia have retained the women's Ashes.#BBCCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/CW7nOp5F9v
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 16, 2023
Hell of a series. A reminder that it would be a superb achievement for England to draw a multi-format series against this Australia side, even if they won’t regain the Ashes
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) July 16, 2023
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Report on the whistle:
That was a hell of a game. Australia held their nerve at the end, they are made of steel in these situations. England look pretty disconsolate, they fought to the last. That 26 run assault off the last over from Wareham felt pivotal at the time and so it proved.
Hell of an effort from Nat Sciver-Brunt but Australia’s women retain the Ashes. The 26 Wareham hit off their last over felt crucial at the time, and so it proved.
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) July 16, 2023
We need to stop putting Nat Sciver-Brunt through this https://t.co/wc7KcLsHBQ
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) July 16, 2023
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Australia win by 3 wickets!
Agony for Nat Sciver-Brunt and England. The ball was in the slot from Jonassen but Sciver-Brunt doesn’t time it, it goes up to mid-on on the bounce and England can only take a single. Yet again Sciver-Brunt has kept England in a game singlehandedly but failed at the last. What a game. England fought bravely but Australia RETAIN THE ASHES.
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Two more to Nat Sciver-Brunt. England need 4 runs off the last ball to take it to a super over…
A sweep for two by Nat Sciver-Brunt. Seven needed off two balls.
Glenn gets a single to the mid-off. Sciver-Brunt on strike. FOUR runs! Slog sweep for four. 9 needed from 3!
Jonassen to bowl it, Nat Sciver-Brunt takes a single off the first ball…
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49th over: England 268-7 (Sciver-Brunt 101, Glenn 21) Ash Gardner to bowl the penultimate over. Glenn gets a leg-bye off the first to bring Sciver-Brunt on strike. DROP! NSB is dropped by Wareham! England take two and are hanging on. 100 to Nat Sciver-Brunt! What a knock, can she England home? No time to celebrate. Two singles see Glenn on strike for the last ball – DOT. Right. One over to go: England need 15 runs from 6 balls to stay in the Ashes.
48th over: England 262-7 (Sciver-Brunt 97, Glenn 20) Jess Jonassen to bowl. NSB takes a single and Glenn dots up. A single to cover gets Sciver-Brunt on strike. FOUR! A low full toss is swept hard to the fence! Two more singles see Glenn on strike for the next over. 21 needed from 12 balls. Breathe everybody.
47th over: England 254-7 (Sciver-Brunt 91, Glenn 18) Ash Gardner with two to bowl. Sciver-Brunt clips to leg and motors back for two runs. Gardner sends down a wide but follows it up with two dots. Two further singles ramp up the tension! This game is going down to the wire. 29 needed from 18 balls. A couple of boundaries needed to break the shackles for England. Australia desperate for a breakthrough. On we go. How are your nerves?
46th over: England 248-7 (Sciver-Brunt 87, Glenn 17) Alana King to bowl her final over. A beauty! King fizzes one past Glenn that narrowly avoids stumps and edge. Three dots and three singles off it. Neither side will mind that too much. 35 from 24 is the equation.
Well bowled Alana King, she finishes with 3-44 off her ten overs.
45th over: England 245-7 (Sciver-Brunt 85, Glenn 16) Tahlia McGrath spears in a wide and the crowd are up once more, cheering every run. Two singles and then a FOUR! Glenn chops down on a yorker and squeezes it past the Healy for a welcome boundary. Two more singles make it nine more runs off the total. 38 needed from 30 runs for England to keep the Ashes alive.
44th over: England 236-7 (Sciver-Brunt 83, Glenn 10) Alana King returns and tightens up for Australia but England still manage four runs from it. 47 needed from 36 balls. Palms are sweaty… you know the rest.
43rd over: England 232-7 (Sciver-Brunt 80, Glenn 9) Nat Sciver-Brunt is doing what she does, she looks calm and composed. Three singles precede another sweep for four! A single sees NSB steal strike for the next too. It’s ramping up again – the crowd give a blast of Hey Jude.
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42nd over: England 224-7 (Sciver-Brunt 74, Glenn 7) Sciver-Brunt sweeps for four, a full bunger by Wareham is punished. The closer England get the more crucial that last over damage by Wareham with the bat in hand will seem to be.
59 runs from 48 balls is the equation… simple eh?
41st over: England 218-7 (Sciver-Brunt 69, Glenn 6) England keep chipping away. Eight runs taken off the over, Glenn looking to attack and NSB rotating strike, she trusts her partner to pick up runs and hang about.
40th over: England 205-7 (Sciver-Brunt 66, Glenn 2) Georgia Wareham twirls away and a nervy looking Glenn manages to get Sciver-Brunt on strike. NSB is the silver tuna now, England won’t do this without her. She collects a couple and keeps strike with a single.
39th over: England 205-7 (Sciver-Brunt 62, Glenn 1) Sarah Glenn joins Sciver-Brunt with England in deep strife.
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WICKET! Ecclestone lbw b Gardner 1 (England 203-7)
One brings two! Ecclestone misses a sweep and is pinned lbw. She decides not to review and trudges off. Double strike in the over for Gardner!
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WICKET! Jones c Schutt b Gardner 37 (England 201-6)
Gardner returns and snares Jones almost immediately – a reverse-paddle is caught easily behind square. Partnership ended and Australia celebrate wildly, they are were just starting to get a bit twitchy.
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38th over: England 203-5 (Sciver-Brunt 60, Jones 37) Handy over for England – nine runs off it. Amy Jones shows her class, a nudge for two is followed by a lofted-drive for four over long-on! DROP! Another lofted shot into the leg side just evades the fielder who I think lost the flight of the ball.
37th over: England 194-5 (Sciver-Brunt 60, Jones 28) Tahlia McGrath back into the attack and it’s a good over from Australia, just five runs off it. Jones and NSB have done well to keep England in this, if they can take it deep then you never know.
36th over: England 189-5 (Sciver-Brunt 59, Jones 24) Amy Jones picks up a single and then a wide from Wareham is greeted with a round of applause by the crowd who are just starting to believe. Eight runs off the over. England need 96 off 84 balls.
35th over: England 181-5 (Sciver-Brunt 58, Jones 22) Schutt continues, can England go big again this over? Five singles off the first five balls and a boundary off the last make it a good one for England. Schutt drops short and Sciver-Brunt pounces and pulls for four! Still fighting…
34th over: England 172-5 (Sciver-Brunt 52, Jones 19) England needed that previous over to give themselves a jolt back to life. Georgia Wareham continues, she has five overs left in the bank. Sciver-Brunt sweeps for a couple to bring up her FIFTY of just 53 balls.
33rd over: England 167-5 (Sciver-Brunt 49, Jones 17) Hello! What was in Amy Jones’ drink? She picks up a couple of boundaries straight away after a slurp. She paddles Schutt behind the keeper for four and then pulls for four more! Pace back on the ball and England get their first boundaries in over seven overs. It seems NSB and Amy Jones have had a chat and are going to put their foot down here, especially against the returning pace of Schutt. 13 runs off the over!
32nd over: England 154-5 (Sciver-Brunt 48, Jones 5) Georgia Wareham has been a revelation in this game. She’s followed up her cameo last over blitzkrieg with the bat with 1-16 off five overs with the ball. England can only pick up singles. The run-rate is now seven an over now. This pair have to get England somewhere close but boundaries are hard to come by.
31st over: England 151-5 (Sciver-Brunt 47, Jones 3) Gardner gets though her over at warp speed, Australia are rattling through and the required run-rate is only going one way for England. England take four runs but it ain’t enough at the moment.
30th over: England 147-5 (Sciver-Brunt 45, Jones 1) Georgia Wareham back into the attack. Sciver-Brunt takes a single and Jones is off the mark with a push into the off-side. Eeeesh! Wareham rags one past the outside edge of Sciver-Brunt’s blade. The Aussie spinners are well on top here.
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29th over: England 144-5 (Sciver-Brunt 42, Jones 0) Amy Jones joins NSB in the middle with England somewhat in the mire, still needing 139 from 21 overs. Australia need five more wickets to retain the urn.
WICKET! Wyatt c Sutherland b Gardner 8 (England 144-5)
Another one gone! Wyatt plinks to mid-on and is safely take. England slipping away here, all of their wickets so far have fallen to spin.
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28th over: England 142-4 (Sciver-Brunt 42, Wyatt 7) King is bowling wonderfully, she has 3-37 from her eight overs. A match-winning contribution? England still have a sniff with NSB and Wyatt at the crease. They are watchful, ticking the singles.
27th over: England 139-4 (Sciver-Brunt 41, Wyatt 5) England re-building after that flurry of wickets. Ash Gardner into her fifth over, four runs from it.
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26th over: England 136-4 (Sciver-Brunt 38, Wyatt 4) Alana King continues, she’s got her dander up and is giving the ball a real fizz. England eke out three runs from the over. Here is that King snare of Tammy Beaumont:
This delivery ☄️😵💫 pic.twitter.com/p1iWz1KuXt
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 16, 2023
You’re welcome.
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25th over: England 132-4 (Sciver-Brunt 36, Wyatt 3) Sciver-Brunt goes deep in her crease and works Jonassen for four. A lot now rests on NSB’s shoulders after that Capsey dismissal. Wyatt scores quickly if she gets in. England still need 151 runs from 25 overs, Australia need 6 wickets.
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WICKET! Capsey c Gardner b King 2 (England 123-4)
King offers some width and is clattered to the fence by Sciver-Brunt. Uh-oh! Alice Capsey is gone! She tries to go big but mis-times King to be caught on the fence. England have lost three wickets in the last seven overs and their Ashes hopes are slipping away.
24th over: England 123-4 (Sciver-Brunt 30, Wyatt)
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23rd over: England 115-3 (Sciver-Brunt 23, Capsey 1) Sciver-Brunt dances down and drives Jonassen for four. Lovely batting. Jonassen drags down again and is clipped for two, the left-armer is usually so accurate but has struggled with her length so far today. Seven runs off the over for England.
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WICKET! Beaumont b King 60 (England 107-3)
What a ball! King channels The King Shane Warne with a ball that pitches on leg-stump and rips past Beaumont’s forward poke to knock off the off-bail! I’ll find a video of that and post it. It was so good. Beaumont has to go for a well made 60. Alice Capsey is the new batter, she’s off the mark with a force through point.
22nd over: England 109-3 (Sciver-Brunt 17, Capsey 1)
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21st over: England 107-2 (Beaumont 60, Sciver-Brunt 16) Jess Jonassen into the attack with some left-arm darts. She drags down and is punished by NSB who crunches away through the leg-side for four. England pick up singles and take eight off the over.
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20th over: England 99-2 (Beaumont 57, Sciver-Brunt 8) England accumulating, Australia circling. Three off the over.
“This is the second time (after the Perry nick at the Oval – where she knew she’d hit it) that snicko has had the ‘sound’ not synched up properly with the picture, when Heather Knight also knew she’d hit it.” Writes Jim Luetchford.
”I suppose it could be just a coincidence, but this kind of sloppy technology doesn’t seem to happen for the men – are the ECB short-changing the women yet again with a snicko they’ve bought off Matt Hancock’s landlord?”
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19th over: England 96-2 (Beaumont 57, Sciver-Brunt 8) McGrath pins NSB in front and it is given lbw! My oh my, this is a big moment. Sciver-Brunt sends for the review and it is MISSING! Reprieve for England. Sciver-Brunt then clips the next ball nonchalantly for four through mid-wicket! All happening.
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18th over: England 89-2 (Beaumont 55, Sciver-Brunt 3) Heather Knight was livid as she walked off, she was certain she hit the ball. The DRS shows a tiny murmur but it wasn’t enough to over turn the decision. Could be a crucial talking point in this game and this series. Nat Sciver-Brunt is the new batter for England.
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WICKET! Knight lbw b King 12 (England 86-2)
England’s captain has to go! She goes down to paddle King but gets pinned in front of all three stumps. Knight thought she hit it and reviewed immediately but no dice, a flat line and three reds send her on her way.
17th over: England 86-1 (Beaumont 55, Knight 12) McGrath continues after drinks. England happy to accumulate, three singles off the over.
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16th over: England 83-1 (Beaumont 54, Knight 10) Knight reverse-sweeps for a couple and Beaumont works into the gaps. England collect six off the over, it is cat and mouse stuff. Finely poised at DRINKS.
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15th over: England 77-1 (Beaumont 52, Knight 6) Nearly cleans her up! McGrath bowls another tight over, the final ball of which nips back at Heather Knight who juuuust manages to get an inside edge on it and it races away for four.
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14th over: England 72-1 (Beaumont 51, Knight 2) Georgia Wareham is bowling excellently here, the proverbial flight and guile. Getting the ball up above the eyes and dropping it on a good length. Tammy Beaumont was stripped of a couple of runs which is why you might have spotted her score pogoing around. She’s gone to her fifty again.
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13th over: England 69-1 (Beaumont 53, Knight 1) Testing over from Thalia McGrath, zeroing in on the stumps and giving no width whatsoever, England manage to pick up three singles.
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12th over: England 66-1 (Beaumont 51, Knight 0) Heather Knight comes to the crease fresh off her match-winning knock in Bristol. Australia attack with a slip in place. Big appeal! NOT OUT – the ball was sliding past leg-stump. Phew.
WICKET! Dunkley b Wareham 13 (England 66-1)
Gone! Dunkley’s slightly torturous knock is over as she attempts to lap sweep Wareham and is cleaned up. Sounds odd but that might not be the worst thing to happen for England.
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11th over: England 65-0 (Dunkley 13, Beaumont 50) FIFTY to Tammy Beaumont! A gem of a knock so far, can she go on to a big one and keep England in the Ashes hunt!? Dunkley is struggling at the other end – she’s on 13 off 29 balls, you can sense her frustration building. Something’s gotta/gonna give.
10th over: England 62-0 (Dunkley 12, Beaumont 49) Beaumont has been full of pizazz and confidence whereas Dunkley has been reserved and a bit stodgy at the crease. Annabelle Sutherland is into the attack and she ties Dunkley down, Dunkley is a bit all or nothing, needs to be better at getting off strike, especially with Beaumont flying at the other end. Just a couple off the over.
9th over: England 60-0 (Dunkley 11, Beaumont 48) Great use of the crease once more from Beaumont, she swivels back and sweeps Schutt for four. The fielder comes up from long-on, Schutt drops short and is PANNED away over mid-on for four more! That was more of a top-spin forehand you’d see from Djokovic on centre court, amazing shot and comprehensive stuff from Beaumont. Four more! A fine glance off the pad beats Healy and runs away to the fence. Twelve off the over.
8th over: England 48-0 (Dunkley 11, Beaumont 36) King whirls away, she tosses one up above the eyeline, Beaumont loses her shape in trying to smear to the fence. Sophia Dunkley is itching to get a boundary and a half-tracker from King gifts her the opportunity she craves – a crunch through the covers for four.
7th over: England 43-0 (Dunkley 7, Beaumont 35) Schutt replaces Ash Gardner. Dunkley tries a booming drive but connects only with fresh air. Healy whips off the bails but Dunkley is safely in her ground. Schutt sprays down the leg-side to gift another run to England. Beaumont dances around in her crease like Fred Astaire and it puts off Schutt who drags one down and gets punished. Six off the over.
6th over: England 36-0 (Dunkley 6, Beaumont 30) Alana King replaces Schutt. Lovely to see some leg-spin on a Sunday afternoon. Beaumont drops to one knee to paddle for two to fine-leg. Brilliant shot! Beaumont opens the face and drives immaculately through the covers for four… and four more! King drops short and Beaumont rocks back and scythes through point for another boundary. Eleven off the over, England are counter-punching nicely here.
5th over: England 25-0 (Dunkley 5, Beaumont 20) Beaumont comes to the party! She launches Gardner over mid-off twice in the over to pick up identikit boundaries. A drive in the same region gets her two more. Ten off the over, Beaumont is ticking.
4th over: England 15-0 (Dunkley 5, Beaumont 10) Schutt is accurate, scudding the ball in at pads and stumps. Dunkley clips for one into the leg side and Beaumont reciprocates with a glide to point. Just two singles off the over. Pressure building…
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3rd over: England 13-0 (Dunkley 4, Beaumont 9) Shot! First four of the innings to Tammy Beaumont, she saunters down and lofts Gardner over the infield with a minimum of fuss. Productive over for England, they pilfer ten runs off Gardner’s second over to inject some life into their run rate.
2nd over: England 3-0 (Dunkley 2, Beaumont 1) Megan Schutt starts from the opposite end. Alyssa Healy is up to the stumps and Australia have a ring-field. There are just a couple off it, a single each to Dunkley and Beaumont. Australia have started with a squeeze here, there’s been none of the freebies that they gifted England in the last game.
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1st over: England 1-0 (Dunkley 1, Beaumont 0) A fine start for Gardner and Australia, just a single off the first over. Dunkley clips to mid-on to open England’s account. England need nearly six and over throughout.
Ash Gardner is going to start with the new ball, spin for the Aussies first up. Let’s play.
Thanks Geoff and hello everyone. Can England chase these runs and take the Ashes down to a decider at Taunton on Tuesday? They’ll have to go some – Georgia Wareham’s 37 off 14 has swing the pendulum firmly in Australia’s favour. The players are readying…
2️⃣8️⃣3️⃣ to win.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 16, 2023
Let's go!
Scorecard/clips 👇#EnglandCricket #Ashes
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England must chase 283 to win
I’ll tell you what, that looked like England’s day all the way up to the end of the 49th over. They were on track to chase something smaller than what they chased at Bristol. And suddenly, in the space of five deliveries, the equation has changed. Wareham came in like a wrecking ball.
The 264 in Bristol was England women’s biggest run chase on record, now they’ll need to break that record again. It’ll be a tough one, but they’ll be up for it.
That’s me done for the day, James Wallace will take you through the second innings.
50th over: Australia 282-7 (Wareham 37, Jonassen 5) Last over of the match, Wareham on strike…
… and she clobbers the first ball for six! Into her arc, on the pads, and sends it soaring over midwicket, clearing the fielder out there on the rope.
Lauren Bell again, bowls the same ball, and gets the same treatment! Six more.
Bell wants to smash the ball into the surface, take some pace off and leave it outside off stum. Wareham is one step ahead of her, and that step is backwards to the leg side, forehanding over mid off for four!
Fourth ball, how’s that sound off the bat? Best contact of the day! Six more, this time a bit straighter over wide long on. This is an incredible display of hitting! Once again the ball is straight into Wareham’s hitting zone, at the pads.
Fifth ball, it’s another off side one, and again Wareham goes over mid off for four. The only one she doesn’t marmalise is the final ball of the match, swinging and missing, aside from a tiny edge. Jones drops the catch, but they don’t get a run.
Hooley dooly. That’s 26 from the over!
49th over: Australia 256-7 (Wareham 11, Jonassen 5) Sciver-Brunt to bowl the second-last over. Wareham pulls for one, Jonassen misses a drive. Gets a shot over square leg but only for one. Wareham is laying into the ball as hard as she can but it’s only going for one at a time.
48th over: Australia 251-7 (Wareham 8, Jonassen 1) Difficult to come in and score from the get-go, but that’s the task for the new pair. Wareham starts well, two through cover, then four over the top, backing away for room facing Bell. Leg bye past the keeper. Jonassen cuts two, turning fast for the second.
47th over: Australia 240-7 (Wareham 1, Jonassen 0) What an over! That pair put on 81, but Ecclestone gets them both in the space of four balls, and that might be what keeps Australia to a much lower score.
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WICKET! Sutherland c Capsey b Ecclestone 50, Australia 240-7
Two in the over! Same thing, other side of the wicket. Sutherland completed her first ODI fifty before Perry got out, but not she follows Perry back into the sheds.
WICKET! Perry c sub (Dean) b Ecclestone 91, Australia 239-6
Playing the team way, Perry uses her feet, decides the length is right, and tries to clear long off. Gets a lot of it but short by a couple of metres. England’s substitute fielder takes the catch. No hundred for Perry today, after making 99 in the Test match. But then, her ODI career has never been about hundreds.
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46th over: Australia 238-5 (Perry 91, Sutherland 49) Excellent bowling from Bell, she keeps hitting a yorker length and the Australians can only dig out two runs from the first four balls. Perry drives a run to deep cover. Will we see the scoops coming out to get something from this length? Sutherland tries to heave out a drive instead, hits it high in the air but it lands short of long on, rushing in.
45th over: Australia 234-5 (Perry 89, Sutherland 47) Shot from Perry, opens the face against Ecclestone to drive up and over point for four. Gets off strike, then Ecclestone keeps looping the ball almost into the blockhole for Sutherland, who can’t get any power on her shots.
44th over: Australia 229-5 (Perry 84, Sutherland 47) Natalie Single-Brunt? Another over of ones, albeit thanks to the non-striker’s stumps that get in the way when Sutherland belts a pull shot dead straight.
43rd over: Australia 223-5 (Perry 81, Sutherland 44) This is a gem from Sutherland. Chips two down the ground, then advances and smacks out to midwicket with such force that it bursts through Wyatt for four! The fielder gets there but is undone on the second bounce, a bit of spin, and so much pace on the ball. Races for another two runs over the bowler’s head, then winds up and pings that wide long on boundary for four more! Throw in three wides thanks to a keeper’s miss and Glenn’s over costs 17 runs.
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42nd over: Australia 206-5 (Perry 80, Sutherland 31) Good work continues from Sciver-Brunt, keeping them to singles by bowling that hard length that they can’t pull but can’t hit straight with any power. One run each ball, including a lofted one from Sutherland that lands pretty close to long on.
41st over: Australia 200-5 (Perry 77, Sutherland 28) Into the last ten overs. Can Australia go at six? At eight? Can England grab some wickets and slow them right down? Great start from Glenn, keeping them to three singles!
40th over: Australia 197-5 (Perry 76, Sutherland 26) Ball stays down from Sciver-Brunt but Sutherland gets her bat low enough in the attempted pull. Then loses that bat running through for a single. Perry gets low and sweeps fine, charges back for the second run and makes Sutherland hammer towards the non-striker’s end as they take on Glenn’s throw. Then they’re putting Glenn under pressure again, a lift behind square that Glenn charges towards but can’t reach on the full. She hits her head a bit on the ground I think, maybe the chin – has a quick doctor’s check but she’s ok to continue. Sutherland smacks a pull shot along the ground but Dunkley is at deep square. The field is well back now in most places, so there’s a single every ball plus the two.
39th over: Australia 190-5 (Perry 72, Sutherland 23) Eighth over for Ecclestone. That means that Bell, Sciver-Brunt, Glenn, Capsey are the options for most of the final ten. Sutherland chips over extra cover for two. Three singles as well. She’s changed the dyamic since coming in, has 23 from 22 balls.
38th over: Australia 185-5 (Perry 71, Sutherland 19) Nip and tuck. Sciver-Brunt comes back and slows the scoring right down again, only one run from it, Perry finding it really hard to time shots against the medium pace off the surface. The ball seems to be gripping, coming on slowly to the bat.
37th over: Australia 184-5 (Perry 71, Sutherland 18) Splat! So goes the ball over the rope down the ground, Perry hitting Ecclestone straight with the mid off up inside the circle. Five down, she’s the key player, but Perry still willing to take them on.
36th over: Australia 176-5 (Perry 64, Sutherland 17) Battle of the Young Guns, and Sutherland takes it to Bell! First up, a straight hit back over the bowler’s head. Secondly, an inelegant lift over the leg side that nonetheless reaches the fence at midwicket. Thirdly, a shorter ball pulled for four as Bell tries to adjust the length. Huge over for Australia.
35th over: Australia 164-5 (Perry 64, Sutherland 5) Perry steps down to Ecclestone, drives, and she’s dropped again! England missed her twice in Bristol, now twice here, and this time it’s Kate Cross. A hard flat drive, to the left of mid off. Cross gets across and gets both hands to it but it spills free, and she rolls over after a heavy landing, ending up with cramp in a leg. The physio eventually takes her off. Pickle juice time after bowling four overs.
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34th over: Australia 162-5 (Perry 63, Sutherland 4) Gorgeous shot to start from Sutherland, the ball swinging in to the pads and Sutherland drives it through midwicket for four.
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WICKET! Gardner c Ecclestone b Bell 33, Australia 158-5
This time Ecclestone hangs on! Gardner tries a baseball shot off a length, and doesn’t get enough of it. The sound off the bat is no good, and the clunky shot loops to mid off.
33rd over: Australia 158-4 (Perry 63, Gardner 33) Whack! What a way to start after drinks, Perry driving through the line against Cross to hit the ball right back the way it came. Four runs, a couple of singles to follow, and Cross ends her day’s work with 0 for 41.
32nd over: Australia 152-4 (Perry 58, Gardner 32) More from Glenn, to deep cover for a Gardner run. Tries to skid a faster one on to Perry but the batter cuts. Cover sweeper getting a workout, four singles there in the over… then Gardner finally gets the placement on one! Cuts it well in front of square, out through extra cover really and it beats the dive.
31st over: Australia 144-4 (Perry 56, Gardner 26) Perry comes down looking for a run and is sent back by Gardner, has to dive back in to beat Beaumont’s throw. Then a good stop by Beaumont at backward point after Perry middles it a wide carve. Leg glance for one. Second-last over for Cross. Hits Gardner on the pad, going down leg, the appeal quickly fades. Then hits Gardner outside the line of leg stump and it nearly ricochets back onto the stumps! Inside edge on that, it’s given as runs.
30th over: Australia 142-4 (Perry 55, Gardner 25) They’re racing singles, Perry and Gardner, Capsey pinging at the non-striker’s end but missing. Perry nails a cover drive but Knight dives to field it in one take. Three singles from this over. They’re still going at close to five per over, the Australians, so they can still lift to a big total if they don’t lose wickets through the next ten overs.
29th over: Australia 139-4 (Perry 53, Gardner 24) Cross keeps using that short ball to good effect, twice Gardner sways away. Only three singles.
28th over: Australia 136-4 (Perry 51, Gardner 23) Out through cover for two, leg side for one, Gardner off strike, and Perry is hit on the pad playing back to Glenn and missing. She’s hit about halfway in front of leg stump, the umpire says it’s going down leg, and while England review it shows an orange light on impact. Perry stays. Can’t get runs, even a low full toss she clips straight at midwicket, chance wasted. Next ball she steps towards Glenn and smacks it straight – dropped catch again! Away to Glenn’s left and low, hard to take return catches hit with force, but Glenn gets hands to it. Perry gets a run.
27th over: Australia 132-4 (Perry 50, Gardner 20) Kate Cross comes back, four overs left in her allotment. Again uses the bouncer, just the once, as a surprise ball. Works well as Perry goes under it. That’s after Gardner picks off the straight ball through leg side a couple of times.
Half century! Ellyse Perry 50 from 64 balls
26th over: Australia 129-4 (Perry 50, Gardner 17) Up and running, Gardner plays the same shot to Glenn! Even better contact this time, for six. Rotates strike with the cut, then Perry pulls to deep square leg, hustles for the second run and makes it. Goes past her career average and raises half-century number 30 (yes, that’s thirty) in one-day cricket.
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25th over: Australia 119-4 (Perry 47, Gardner 10) Gardner attacks Capsey and the catch goes down. First miss today, they missed six in Bristol. Ecclestone at mid on gets across to the line of a straight lofted shot. In the end muddles her movement. Jumps at the ball and goes with one hand, where more decisive footwork might have got her in line with the ball and able to use both hands. Deflects it towards the rope, where Cross does good work to tap it back. As if to prove a point, Gardner goes again two balls later, same shot but hits it cleanly over Ecclestone for four.
24th over: Australia 110-4 (Perry 45, Gardner 3) Glenn keeps the scoring down. Gardner playing a shot a ball, but only gets one of those through the field, a cut for two.
23rd over: Australia 108-4 (Perry 45, Gardner 1) Alice Capsey on to bowl. It felt like the Australians let her bowl at them in Bristol, with her innocuous off spin, but from a few wickets down they had fewer options to take risks. Exact same scenario today. Perry pulls Capsey’s first ball for four, slightly short, then sweeps one. Gardner drives her first run through cover.
22nd over: Australia 102-4 (Perry 40, Gardner 0) Australia would like Gardner coming to the crease after 35 or 40 overs, not this early. She’ll have to adapt today. Usually an attacking player, here she can’t score from five balls from Glenn, the bowler twice stopping a drive getting back past her.
WICKET! McGrath c Jones b Glenn 5, Australia 102-4
Trouble now for Australia! McGrath has been such a performer in the last couple of years but she goes cheaply here, top-edging a cut shot into the keeper’s gloves. Glenn was expensive in her first over but gets a big wicket in her second.
21st over: Australia 102-3 (Perry 40, McGrath 5) Ecclestone tightens it up again. Three from the over, including a wide.
20th over: Australia 99-3 (Perry 39, McGrath 4) Sarah Glenn on for some leg spin. McGrath drives to deep extra cover, has a sweeper coming around to keep her scoring to two. Then another drive through the hands of Knight at cover, one more. Wickets falling regularly, but Perry won’t hold back! Gets back to a drag-down ball and lumps it over wide long on for four! Adds two more to midwicket.
19th over: Australia 90-3 (Perry 33, McGrath 1) The previous partnership ends at 61 runs, a helpful start but not match defining. Tahlia McGrath gets going with a drive struck hard at cover, only half stopped.
WICKET! Mooney c Bell b Ecclestone 33, Australia 88-3
The biggest wicket of the day! It’s not from Ecclestone’s top drawer but it doesn’t always need to be. A bit short, trending towards leg stump, and that’s inviting Mooney to play the sweep. Hits it powerfully but airborne and flat, straight at short fine leg.
18th over: Australia 86-2 (Perry 31, Mooney 32) Heavy swing across the line from Mooney at Sciver-Brunt, after three more dot balls to start the over. Jones behind the stumps in vocal in approval, feels they’ve pushed Mooney into a bad shot. Heather Knight though puts a fielder back there, and Mooney takes a single into the gap.
17th over: Australia 81-2 (Perry 31, Mooney 27) Again a first-ball four from Ecclestone’s over, this time Mooney shifting across her stumps to sweep. Then dropping and running to cover, Perry on that replay would have been just short running to the striker’s end had the throw hit. Perry using her feet again to Ecclestone, even just defending to cover.
16th over: Australia 76-2 (Perry 31, Mooney 22) Mooney drives to cover, Dunkley hits Perry’s stumps at the far end but they don’t take an overthrow. Mooney happy to back away to Sciver-Brunt and carve off the line of her stumps, but can’t beat cover point. So she goes straight down the ground, swings it away for four. Dabs a run to keep the strike.
15th over: Australia 71-2 (Perry 31, Mooney 17) Everyone hydrated? On we go. Ecclestone bowling. Perry sweeps four first ball, and seems content with that while playing out the rest of the over.
14th over: Australia 67-2 (Perry 27, Mooney 17) Really quietening down before the drinks break. Perry taps one run to cover, Mooney just waits out the rest of the over after a ball from Sciver-Brunt goes past her outside edge.
13th over: Australia 66-2 (Perry 26, Mooney 17) Time for spin. England have ten valuable overs from Sophie Ecclestone. Willing to start using them if it means breaking this partnership. Mooney flicks a single first ball, Perry settles in before nudging another.
12th over: Australia 64-2 (Perry 25, Mooney 16) Sciver-Brunt to Perry. The field restrictions were done with a couple of overs ago, and the two batters look pretty happy to start the consolidation phase immediately. Just a couple of singles.
“I heard someone say after the last game that if we had a washout here the series would be 7-7 with the Taunton game to become the decider,” writes Rocket from Melbourne. “Looking at the poor weather predictions for Tuesday at Taunton I’m starting to think that that game could yet be a washout, which would mean today’s winner would win the series 9-7.”
Quite right, that is another consideration.
11th over: Australia 62-2 (Perry 24, Mooney 15) Cross will bowl a sixth over, again trying the short one but Perry gets her hands very high over the top of the bounce and pulls it down for one run. A square drive gets Mooney a single, good shot but there’s protection back. Perry glides another.
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10th over: Australia 59-2 (Perry 22, Mooney 14) Bell finishes after four overs, Nat Sciver-Brunt comes on, but struggles for accuracy at first, a couple of wides outside the off stump. Perry shovels three runs through midwicket off the top of the bounce of a straight ball.
9th over: Australia 53-2 (Perry 19, Mooney 13) Cross to bowl her fifth, in at the thigh pad of Mooney to start. Keeps the Australians to three singles, but there’s the pressure release again, this time from the last ball. Leg stump and glanced for four.
8th over: Australia 46-2 (Perry 14, Mooney 11) Swing from Bell! Draws Perry into a big drive aimed at extra cover, beats her by a margin as the ball shapes away. Then inswing the next ball, Perry meeting it with the full blade. But the bowler keeps giving away an opportunity here or there, this time a leg-side ball that Perry can glance for four. Then Mooney climbs into a cut shot that Danni Wyatt has to chase back to keep the scoring to three.
7th over: Australia 36-2 (Perry 9, Mooney 8) Cross running in to Perry, a short ball that Perry plays down, then a cutter inward that beats the inside edge as Perry walks at her. Dunkley knocks down a cover drive and keeps the scoring to one. Mooney rescues the over for Australia with an off drive for four, just full enough for the shot.
6th over: Australia 31-2 (Perry 8, Mooney 4) Seems like Australia have relied more and more on Beth Mooney through the last few years. She’s the reason they got a competitive score in Bristol. She’ll have to do a job again. Starts with a crisp cover drive for four.
WICKET! Healy c Capsey b Bell 13, Australia 27-2
What was Healy thinking there? Bell bowlers a shorter ball outside off stump. It’s sitting there for a shot through the off side, and Healy elects for a little dab, running it off the face towards deep third. Except they’ve brought that fielder up inside the circle. Did the batter just forget, or not notice? That’s literally in the style of a catching practice drill for Capsey.
5th over: Australia 27-1 (Healy 13, Perry 8) Dicey shot from Healy against Cross now, thick inside edge between pads and stumps. Gets two runs, glides another. England doing a good job of keeping the pressure on.
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4th over: Australia 24-1 (Healy 10, Perry 8) Near miss for Perry! She hasn’t scored from her first six balls, so she gets forward to a straight ball from Bell and clips it hard through mid on, but aerial for a moment. Too straight for Sciver-Brunt at short midwicket. Then next ball, swinging away, takes the edge wide of slip! Two boundaries, two with some luck involved.
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3rd over: Australia 15-1 (Healy 10, Perry 0) First boundary for Healy, off the pads from Cross. Repeats the dose a few balls later. Amy Jones comes up to the stumps in an attempt to mess with Healy’s footwork.
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2nd over: Australia 7-1 (Healy 2, Perry 0) Another early visit to the crease for Perry, who usually bats No4 when Meg Lanning is around but is first drop in this series. Can’t beat short fine leg with a glance.
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WICKET! Litchfield lbw Bell 4, Australia 7-1
Early blow for England! Lauren Bell bowls a wide, a leg-stump pie for Healy to flick for one, then a wide floaty delivery that Litchfield drives for four. But with those out of her system, she bowls one that comes the other way, back into the left-hander. Hits her in front!
1st over: Australia 1-0 (Healy 1, Litchfield 0) More accurate start for Kate Cross than when she opened the bowling in Bristol. Healy dabs a run behind point but Litchfield isn’t game to play shots against the next five balls, all in the channel across the left-hander.
Players on the ground, we’re set to go.
Teams
No changes for England. Australia drop fast bowler Darcie Brown, who was wayward in Bristol, and bring in Alana King for some more spin. That’s the bowling lineup they needed a few days ago, will it do the job here?
I suspect that Georgia Wareham will float up the order if Australia have wickets in hand in the last ten overs. She’s the purest hitter.
Australia
Alyssa Healy + *
Phoebe Litchfield
Ellyse Perry
Beth Mooney
Tahlia McGrath
Ash Gardner
Annabel Sutherland
Alana King
Jess Jonassen
Georgia Wareham
Megan Schutt
England
Tammy Beaumont
Sophia Dunkley
Alice Capsey
Heather Knight *
Nat Sciver-Brunt
Danni Wyatt
Amy Jones +
Sophie Ecclestone
Sarah Glenn
Kate Cross
Lauren Bell
England win the toss and will bowl
They want to chase again. It worked last time, so why not?
And another important moment in the women’s game, with this ICC announcement during the week.
England’s players are speaking with confidence now.
This was my summing up of the situation, a few seats down from Raf.
And had time to do a match wrap podcast with Melissa Story of TMS.
If you need to revise, here’s Raf Nicholson with the match report from the last dramatic day at Bristol.
Preamble
Here we go again. After Australia won the Test match and the first T20 in this year’s Women’s Ashes series, there was surely no way back for the other team. England weren’t going to beat the world champions for five limited-overs matches in a row to overturn the points deficit.
They won the first of those five. Fine, but not going to win four more, are they?
They won the second. But not three?
Yep, three. Two 20-over matches and one 50-over match, the latter coming with the closest finish as Heather Knight and Kate Cross reached the target in Bristol eight wickets down.
Now, it’s Australia who must win. The equation is simple. Whichever team loses today can no longer win the series, they can only draw it.
And yes, Australia would retain the trophy with a draw, but they would hate that result after holding such a strong early lead.
This is where it really gets interesting. The Australians looked rattled after that third loss in Bristol. Blowing that early advantage is now a real possibility. Will that throw them off, get in their way? Or will the jeopardy concentrate their approach, and see them produce the dominant performance we’ve been expecting?
All to play for today..
