The points are shared; Australia lead 3-1
So that’s that then. Unfortunately the weather has put paid to the second game of this Ashes series and the teams will share the spoils - 1 point each.
It would of course BE GOOD FOR THE SERIES if England can chalk up a victory in the final T20I tomorrow so that both sides head into the Test match level pegging on 3 points apiece. Otherwise it will be 5-1 Australia and all a bit gloomier than the current skies over Adelaide. Not that Meg Lanning and co will care a jot.
It was brief but enjoyable, thanks for you emails and tweets. I for one am all caffeine-d up with nowhere to go. As the ‘old folks’ and B*Witched both said - C’est la vie.
We’ll be back tomorrow, fingers crossed for clearer skies.
In the meantime, here’s a match report of sorts:
Updated
I was thinking this:
It does surprise me that there is no extra time built in for these #Ashes iT20s, but the way the rain was coming down in Adelaide, even that might not have helped.
— Alison Mitchell (@AlisonMitchell) January 22, 2022
Maybe the forecast was so bad that an early call was best, it’d be nice to think there was a bit of leeway factored in though.
The captains are going to say a few words shortly, not sure how much they can offer after that but I’ll keep my ear to the ground for any interesting quote-oids.
Match abandoned
That’s it. It’s official. Cursed skies.
Updated
Useful dates and times for the rest of the series
A reminder if it is needed that it is 2 points up for grabs in the white ball games and 4 for the solitary Test match. Australia of course are up by 2 after their win in Adelaide a couple of days ago. If they don’t get back on here then the spoils will be shared.
23 Jan 3rd Twenty20 international, Adelaide (03:10 GMT)
27-30 Jan Only Test, Canberra (23:00 GMT, 26-29 Jan)
3 Feb 1st ODI, Canberra (d/n) (03:10 GMT)
6 Feb 2nd ODI, Melbourne (Junction Oval) (23:05 GMT, 5 Feb)
8 Feb 3rd ODI, Melbourne (Junction Oval)
The rain falls and the remorseless hands of time keep a’tickin.
This is a nice thing though:
From the next generation of England’s cricketers to their current heroes.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 20, 2022
Win or lose, you inspire so many young girls to watch or play our game. pic.twitter.com/gU8ehEYax8
Tick followed tock followed tick followed tock...
4.1 overs bowled before the rain starts again.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) January 22, 2022
☔️
We need to be playing by 0527 or this will be a draw.#Ashes #bbccricket
Peter Gibbs is on the batphone:
“Here in Selsey, (dahn sarf) it is too cold to get out from under the dog and duvet to contemplate any drink.
What I WOULD like to know is:
What supposed witticisms has anyone out there had to put up with because of their name (and welcome Jim, I’m assuming you get the odd Star Trek clonker).”
Cheers and forgive me Peter, the Trek aint my thing so I’m a bit clueless with this one? I can offer up my brother though, who is William Wallace. He was born pre Braveheart. Still. He’s had years of “freeeedom” being bellowed at him from all quarters.
It’s been one of those days so far.
Fumbling our way through 2022 😅#Ashes #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/XpCBuuODa1
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 22, 2022
Hearing that the latest start time is now 3.53pm local time.
Which isn’t a long way off. Rain, rain go away.
It's raining again
4th Over: England 25-0 (Beaumont 6, Wyatt 14 )
The players scamper off after 4.1 overs. So we’ve not quite had enough overs to constitute a match, yet. England were trying to force things but the ball was hooping about and Lanning rotated her bowlers, giving them just the one each so that England’s batters couldn’t settle or get into a groove. Hopefully back on soon.
Updated
4th Over: England 24-0 (Beaumont 5, Wyatt 7)
It is chucking it down. Powerplay over and for now they are staying out there...
It’s spitting as Schutt comes into the attack...
3rd Over: England 16-0 (Beaumont 5, Wyatt 7)
McGrath into the attack. It gives me chills just to write that. But she serves up a full bunger on leg stump and Tammy Beaumont is not going to miss out on that, dispatched for her first boundary. Beaumont then tries an audacious ramp but fails to connect. There’s six off the over.
Updated
2nd Over: England 10-0 (Beaumont 2, Wyatt 7)
A nervous start from Darcie Brown, she oversteps slightly and it is a FREE HIT. She’s getting some late swing though and escapes with a dot from it. Wyatt then plops her down the ground and they scamper 3. There’s swing.
1st Over: England 6-0 (Beaumont 1, Wyatt 5)
The first four overs are going to be powerplay overs and it only takes Danni Wyatt one ball to get her eye in before she dances down and lifts Gardner over cover for the first four. Luvvly. A couple of singles and it is six off the first. England are away.
The players are on the way out
Here’s those teams confirmed:
Australia: Alyssa Healy (wk), Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Rachael Haynes, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Nicola Carey, Jessica Jonassen, Alana King, Darcie Brown, Megan Schutt
England: Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Freya Davies
Updated
Australia win the toss and will bowl first
We are going to be underway in around ten mins.
Debut for Charlie Dean!
The 21 year old spinner is set to make her debut in this format. It is 50 caps up for Sophie Ecclestone. Things are getting more exciting eh.
1️⃣4️⃣ overs per side
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 22, 2022
5️⃣0️⃣th IT20 for @Sophecc19
IT20 debut for Charlie Dean!
Australia win the toss and bowl first.#Ashes | #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/TKdkYV8yrV
Snack chat.
Damian Clarke emails in and he’s not messing about:
“Morning. Soreen malt loaf, blue Stilton, and Branston. With strong, sweet, black, fresh coffee. Here endeth the lesson.”
There’s a lot of cheese being bandied about here for quite an early hour.
The covers are off!
The overs are reduced. 14 per side as it stands... But hovering nearby - squint and you can see a patch of lighter cloud.
My intel is telling me that if there is no further rain the coin toss is scheduled for 2:15pm local time with play beginning at 2:30pm. Play has been reduced to 14 overs a side.
Ok, the covers are off the pitch but still nearby. Looking a little brighter. #ashes pic.twitter.com/fyCbv9f3cH
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) January 22, 2022
Updated
The countdown is on. Hopefully the rain does one and we can get a game in... otherwise an hour and 40 minutes of biscuit based chat it could be.
Apparently the cut-off time for a minimum-overs match is 3.37pm local. So about an hour and 40 minutes from now. #ashes
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) January 22, 2022
Now, this is what I’m here for. You can always trust the good folk of the OBO to rally around in times of need. An email whooshes in from Adrian Armstrong, who is just up the road from me in east London:
“Morning Jim, hope this is the first of many. Shame about the rain - nobody wants to be twiddling thumbs at ungodly hours like these. So here’s what I hope might be a decent conversation-starter: what do viewers/readers have with their tea/coffee at times like these, and why? Sweet or savoury? Substantial or morselesque? I have an embarrassment of choice here in east London, and am tossing up between Tunnocks teacakes (did anyone else, other than my wife, call them “preacher’s pumps” as a child?) and mature cheddar.”
Sublime Adrian. And could be a lifesaver with this weather knocking about. Preacher’s pumps? mature cheddar?! Fire away!
Well this is not good:
@Jimbo_Cricket currently bucketing down here in West Croydon (about 6km west of Adelaide Oval) and plenty more about - big tropical wet drifting down today and supposed to hang around for next 24 hours
— dananananananananananadey (@dannylaconic) January 22, 2022
You might be the first caller dananananananananananadey but you do not bring good news...
Apologies - Here’s the link to that piece with Thalia and her ma.
READ THIS: A powerful piece with Thalia McGrath and her mum.
I’m going to try and fathom what sort of a delay we might be looking at because of the wet stuff / pad through to kitchen to fuel up for some fill time.
Updated
Here’s quite a bleak picture of a radar:
I’m no meteorologist, but this looks sub-optimal.#bbccricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/1fdrz0OvvJ
— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) January 22, 2022
Diggin the new #Ashes emoji 👏🏼 #AusvEng
— Alison Mitchell (@AlisonMitchell) January 22, 2022
The covers are on and the toss is delayed.
Apparently the radar isn’t looking too clever either.
Oh.
Rain, rain, go away!
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 22, 2022
It's pouring down here at Adelaide Oval. Stay tuned for updates 🌧️ #Ashes pic.twitter.com/Q8wXvW9HR0
It's raining in Adelaide...
Anyone out there got any local weather knowledge? Is it mizzle or drizzle? Or cats and dogs? I’ll try and get my Michael Fish on.
Preamble
Hello, good afternoon/very early morning and welcome to the second Australia v England T20.
The first match in this Ashes series turned into a bit of a cakewalk for Australia, largely thanks to a formidable all-round performance by Tahlia McGrath.
With ball in hand McGrath turned the game by prising out both Nat Sciver and Danii Wyatt with a couple of toe-endangering yorkers. She then set about England’s total of 169 with the bat, arriving at first drop to join captain Meg Lanning, the all-rounder went on to produce a quite scintillating innings. A couple of brutally dismissive pull shots have been on a loop in my mind ever since.
In notching up 91 runs off 49 balls and snaring 3-26, McGrath became the first player in women’s T20Is to score more than 75 and take three wickets in the same match. Now that’s a STAT.
All this whilst shouldering the pressure of coming into the side ostensibly in place of one of the all-time greats… Ellyse Perry could be seen watching on during McGrath’s knock, smiling generously but perhaps a little nervously beneath her sunhat.
“I think that’s one of the best innings I’ve ever seen”, Tammi Beaumont - one time teammate of McGrath’s at Adelaide Strikers said afterwards. Much as she admired it, Beaumont and her England teammates won’t want to witness a repeat any time soon.
What of England? Well, they looked a little ring rusty in the field, perhaps understandably given the topsy-turvy run up to the series, they’ll be keen as Dijon to get some points on the board from the remaining brace of T20 games ahead of the four-point Test match ding-dong in Canberra next week.
Jim here with the call on my maiden voyage aboard the good ship OBO, it’s the wee small hours here in south London so any company, thoughts or theories are very welcome - you can email, tweet or fax* me and let’s see what the next few hours bring.
I’ll be back shortly with team and toss news, in the meantime I’m off to grind up some Colombian beans** and try not to wake my nine-month-old in the room next door. Or the 3oo+ month old for that matter…
*Kidding of course, I’m still not sure I entirely understand how a fax works?
**Alright, alright - it’s instant Kenco.
