Magnificent Sutherland leads Australia to brink of victory
A record-breaking century from Annabel Sutherland moved Australia to the brink of victory over India in the pink-ball Test at the Waca.
Sutherland’s imperious 129 was her fourth century in only seven Tests, the most by an Australian woman and one short of the world record held by England’s Jan Brittin. It helped Australia to 323 all out in their first innings, a lead of 125. By the close India were hanging on at 105 for 6.
The outstanding Sutherland received excellent support from Ellyse Perry, who broke an even more significant record during her innings of 76. Shortly before she was dismissed, Perry moved past Karen Rolton to become Australia’s highest scorer in Women’s Tests.
India had the unenviable task of beginning their innings under lights and were in trouble from the moment Smriti Mandhana dragged Darcie Brown’s second ball onto the stumps.
Sutherland picked up two more wickets, including Jemimah Rodrigues to a horrible ramp shot, to make it six in the match. The outstanding debutant Lucy Hamilton also has six in the match after taking 3 for 32 from eight menacing overs.
The match might have ended inside two days but the discipline and judgement of another Test debut, India’s No3 Pratika Rawal. She played a classical Test innings and finished on 43 not out from 84 balls.
Rawal’s presence gives India a sliver of hope, but Australia are likely to complete victory tomorrow afternoon. If they do, the player of the match award will be a formality.
Updated
Stumps: India trail by 20 runs
29th over: India 105-6 (Rawal 43, Rana 13) Brown tries her luck around the wicket to the right-handed Rana. She defends solidly before crunching a single to mid-on. Rawal ducks the last delivery to ensure she will be back tomorrow afternoon. But Australia are on course for a thumping victory after another dominant day at the Waca.
28th over: India 104-6 (Rawal 43, Rana 13) Future player of the match Annabel Sutherland returns for one last crack tonight. Rawal carefully defends a couple of inswingers and gives Rana only one delivery to survive at the end of the over. Rana has other ideas – she takes a single to keep strike. India trail by 21.
27th over: India 102-6 (Rawal 43, Rana 12) Rawal waits for a shortish delivery from Brown and steers it expertly for four. Her judgement has been immaculate and, though that’s no surprise to those who have seen her in ODIs, it’s unusual for a Test debutant to give the rest of the team a lesson in how to bat.
26th over: India 97-6 (Rawal 38, Rana 12) Rana gets a thick outside edge off Hamilton that bounces short of the cordon and runs away for a couple. She is playing aggressively, despite or perhaps because of the match situation, and gets an all-run four with a thump through extra cover. Ash Gardner did superbly to save the boundary, only to realise they had run four anyway.
25th over: India 90-6 (Rawal 38, Rana 6) Darcie Brown returns to the attack and almost strikes when Rana – who cracked a nice boundary through the covers earlier in the over – fences a delivery in the air but wide of short leg. Australia coul yet finish this off tonight; India are still 37 behind.
Updated
24th over: India 83-6 (Rawal 37, Rana 1) This has been some Test debut for Lucy Hamilton: 3 for 26 in the innings, 6 for 59 in the match, a handy 23 with the bat and a couple of superb catches.
WICKET! India 82-6 (Ghosh c Mooney b Hamilton 0)
Two wickets in the over for Lucy Hamilton! She didn’t even appeal when Richa Ghosh felt outside off stump at her second delivery, but the Australian cordon all heard something and, when it was given not out on the field, Alyssa Healy sent it upstairs. Good job she did: the technology shows the thinnest of edges and Hamilton has her third wicket of the innings.
WICKET! India 82-5 (Deepti b Hamilton 9)
This is quite outstanding from Lucy Hamilton, the kind of set-up you expect of a veteran rather than a 19-year-old on debut. She pushed Deepti back with a bouncer, then followed up with a perfect delivery that nipped back through the gate to hit the stumps. Too good.
Updated
23rd over: India 82-4 (Rawal 37, Deepti 9) Rawal jumps on a short ball from McGrath and helps herself to four through backward square leg. This pair have slowly but surely reduced the deficit to 43 runs.
Updated
22nd over: India 76-4 (Rawal 32, Deepti 8) Hamilton beats Deepti with an immaculate delivery just outside off stump. “She’s so good,” says Alyssa Healy, who is mic’d up and chatting to the commentary box. “Just nick it Deepti!”
Updated
21st over: India 74-4 (Rawal 31, Deepti 7) McGrath’s first poor ball is pulled easily for four by Deepti. There are still 13 overs remaining, though we won’t get them all in.
Updated
20th over: India 69-4 (Rawal 31, Deepti 2) Another maiden, this time from Hamilton to Rawal. It looks like India are trying to bat for stumps and make hay when the sun shines tomorrow afternoon.
Updated
19th over: India 69-4 (Rawal 31, Deepti 2) McGrath would love a wicket or two to quieten some of the chat around her place in the team. She hasn’t really threatened but her accuracy and movement – she has conceded only four runs from four overs – have helped increase the pressure on the Indian batters.
Updated
18th over: India 68-4 (Rawal 30, Deepti 2) Hamilton replaces Sutherland, whose spell of 5-2-14-2 was as good as those figures suggest. Deepti gets off the mark from her 12th delivery with a measured off drive for two.
Updated
17th over: India 64-4 (Rawal 29, Deepti 0) An accurate maiden from McGrath to Deepti. It feels like the net is closing around India, who have scored only one run in three overs since the dismissal of Harmanpreet.
Updated
16th over: India 65-4 (Rawal 29, Deepti 0) Rawal squeezes Sutherland to gully, where Brown takes a smart catch and holds the ball up tentatively in celebration. The players arenm’t sure whether it was a bump ball; the umpires go upstairs and replays show that Rawal did indeed hit the ball into the ground before it flew to Brown.
Updated
15th over: India 65-4 (Rawal 29, Deepti 0) A quiet second over from Tahlia McGrath. That last wicket of Harmanpreet feels like a decisive blow to India.
Updated
14th over: India 64-4 (Rawal 28, Deepti 0) Sutherland has 2 for 14 in this innings and 6 for 60 in the match. I think she scored a few runs as well.
Updated
WICKET! India 64-4 (Harmanpreet c Hamilton b Sutherland 11)
Rawal pushes nervously at Sutherland, worried about the inswing, and is beaten by one that goes straight on. But the threat of the inswinger does for Harmanpreet later in the over. She plays a similar shot to Rawal, except this time it takes the edge and is beautifully caught low down by Hamilton at second slip. She is quietly having a superb Test debut; Sutherland is loudly dominating every facet of the match.
Updated
13th over: India 62-3 (Rawal 27, Harmanpreet 11) Tahlia McGrath replaces Darcie Brown, who bowled a threatening spell of 6-1-24-1. After a couple of deliveries, Beth Mooney calls for a helmet and stands up to the stumps. She’s soon in the action, taking the ball cleanly when Rawal is beaten by an outswinger.
Updated
12th over: India 60-3 (Rawal 26, Harmanpreet 10) Harmanpreet takes ten from Sutherland’s third over, including terrific drives through extra cover for four off the first and last deliveries.
Updated
11th over: India 50-3 (Rawal 26, Harmanpreet 0) A surprise short ball from Brown sits up nicely and is pulled over midwicket for four by Rawal. She gets four more through the slips, a false stroke though one she played with soft hands to ensure it bounced short of the cordon.
Batting is still tough out there but Rawal is making the best of a difficult situation. Like Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland, she has a technique and tempo that are perfectly suited to this format.
Updated
10th over: India 40-3 (Rawal 16, Harmanpreet 0) A skilful maiden from Sutherland ends with a big inswinger to Harmanpreet, who offers no stroke and is relieved to see the ball whoosh just past off stump.
Updated
9th over: India 40-3 (Rawal 16, Harmanpreet 0) Once again, Rawal waits until the length is safe enough to drive and then punches Brown through point for a couple. At the risk of sounding like the oldest fart in town, this situation is crying out for the kind of classical, disciplined batting that Rawal has demonstrated.
8th over: India 38-3 (Rawal 14, Harmanpreet 0) That was such a strange shot from Rodrigues. There’s a time and place for the ramp, even in Test cricket, but Western Australia is not that place.
WICKET! India 38-3 (Rodrigues c Mooney b Sutherland 14)
You can’t keep a good goat down. Sutherland takes her first wicket, and her fifth of the match, with the penultimate ball of her first over. It was a horrible shot from Rodrigues, who had played so well until that point. She jumped into position for the ramp, was surprised by the extra bounce – it’s the Waca – and spooned a simple catch down the leg side.
Updated
REVIEW! India 35-2 (Rawal not out 11)
Pratika Rawal overturns an LBW decision on view. She padded up to a huge inswinger from Annabel Sutherland, who has just come into the attack, and was given out on the field. But it looked touch and go on height and, after Rawal went upstairs, the technology suggested it would have bounced over the stumps.
7th over: India 34-2 (Rawal 11, Rodrigues 14) An inside-edge negates a big LBW appeal from Brown against Rawal, who responds by timing a boundary through extra cover. It’s notable that she and Rodrigues are playing with softer hands than the openers; in doing so, they’ve reduced the deficit to 91.
6th over: India 30-2 (Rawal 7, Rodrigues 14) A very wide delivery from Hamilton is flashed through extra cover for four by Rodrigues, whose shot selection has been immaculate so far.
She plays an even better stroke to end the over, timing Hamilton straight down th ground for four. Lovely stuff.
5th over: India 22-2 (Rawal 7, Rodrigues 6) A wide half-volley from Brown is squeezed expertly behind square for four by Rawal. This has been a calm, measured response to the loss of those two early wickets. In the circumstances, Mandhana and Verma’s shots were ill-conceived at best.
4th over: India 18-2 (Rawal 3, Rodrigues 6) Rodrigues drives Hamilton carefully through the covers for four and then down the ground for two.
3rd over: India 12-2 (Rawal 3, Rodrigues 0) I missed most of that over as I was trying to change the picture at the top of the page. The lack of shouting in the commentary box suggests that nothing much happened.
2nd over: India 10-2 (Rawal 3, Rodrigues 0) You’d expect Rawal and now Jemimah Rodrigues to bat with more patience. They need to because Australia are all over India like a cheap cliche.
WICKET! India 10-2 (Verma c Mooney b Hamilton 5)
There you go. Hamilton slips in a wide, full-length tempter to Verma, who edges a big drive through to Beth Mooney. Lovely bowling, thoughtless batting.
1.3 overs: India 10-1 (Verma 5, Rawal 3) Shafali Verma tries to drive Lucy Hamilton and snicks the ball this far short of second slip. It bounces through for four runs but these are great signs for Australia. India are going hard against the swinging ball, an approach that feels fraught with peril.
Updated
1st over: India 4-1 (Verma 0, Rawal 2) Pratika Rawal is the new batter.
WICKET! India 2-1 (Mandhana b Brown 2)
A sensational start for Australia! Smriti Mandhana has gone second ball, dragging an inswinger from Darcie Brown back onto the stumps. Not a great shot, in truth, especially when you know the ball is likely to swing back towards you. Mandhana departs after making just six runs in the match.
Updated
Alyssa Healy addresses the team ahead of her final innings in the field as Australian captain. The players all burst out laughing because Phoebe Litchfield has a fly on her tooth. “You’d think I’d have something poetic to say,” says Healy, “but I couldn’t stop laughing.”
WICKET! Australia 323 all out (Hamilton c Rana b Satghare 23)
Hamilton is dropped by Gautam, a fairly straightforward chance at mid-on. But it doesn’t hurt India: two balls later she cloths a pull and is take at midwicket by Rana. Satghare finishes with 4 for 50 on debut, a fine effort, and India trail by 125.
Australia’s total was built on two classical innings: 76 from Ellyse Perry and 129 from Annabel Sutherland, hwere fourth century in only seven Tests. The timing of the innings has worked out perfectly for Australia, who will take the new ball just as the sun is setting over the Waca.
Updated
90th over: Australia 321-9 (Hamilton 21, Brown 0) Hamilton hits Gaud for two boundaries, an efficient cut and a high-class off drive, to extend Australia’s lead to 123. I’ll be surprised if Hamilton finishes her Test career batting at No10; she can really play.
“Jan and Rosie here, still following the cricket in Khao Lak, Thailand,” write Jan and Rosie. “Need your updates so keep them coming. A huge tropical thunderstorm here.”
No such weather in Perth, though it was 40 degrees earlier today.
89th over: Australia 311-9 (Hamilton 13, Brown 0) Sayali Satghare has excellent figures on debut: 18-2-48-3.
WICKET! Australia 311-9 (King c Rana b Satghare 21)
A wicket straight after the dinner break. King chips Satghare towards short extra cover, where Sneh Rana swoops to her left to take an accomplished catch. King, such a valuable lower-order batter, goes after another useful innings.
Updated
Annabel Sutherland, who scored a majestic 129 to put Australia in charge, gives her reaction
How good’s Test cricket?! It was pretty good out there – it’s a lovely, lovely place to bat. Once you’re set, it’s pretty good fun.
Test matches don’t come around too often, so try to make the most of it and soak it up with some time in the middle.
[On her parents seeing all four of her Test hundreds] Yeah, well, they wanted to lob over to Perth. I was like, ‘Sure…’. Nah, it’s obviously really nice to have them up in the crowd; it’s cool.
[On the state of play in the Test] Hopefully we can get a few more on the board and then the bowlers have got an important job to do. You never know what happens under lights. There’s still a bit in the pitch which is exciting for us.
Updated
Dinner: Australia lead by 112
88th over: Australia 310-8 (King 21, Hamilton 12) A loose ball from Gaud is put away for four with the minimum of fuss by King, who strolls off for dinner with Australia in a healthy position. The main reason for that is the magnificent Annabel Sutherland, who followed four wickets on day one with her fourth Test hundred today. She’s about to talk to the Channel 7 team.
Updated
87th over: Australia 305-8 (King 17, Hamilton 12) This has been a very sensible partnership, with the balls faced (70) almost as important as the runs scored (28). The longer King and Hamilton bat, the more likely it is that India will face the new pink ball under lights. There be monsters, etc.
86th over: Australia 303-8 (King 16, Hamilton 11) India have a caught-behind appeal turned down when Hamilton pushes at a lovely outswinger from Gaud. It didn’t sound right and replays confirm that it hit the hip rather than the outside edge. But it was a fine delivery, the first of three to go past the edge during an excellent over.
85th over: Australia 303-8 (King 16, Hamilton 11) Just one over for Gautam, who is replaced by Satghare. King takes a very tight single to midwicket, with the non-striker Hamilton scrambling to make her ground. It would have been very close with a direct hit.
84th over: Australia 300-8 (King 15, Hamilton 9) Hamilton turns Kranti Gaud for a single to bring up the 300. Australia’s batting depth makes them such a hard team to finish off, and though this partnership is only worth 23, there are already some signs of frustration from the Indian players.
Updated
83rd over: Australia 299-8 (King 15, Hamilton 8) Kashvee Gautam takes the new ball and beats King with a delicious inswinger. Another inswinger hoops a bit too much and is tucked fine for four by King. Australia lead by 101.
82nd over: Australia 295-8 (King 11, Hamilton 8) A maiden from Verma to Hamilton. The commentators are all surprised that India haven’t taken the new ball… but they’re about to do so.
81st over: Australia 295-8 (King 11, Hamilton 8) Or not. Harmanpreet has decided to continue with spin, though this expensive over may change her mind. After Hamilton sweeps for three, King clumps a boundary past mid-off.
India blow their last review when King is hit on the pad by a ball from Deepti that would have missed leg stump.
80th over: Australia 286-8 (King 5, Hamilton 5) A couple of singles from Verma’s over. And now it’s time for the second new ball.
79th over: Australia 284-8 (King 4, Hamilton 4) India’s spinners, Verma and Deepti, are racing through their overs. India want to take the second new ball as soon as possible. First, a drinks break.
78th over: Australia 283-8 (King 3, Hamilton 4) Verma tempts Hamilton with a flighted delivery from round the wicket. Hamilton crashes it through extra cover for four, a nice way to score your first runs in Test cricket.
77th over: Australia 278-8 (King 2, Hamilton 0) Australia’s lead is healthy rather than decisive, 80 runs on a pitch that is starting to offer a bit of turn. For now King and Hamilton are playing cautiously, with their main intention to quieten the close fielders. India are as energised as they have been all day.
76th over: Australia 277-8 (King 1, Hamilton 0) The new batter is the debutant Lucy Hamilton. There’s plenty of chatter as she defends her first delivery – and for the remainder of the over. A wicket maiden.
WICKET! Australia 277-8 (McGrath c Mandhana b Verma 13)
Another one gone! Tahlia McGrath bat-pads Shafali Verma’s second ball towards short leg, where Smriti Mandhana takes a quite brilliant reaction catch. Australia have slipped from 240 for 4 to 277 for 8.
75th over: Australia 277-7 (McGrath 13, King 1) Deepti continues to wheel away in pursuit of more wickets. India have a bit of hope after this mini-collapse, but they will be concerned at the prospect of batting under lights if they do wrap this innings up.
Thanks Tanya, hello everyone. That was another mighty innings from Annabel Sutherland, who now has a Sutherlandesque average of 89.37 from seven Tests. And that was after scores of 3 and 8 in her first two innings.
74th over: Australia 274-7 ( McGrath 11, King 0) Now the second-guessing begins – how much game-playing will Australia do to get India batting under lights later today. Rob Smyth will be your guide to that and much more. Thanks for all your messages, bye!
WICKET! Sutherland c Harmanpreet b Deepti 129 (Australia 273-7)
With seven overs till the new ball, Sutherland has a sudden rush of blood, gallops to the ball and tries to flay it to the ocean. Instead, she finds Harmanpreet at long on. Standing ovations all round. Well played, gorgeous innings.
73rd over: Australia 273-7 ( McGrath 10, King 0)
72nd over: Australia 269-6 (Sutherland 125, McGrath 10) Satgahare keeps it tight. I don’t think I imagined it, but the TV just flashed up that Annabel Sutherland’s average at the WACA is 324.
An email drops: “Gardner out…. We are great fans of Ash… she rarely disappoints, but it’s not her day. What a champ is Annabelle Sutherland!! Keep up the great blog.” Thanks Jane Joyce, it’s such a treat to watch women’s Test cricket.
71st over: Australia 268-6 (Sutherland 122, McGrath 7) While we’re on shadows, they are now stretching to pencil width, McGrath’s double the width of the grass cut strips. Five from Deepti’s over.
70th over: Australia 263-6 (Sutherland 122, McGrath 7) A maiden from Satghare, and a lively lbw shout against McGrath from the last ball, but no-one is very interested.
“Cricket lovers from India,” writes Conscious Minimalists. “My wife and I were wondering what you really meant by this quote below. Don’t think it’s fair to be commenting on athletes bodies?
Rana, her shadow short and squat. Some turn, and some respite for India, who now have a left hander to aim at.
Oh gosh, just to clear this up I meant that Rana’s shadow was short and squat as the sun was high. Not that she was. Though I do try to describe the players to paint a picture as most people are reading without TV coverage – a player being tall, long arms, long ponytail, looks hot and bothered/ fed up etc etc.
Updated
69th over: Australia 263-6 (Sutherland 122, McGrath 7) Deepti’s back. A wristy, oh so wristy, four from McGrath. But then plenty of oohs and aahs until Sutherland punctuates proceedings with a lofted oooh la la over mid-off for four. Nine from the over as they take drinks.
Updated
68th over: Australia 252-6 (Sutherland 117, McGrath 1) Time for some more overs from Satghare. Sutherland gets a leading edge which squirts away in uncontrolled manner. A strangled lbw appeal.
67th over: Australia 252-6 (Sutherland 117, McGrath 1) Sutherland keeps the run flowing, as she brushes a loose floater from Rana down to the fine leg boundary – and with that her Test average touches 100.
66th over: Australia 245-6 (Sutherland 110, McGrath 1)
65th over: Australia 242-6 (Sutherland 108, McGrath 0) Apologies, a few technical hitches as a computer logged me out of the system.
WICKET! Gardner b Gaud 1 (India 241-6)
The chink of light gets bigger! Exceptional bowling from Gaud who seams most of the over away from Gardner, before bringing back the last off the seam and rattling it through the gate and into the stumps. Gaud holds both arms out as if to say – that’s how you do it.
64th over: Australia 241-6 (Sutherland 107, McGrath 0)
63rd over: Australia 241-5 (Sutherland 107, Gardner 1) India hold onto a chance from Mooney at last, and see a chink of light through the window – Australia’s lead already 43. Defensive field placings give Gardner an easy single to get off the mark to her first ball, much to Langer’s (?) disgust.
WICKET! Mooney c Rodrigues b Rana 19 (Australia 240-5)
Great catch! Low down, scoooped up at short cover by Rodrigues as Mooney flaps at Rana.
62nd over: Australia 240-4 (Sutherland 107, Mooney 19) Sunderland hauls Gaud over the leg side for four, then Mooney joins in, lacing four through backward point.
61st over: Australia 229-4 (Sutherland 101, Mooney 14)
A hundred for Sutherland!
60th over: Australia 226-4 (Sutherland 100, Mooney 12) Gaud, hair short and neat, pulls at her shirt. Lovely rhythmic run, lean like a greyhound, back of a length, then a short one – Sutherland flays…a top edge! but it rolls safely away and that’s Sutherland’s fourth Test century, the first Australian women to score four Test centuries, and the first woman to score three consecutive Test centuries. What. A. Star. And just 24. She raises her bat, gets a hug from Mooney and smiles.
Second session
59th over: Australia 220-4 (Sutherland 93, Mooney 10) Rana resumes. Three singles from it. A nice relaxed start to the session.
“Keep the reports flowing. We are keeping up here in Thailand with you only. No TV coverage….” well thank you Jan and Rosie in Khao Lak. The TV has currently switched to the FA cup so hopefully that will resolve itself in the next ten minutes….
Tea - Australia 217-4, lead by 19
58th over: Australia 217-4 (Sutherland 93, Mooney 10) Deepti gets surprise bounce, from nowhere, but the over passes without other incident and everyone marches in for shade, sustenance and water.
Beautiful batting from Perry and Sutherland this morning, and India didn’t help themselves by dropping Mooney twice just as she got to the wicket. They slowed the run rate down considerably though before tea, and the wicket is starting to turn. Something to hold onto during the break.
Time for me to have a stretch and make some breakfast, back soon.
Updated
57th over: Australia 215-4 (Sutherland 92, Mooney 9) I should have mentioned that Australia took the lead some time ago – leading now by 17. Four byes
56th over: Australia 208-4 (Sutherland 90, Mooney 8) Another drop off poor old Deepti, worse still it was Sutherland, who goes to jimmy her away but only turns the ball into Ghosh behind the stump who, in a state of panic, can’t hold on.
Updated
55th over: Australia 208-4 (Sutherland 90, Mooney 8) And Mooney gets a boundary away, whisking Rana late in front of point for four. She smiles with relief. Ten minutes or so till lunch.
54th over: Australia 203-4 (Sutherland 89, Mooney 4) Mooney takes another quick single, keen to be at the non striker’s end. Deepti, somehow, bowls a no ball. India have slowed this down nicely.
Should Sutherland reach a hundred, she will become only the second woman to convert her first four Test fifties into hundreds, after England’s Claire Taylor.
53rd over: Australia 200-4 (Sutherland 88, Mooney 3) Suddenly some nervous running by Australia, as Rana bowls to her field.
52nd over: Australia 199-4 (Sutherland 88, Mooney 2) Mooney has not found her mojo here yet, picking out the fielders not the gaps. But Sutherland cruises on, sending her one ball of Deepti’s over through the covers and over the rope.
Updated
51st over: Australia 193-4 (Sutherland 83, Mooney 1) Rana, her shadow short and squat. Some turn, and some respite for India, who now have a left hander to aim at.
50th over: Australia 193-4 (Sutherland 83, Mooney 1) Deepti again, powered, you’d imagine, with bubbling frustration. No chances for her fielders to fluff in this over though.
49th over: Australia 191-4 (Sutherland 82, Mooney 0) Ping – Sutherland pancakes Rana through square leg for another four.
48th over: Australia 186-4 (Sutherland 77, Mooney 0) Oh dear, after making the crucial breakthrough, India manage to drop Beth Mooney twice in two balls, a tricky one through Rawal at silly point, and an absolute dog’s breakfast of an attempt at slip by Rana.
WICKET! Perry lbw Deepti 76 (Australia 186-4)
From nowhere! Another lbw appeal turned down, but this time Harmanpreet, striding in her shades, reviews. Perry is deep in her crease, and – yes – the ball would have hit leg stump.
Updated
47th over: Australia 186-3 (Perry 76, Sutherland 77) Rana drops short and Sutherland swivels past a ducking short leg and slams her to the rope. Another boundary to finish the over, a huge front stride then punched through the covers. There was an lbw shout in between to briefly raise spirits, but turned down and Harmanpreet didn’t review, rightly, ball brushed bat on the way through.
46th over: Australia 176-3 (Perry 76, Sutherland 67) Sutherland rocks onto her backfoot and tracer-bullets Deepti through the covers for four.
45th over: Australia 171-3 (Perry 76, Sutherland 62) Rana plugs away. The cameras pan to the beautiful yellow WACA manual scoreboard, where a cutout of Healy’s head smiles from one of the portholes.
If you’re sweltering at the WACA, or reading anywhere else round the world, do drop me a line with your thoughts on the cricket and more.
44th over: Australia 168-3 (Perry 76, Sutherland 59) Well this is all looking rather grim for India. Perry picks up Deepti and lofts her over mid on for four – to overtake Rolton and become Australia’s leading Test scorer in women’s Test cricket.
A thousand Test runs for Perry
43rd over: Australia 160-3 (Perry 70, Sutherland 57) A casual tuck off her hip and that’s a thousand Test runs for Ellyse Perry – just the second Australian woman to get there after Karen Rolton. In 15 games and with a batting average of 62.5. Has earned her place in the pantheon.
Updated
42nd over: Australia 159-3 (Perry 69, Sutherland 57)Shafali Verma takes her turn with the ball. A handful of singles and that’s the hundred partnership off just 134 balls.
41st over: Australia 154-3 (Perry 66, Sutherland 55)Perry gets an outside edge, just out of reach of Shafali Verma at slip. Next ball, Sutherland dances and ploughs Deepti for four over straight mid off.
Updated
Fifty for Annabel Sutherland!
40th over: Australia 147-3 (Perry 63, Sutherland 51) Short leg hovers and Rana induces an inside edge from Sutherland. But the next but one ball has air and Sutherland trots down the pitch and pings her through the covers to reach fifty – off just 70 balls . She modestly raises her bat– every time she has passed fifty in Test cricket, she has made a hundred, which will be cheering news to those of you supporting India.
Updated
39th over: Australia 142-3 (Perry 63, Sutherland 46) Time for some Deepti Sharma for the first time this innings. Shades on, she bustles in. Australia are watchful, just a single from it. This it what India need, to wrestle back a bit of control.
38th over: Australia 142-3 (Perry 63, Sutherland 46) Healy Hill is largely deserted in the heat, but some spectators are huddling in the shade provided by the hull of a floodlight. Rana, white headband around her brow, wheels in. Just a single.
Updated
37th over: Australia 141-3 (Perry 63, Sutherland 45) Time for Gautam. Her first ball is pie like and Sutherland tucks in, linen napkin swaying as she wristily drives through the off side for four. Three more singles from the over, and the players take drinks, sheltering under umbrellas from the unrelenting sun.
Updated
36th over: Australia 134-3 (Perry 58, Sutherland 38) Just one from Satghare’s first five balls, but Perry sniffs something full and inviting and with gimlet eye posts the sixth straight down the ground for four.
Updated
35th over: Australia 129-3 (Perry 58, Sutherland 38) Gaud is keeping it neat, tempting Australia. Sutherland, winner of the Belinda Clark award last year, square drives with elegance for three.
34th over: Australia 125-3 (Perry 57, Sutherland 35) Now Sutherland gets in on the act, a straight drive off Sayali to ice a wedding cake. From the commentary box to the crowd, everyone purrs.
33rd over: Australia 119-3 (Perry 56, Sutherland 30) Perry is looking in ominous form. She eyes up a ball Gaud hangs outside off and late cuts, like a knife through a pineapple, to the rope.
32nd over: Australia 112-3 (Perry 52, Sutherland 27) Another change as Satghare comes on from the Inverarity end. A thick edge from Sutherland, ugly but effective, runs away towards the rope but a great bit of last minute finger scooping by a diving Rodrigues saves the boundary.
An email! Good morning Peter Warrington: “I don’t see this as close at all, India couldn’t quite capitalise with the ball due to their neophyte attack. If there was a second Test they might have made us finally question Litchfield and Voll up top. But Perry and Sutherland could easily bat all day in the heat today, and then there’s Mooney, then Gardner – why, even McGrath, specialist #8, might fancy a twirl at 6-400 or so to justify her baffling selection.
“Then Sutherland Gardner and King will find the pitch wearing as we bowl again. It shouldn’t really surprise, this Indian team is in serious transition and is at least 3-4 players away from our level, out here. No shame in that.”
From the first few overs today, I think you’re right. India are busy in the field but it looks like a long, hot day ahead.
Updated
31st over: Australia 109-3 (Perry 52, Sutherland 24) Gaud replaces Rana at the Lillee Marsh End and is immediately on the money, length and line, giving them nothing. A maiden.
30th over: Australia 109-3 (Perry 52, Sutherland 24) Sutherland picks up a single from Gautam’s first ball to bring up an ominous fifty partnership.
Updated
Fifty for Perry
29th over: Australia 107-3 (Perry 51, Sutherland 23) Spin immediately from Sneh Rana. India usher in the field and Perry responds by hoeing six into the leg side to reach her fifth Test fifty. I think we can say her eye is in.
Updated
First session
28th over: Australia 100-3 (Perry 45, Sutherland 22) Perry defends the last ball of the first over from Gautam, which contained four singles to get the juices going.
Updated
It’s a fiery 38 degrees today at the WACA as the players emerge onto the grass. India huddle, Perry and Sutherland march on, Sutherland’s helmet bright green, Perry’s faded to grey.
Justin Langer says this is a good battting pitch, and will get better and better. Sutherland and Perry are nicely set and India have no lights to help them now, they’ll need every catch to stick, every ball to nip.
Preamble
Hello! Thirteen wickets fell on a restless first day in Perth to leave Australia in the more promising position – by the width of a cigarette paper. India were bundled out for just 198 midway through the day, and Australia finished 102 behind at stumps, though crucially with seven wickets still in hand.
Things could have been worse for India had Jemimah Rodrigues not knotted together a patient fifty against the firepower of Annabel Sutherland (4 for 46) and left-arm whiz-kid Lucy Hamilton, just 19 but who finished with three wickets on her Test debut.
India’s own bright young thing, Sayali Satghare, had a moment of her own, removing Alyssa Healy in her penultimate innings for Australia, caught at point for 13. But Ellyse Perry was unbeaten on 43 at stumps and Annabel Sutherland is lingering ominously.
It should be fun. Do join us, play starts at 1.20pm local/4.20pm AEDT/10.50am IST.
