There was a sense of inevitability about the result of the third Ashes one-day international, from the moment Ash Gardner decided she was going to pummel Sophie Ecclestone for six in her first over. Gardner has been England’s Ashes nemesis before – who can forget the 12 wickets she took in the 2023 Trent Bridge Test while nursing a finger injury?
Now, here she was, taking on England’s best bowler just after Heather Knight had brought her on. Australia were four wickets down in the first 15 overs, after an underwhelming 180 on Tuesday, but Gardner saw Ecclestone coming, came down the track and struck the ball sweetly over the top. Two hours later, she was celebrating a first international hundred and England were left requiring a record-breaking 309 to win.
