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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
James Wallace (now) and Mike Hytner (earlier)

ICC Women’s World Cup: Australia beat England by 12 runs – as it happened

England Australia Rachael Haynes Nat Sciver Meg Lanning Tammy Beaumont Alyssa Healy Karine Brunt Hear Knight Alana King
Australian players celebrate the wicket of England's Amy Jones.
Australian players celebrate the wicket of England's Amy Jones. Photograph: Andrew Cornaga/AP

Here’s Raf Nicholson’s report:

What a start then to this World Cup, a close game is a good game. Congrats to Australia - they showed their class and are just such a hard team to topple in this format. Commiserations to England, they gave it a good go today and will take some solace from that performance. Plenty to build on for them as the tournament progresses.

I think that is it from me for now, thanks for your company, ta ra.

Rachel Haynes bags player of the match for her impressive 130.

Here are the captains.

First up is Meg Lanning:

Meg Lanning: It’s nice to get a win first up, we expected a contest and got that. It was tricky to bat and get that 310...

Jonassen wanted the ball and she’s got big overs for us before, I have full faith in her. She could have probably bowled a few more.

We knew we had a good score but expected a fight as conditions got better to bat. We bowled well in parts but not entirely. King bowled beautifully and changed the game for us.

Heather Knight: For us as a batting unit that’s a confidence-booster. The way we played to see the girls doing that, how aggressive we were, the way they ran, Sciver was outstanding. Lots of positives to take...We had a really honest and open chat with the batters, to see them perform like that was really nice. Tammy was really good up the order. If we want to have a chance in this World Cup, we need performances like that from Sciver, it was one of the best knocks from her. It just didn’t quite work out. Today we played seven batters, and I thought it was the best balance. I’m not worried about the bowling unit, we’ll get going into the next game.

Some solace for Heather Knight and her side. They just couldn’t quite sneak over the line.

Australia win by 12 runs!

Jonassen holds her nerve and Ecclestone can’t get her away, singles won’t do it for England. Just too much to do off the last and Ecclestone perishes off the final delivery too, holing out to Beth Mooney on the long-on boundary.

A great game and a much tighter contest than recent bouts between these two sides, but Australia prevail once again!

WICKET! Brunt c&b Jonassen 25

My Oh My. Jess Jonassen has plucked out a bullet! What.A.grab.

More to the point it is a dot. England only managed a leg bye off the spinner’s first too. So Ecclestone will be on strike with 14 needed to win.

49th Over: England 295-6 (Sciver 108, Brunt 25) McGrath it is to bowl the penultimate over... Brunt picks up two into the leg side, the batters scurrying back into their ground. Then a single from Brunt brings Sciver on strike. Right. Four! A wide delivery from McGrath is sent fizzing to the fence. Nat Sciver is getting England ever closer! Yikes - DROP! An absolute dilly dolly goes down at mid on! Sciver survives! It’s just three singles off the final three balls though, Australia won’t mind that.

England need 16 off the final over.

A Hundred for Nat Sciver!

What a fantastic knock that is! Sciver brings up three figures with a deft paddle off Schutt. No time for too many niceties, we’re back on with Megan Schutt and there’s a couple of singles to end the over.

48th Over: England 285-6 (Sciver 102, Brunt 20)

England need 26 runs from 12 balls.

47th Over: England 275-6 (Sciver 94, Brunt 19) Sciver picks up four runs through Beth Mooney’s legs! McGrath recovers well and there’s just three singles off the rest of the over. England need 36 from 18

46th Over: England 268-6 (Sciver 88, Brunt 18) Now then! This is exciting. Brunt charges King and slaps her down the ground for SIX! Ooof! There’s a couple of singles and Brunt gets four more from the last ball of King’s over, smoking a full ball over mid on’s head. 13 off the over,

England need 43 from 24.

Updated

45th Over: England 255-6 (Sciver 86, Brunt 7) Eight runs from the over. Brunt rotates the strike and tries to give Sciver as much of the strike as possible. She’s 14 from a century but her eyes will be firmly fixed on the victory target, not the personal milestone.

Updated

44th Over: England 247-6 (Sciver 80, Brunt 5) Sciver is still there and it has to be said she is batting like a boss. Two boundaries over mid off bookend the over as Sciver looks to disrupt King’s flow.

England need 64 runs from 36 balls. Who’s out there? Where’s you coin - Yella or blue?

43rd Over: England 236-6 (Sciver 70, Brunt 3) Just three off McGrath as Australia tighten things up. Palms-a-moistening.

WICKET! Dunkley b King 28

King again comes up with goods! Dunkley goes to paddle one but misses it and gets cleaned up. The pendulum swings again and King is the one giving it a tug.

42nd Over: England 233-6 (Sciver 70, Brunt 1)

41st Over: England 230-5 (Sciver 69, Dunkley 27) Dunkley on the move as she trots down and slaps Schutt away through the covers for four more. This is on. Is this on? I reckon it’s ON.

40th Over: England 223-5 (Sciver 68, Dunkley 21) King tightens things up, England manage five from it. There’s ten overs to go and England need 88 runs. Off sixty balls. But you knew that.

39th Over: England 218-5 (Sciver 67, Dunkley 17) Ten off the latest over from Sutherland and the Aussies are starting to look a little twitchy. A boundary each to Dunkley and Sciver, both off the back foot guiding the ball away in style.

38th Over: England 208-5 (Sciver 62, Dunkley 12) Sciver sweeps King away for four, England inching nearer. Four byes off a tricky missed stumping chance help their cause too. I have a feeling this might go the distance...

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37th Over: England 198-5 (Sciver 57, Dunkley 11) Five off McGrath as England consolidate and look to take this game deep.

36th Over: England 193-5 (Sciver 54, Dunkley 9) These two are ticking over nicely, six singles off King’s latest. 118 needed off 14 overs.

Updated

35th Over: England 187-5 (Sciver 51, Dunkley 6) FIFTY up for Nat Sciver! Off just 43 ball. England still in with a sniff as long as Sciver is there.

34th Over: England 182-5 (Sciver 49, Dunkley 3) The highly skilful Dunkley is off the mark. England need all of her wiles, the RRR has crept over 8.

WICKET! Wyatt b McGrath 7

Back with the action and McGrath scuttles one through Wyatt’s defence. That one came back in significantly and Wyatt lost her off pole.

33rd Over: England 177-5 (Sciver 46, Dunkley 0)

Updated

Here is that King dismissal:

Warne’s death was such a punch to the gut, I find it hard to comprehend never mind try and put into words. This then, from m’colleague Phil Walker, boshed out in a frenzy of feeling as I sat opposite and floundered, is a remarkable piece of writing about a truly remarkable man.

I’m going to quickly pad into the kitchen for a much needed coffee as daylight creeps in through the shutters here in South London. I can also hear my 11 month old stirring. Maybe I’ll bring her in for an over or two*.

Back in a jiffy.

*No chance, that would be carnage.

32nd Over: England 171-4 (Sciver 46, Wyatt 2 ) A hefty over for England as Sciver takes the returning Perry for three boundaries. A lofted on drive, a pull and a fine dab. Lovely Stuff from Sciver.

And that is drinks. England need 140 runs from the remaining 18 overs

31st Over: England 154-4 (Sciver 34, Wyatt 2 ) King’s dismissal of Beaumont really was a peach. The replays showing the ball ragged and it was the flight that did England’s opener. A poignant moment to see a leg-spinner in full flight.

WICKET! Jones ct Haynes b King 4

King has snared Jones now too, a drag down is slapped in the air by Jones and grabbed by the centurion Haynes. A soft way to go it has to be said. Wyatt is the new bat, England’s hopes weighing ever more heavily on Sciver’s shoulders.

30th Over: England 154-4 (Sciver 31, Wyatt 1 )

29th Over: England 153-3 (Sciver 31, Jones 3 )

WICKET! Beaumont st Healy b King 74

Lovely bowling from King as she gets one to drift and fizz past the advancing Beaumont. Healy whips off the bails and England’s opener has to go for a very well made 74 off 82.

28th Over: England 150-3 (Sciver 31, Jones 1 )

27th Over: England 144-2 (Beaumont 74, Sciver 26) A big over for England as they rack up 11 off Sutherland’s latest. And that’s the fifty partnership between these two. A welcome one for England as the RRR creeps over 7.

26th Over: England 133-2 (Beaumont 71, Sciver 18) Alana King is into the attack and she looks a little nervy - a full toss is whipped away by Sciver but straight to a fielder. England need 178 from 24 overs.

25th Over: England 128-2 (Beaumont 70, Sciver 16) You can’t keep Nat Sciver tied down for long though, she joins the party by slogging Sutherland away over mid wicket. Three more singles means it is 7 off the over.

24th Over: England 121-2 (Beaumont 69, Sciver 10) A quiet start for Sciver but she’s getting Beaumont on strike. Brown fires a wide down the leg side and then Beaumont rocks back to pull a short one away, the ball skimming across the turf, like a whanged pebble, I guess.

23rd Over: England 114-2 (Beaumont 64, Sciver 9) Five more off McGrath’s latest. England ticking along, keeping themselves in with a sniff.

Updated

22nd Over: England 109-2 (Beaumont 59, Sciver 9) Four more to Beaumont as she swivels a pull away off Darcie Brown. The TV has just flashed up a stat showing that England gave away 25 runs in extras during their innings. The Aussies have gifted just one, so far.

21st Over: England 101-2 (Beaumont 53, Sciver 7) McGrath continues and it’s the ton up for England in the 21st over, they are keeping up with the Aussie worm here. Beaumont has the bit between her teeth.

20th Over: England 96-2 (Beaumont 52, Sciver 4) Perry continues and Sciver gets one on her hips that she picks off for a couple. Knight will be sick as the proverbial parrot/pig when she sees that dismissal again. She really did gift it. The partnership with Beaumont was at 92 and they were looking largely untroubled.

Wicket! Knight ct Lanning b McGrath 40

Gah! Spoke too soon Jim lad. Knight is livid with herself as she leans back on a drive and plinks it straight to Lanning at short cover. Australia needed that, Nat Sciver is the new batter.

19th Over: England 93-2 (Beaumont 52, Sciver 1)

Updated

18th Over: England 90-1 (Beaumont 51 Knight 39) And that is 3000 ODI runs notched up by Beaumont, the tannoy (brand name) announces the milestone and a warm smattering of applause rolls around the ground. The required run rate is 6.9, England are going at fives right now, crucially just for the loss of one wicket.

17th Over: England 87-1 (Beaumont 50 Knight 37) FIFTY for Beaumont! Batted. McGrath is into the attack but still the singles come. Beaumont’s half ton has come off 54 balls. She’s looked at her impish best in this innings.

16th Over: England 84-1 (Beaumont 49 Knight 35) Five off Perry’s latest as these two, dare I say it, look very comfortable. There I said it.

15th Over: England 79-1 (Beaumont 47 Knight 32) Tammy B picks up another boundary, tickling a full ball on the pads away fine as Sutherland loses her line.

14th Over: England 72-1 (Beaumont 42 Knight 30) Perry into her work - Knight and Beaumont continue to scamper singles. England need 239 from 36 overs. Where’s your money?

13th Over: England 68-1 (Beaumont 41 Knight 27) Sutherland continues and England easily pick up four singles, rotating the strike nicely. Ellyse Perry is coming into the attack to replace Jonassen. Big gulp.

12th Over: England 64-1 (Beaumont 39 Knight 25) Beaumont, all high backlift and flourishing blade, charges down to Jonassen and bunts her away for four. England are well up with the rate here. Eight from it. Righto, I’m going to fire up the old emails and see what’s happening.

11th Over: England 56-1 (Beaumont 32 Knight 24) Sutherland into the attack and she is miserly straight away. Shadows creep across the ground. Resolutely ink black outside my window although there is the odd chirrup to suggest dawn isn’t too far away.

10th Over: England 53-1 (Beaumont 30 Knight 23) Jonassen into the attack and her first ball is slapped away by Knight down the ground for six! Welcome Jess. England have their dander up here and it is lovely to watch. Although of course I’m neutral. Neutral I tell ya.

9th Over: England 45-1 (Beaumont 29 Knight 16) Six off Schutt’s latest including a four to Beaumont down to a vacant third. Ellyse Perry can be glimpsed warming up, Australia do need something to break this partnership.

8th Over: England 39-1 (Beaumont 23 Knight 16) More runs for England! This time Knight peels off a couple of delicious boundaries one flicked away off the pads and the next ball standing tall on her toes and steering a lifter away wide of backward point. England are into this run chase!

7th Over: England 28-1 (Beaumont 20 Knight 8) More runs for the English cause as these two settle into their work. Beaumont confidently launches one to the leg side boundary with a full flourish and then paddles a full ball away for a couple. A drive to mid on for a single completes a fruitful over for the side in pale blue.

6th Over: England 20-1 (Beaumont 13 Knight 7) Better from England as Beaumont rocks back and slaps a short ball from Brown to the mid wicket boundary!

5th Over: England 14-1 (Beaumont 8 Knight 6) Just a single off it as Schutt has it hooping around.

4th Over: England 13-1 (Beaumont 7 Knight 6) Tammy B pokes at one from Brown and it is a DROP! Lanning shelling the regulation catch in the slips! Phewf. Beaumont then picks up a couple and Knight crunches one majestically away to the boundary. A nerve settler from England’s skipper.

3rd Over: England 6-1 (Beaumont 4 Knight 2) England manage to nurdle a couple of runs off Schutt. There’s a hint of swing, the ball tailing into the pads. England need these two to stick in there and get them into this run chase.

2nd Over: England 3-1 (Beaumont 1, Knight 2) Darcie Brown is into her work and straight away she has Tammy Beaumont groping outside off stump. England look tentative here, Heather Knight is at the crease early doors.

Wicket! Winfield-Hill ct Sutherland b Schutt 0

1st Over: England 0-1

Megan Schutt has the new ball and she is into England straight away! Winfield-Hill plinks one in the air and Sutherland takes the catch at mid on, her knuckles skimming the turf. England did not need that.

Thanks Mike and Hello OBO,

The Aussie players are out on the field going through their warm ups, they’ll fancy picking up where they left off just a few weeks ago when they rolled England in the fifty over leg of the Ashes. Can Heather Knight’s side make a fist of this?

Get in touch on email or the twitters and we’ll see what the next few hours bring. Reckon I’ve just about got enough time to brew up a strong coffee, it is creeping up to 5am here in South London so any company much appreciated. If I may be so needy.

And with that, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Jim Wallace, who will take you through England’s run chase. Bye for now.

OK, time to draw breath after a stunning finish to Australia’s innings, after they were sent in to bat by England captain Heather Knight. A slow start looked set to hamper their chances of posting a defendable target, but led by a brilliant knock by opener Rachael Haynes (130) and ably supported by Meg Lanning (86) and then by Beth Mooney (27 from 19 balls) and Ellyse Perry (14 from five) Australia have managed to compile a massive total. It’s the highest total ever scored against England in a World Cup and Heather Knight’s side have it all to do now. Their innings is coming right up, don’t go anywhere.

50th over: Australia 310-3 (Perry 14, Mooney 27) Perry flicks off her legs for four on her first ball, and a couple of singles follow before a further two boundaries to Perry leave Australia with a very healthy total of 310, something which never looked likely after a slow start to the innings!

49th over: Australia 295-3 (Perry 0, Mooney 26) Haynes cracks a misjudged yorker from Sciver over the square leg ropes for six before departing, leaving the eager Perry to finally head out to the middle. She’ll have to wait until the next over to face her first ball though, as Mooney hits another boundary to finish off Sciver’s last over.

WICKET! Haynes 130 c Wyatt b Sciver, Australia 291-3

Haynes finally goes! She’s applauded off the field after a supreme innings. She went big again but didn’t quite have the legs to get over the ropes at deep mid-wicket this time. Wyatt displays safe hands out in the deep to give Sciver her second wicket.

48th over: Australia 283-2 (Haynes 123, Mooney 22) Oh no! England pass on another chance as Sciver puts down a high ball to dismiss Haynes. It wasn’t easy at all, but a chance nevertheless. Another chance follows, this time as Mooney hits high but not long. The ball drops safe though, and Australia remain just the two women down.

47th over: Australia 275-2 (Haynes 117, Mooney 20) It’s very much a two-pronged attack though, and Mooney finds the boundary with an uppercut to kick off Sciver’s next over. Haynes isn’t to be outdone, and she chips in with a mighty hoik to the mid-wicket boundary, one-bounce and the ball is over the ropes. Australia are well on course for that 280.

46th over: Australia 262-2 (Haynes 111, Mooney 13) Haynes does find the boundary now though, somewhat fortuitously, with a top edge which flies over Jones’s head behind the stumps. Another four follows as Haynes gives herself some room to slap Ecclestone through the off side and it’s another expensive over for the toiling English bowlers. Eccleston’s gone for 55 off her eight overs, for no wickets.

45th over: Australia 251-2 (Haynes 102, Mooney 11) Five off Sciver’s next over, but importantly for England, all singles and no boundaries. Still, Australia are set for 280-ish, which is remarkable given their early travails today.

Century for Haynes!

44th over: Australia 246-2 (Haynes 100, Mooney 8) Haynes brings up her milestone off 115 balls off her legs after Mooney gets off the mark with a single and a boundary. And then England suddenly look ragged, as Cross bowls well wide and keeper Jones cannot get near it. Five wides and 15 runs off the over.

43rd over: Australia 226-1 (Haynes 96, Lanning 84) Five off the over before Australia lose their second wicket of the day. And Beth Mooney is sent in ahead of Perry, as expected.

Updated

WICKET! Lanning 86 c Beaumont b Brunt, Australia 231-2

England finally get their breakthrough! Lanning won’t reach her century, as she is caught out attempting a cut that is snaffled by Beaumont!

Updated

42nd over: Australia 226-1 (Haynes 96, Lanning 84) Haynes edges towards a century, but just the four runs off Cross’s over.

41st over: Australia 222-1 (Haynes 94, Lanning 82) Into the final 10 overs we go... and further towards some potential fireworks. Perry is still on her feet in the Australian box but there could be an argument to send in McGrath or Mooney ahead of her now. Oh, did I say fireworks? Here they are! Lanning pulls for the first six of the game off the last ball of Brunt’s over!

40th over: Australia 210-1 (Haynes 94, Lanning 73) One, one, one, one, one... one! It’s a full house of singles as the Australian total keeps ticking over, this time off the bowling of Sciver.

39th over: Australia 204-1 (Haynes 91, Lanning 70) Haynes moves nearer her century as she brings up Australia’s 200, spinning around a hook shot that bounces away to the boundary behind square. There’s a half-hearted lbw appeal by Jones a few balls later, but there’s an element of desperation about that shout. That is followed by a more lusty appeal, this time including the bowler Brunt, but the umpire’s decision is not out. Heather Knight sends it upstairs which, at this point, is a fair call, but it’s heading down leg and England’s frustration continues.

38th over: Australia 197-1 (Haynes 85, Lanning 70) Haynes swings and connects beautifully to send the ball racing off through the covers to the boundary to bring up a 150-run partnership for this pair. The left-hander then hoiks Sciver to the on-side but doesn’t quite catch it as sweetly. Lanning then slaps Sciver to the mid-off boundary to make it an expensive 13 off the over.

37th over: Australia 184-1 (Haynes 77, Lanning 65) One, one, one, one, one... dot. Five off the Shrubsole over.

36th over: Australia 179-1 (Haynes 74, Lanning 63) Lanning finds the boundary with a cut shot that races away down to the third man boundary - the highlight of another good over for the Australian batters.

35th over: Australia 172-1 (Haynes 72, Lanning 58) Another over, another five runs to the Australian total. Fifteen overs to go now, and Australia’s projected total is 292 if they can score at a rate of eight an over.

34th over: Australia 167-1 (Haynes 70, Lanning 56) Thwack! Love that sound! Haynes finds the meat of her bat to crack the returning Ecclestone back over her head and to the boundary. She then cuts for another four and England are struggling to come up with a solution to the problem that is the Haynes-Lanning axis at the moment.

33rd over: Australia 158-1 (Haynes 62, Lanning 55) Shrubsole can’t stop the gradual flow of runs as Australia’s captain and her deputy scores singles off five of the six balls this over.

32nd over: Australia 154-1 (Haynes 60, Lanning 53) Haynes knows there are wickets in hand and perhaps now would be a good time to start hitting out. She finds the boundary in consecutive Cross balls to bring up the 150 for Australia as the run rate nudges up towards 5.

Fifties for Lanning and Haynes!

31st over: Australia 143-1 (Haynes 50, Lanning 52) Captain Lanning leads by example, bringing her half-century up with a cut backward of point for two. And Haynes follows suit soon enough Shrubsole and reaches her milestone with a tickle off her pads. Drinks are called, presumably to celebrate the batters’ achievements.

Lanning raises her bat on reaching 50.
Lanning raises her bat on reaching 50. Photograph: Kai Schwörer/Getty Images

Updated

30th over: Australia 139-1 (Haynes 49, Lanning 49) Lanning brings up the hundred partnership with a leading edge that loops back up and over the bowler, Cross, and to the boundary. Three quickly-taken singles follow and we could see a couple of 50s being reached in the next over now...

29th over: Australia 132-1 (Haynes 48, Lanning 43) Brunt is replaced by Shrubsole, who is disappointed when she sees Lanning’s well-guided cut evade the despairing dive of Dunkley on the boundary. Seven off the over in total.

28th over: Australia 125-1 (Haynes 47, Lanning 37) Haynes scoops a sweep shot down to the (very) fine leg boundary, brilliantly it has to be said, as she approaches her half-century and Australia continue to build a total.

Updated

27th over: Australia 119-1 (Haynes 42, Lanning 36) Australia keep the scoreboard ticking over during Ecclestone’s fifth over. Four singles from five balls are augmented by a boundary as Lanning capitalises on a full toss, sweeping it away to the boundary for four.

26th over: Australia 111-1 (Haynes 40, Lanning 30) The cameras again pan to Perry on the boundary, where the next woman in is in deep concentration, going through the motions of some of her shots. Meanwhile, out in the middle, England lose their grip a little and are not helped by another five wides - very similar to the earlier five wides off Kate Cross’s bowling. All the ones for Australia after 26. The run rate has crept up to 4.26.

25th over: Australia 102-1 (Haynes 39, Lanning 27) Haynes brings up Australia’s 100 at the halfway point of their innings as she comes down the track to wallop Ecclestone through the covers to the boundary. It’s a bit uppish, but safe enough. With that, and another aggressive shot - a sweep for a single - there appears to be a distinct change in gear from Haynes this over.

24th over: Australia 95-1 (Haynes 32, Lanning 27) Opener Brunt is brought back into the England attack and they very nearly get a breakthrough as Lanning flicks one off her legs down to fine leg... Eccelstone is there, but she reacts a little too late and the ball drops just in front of her. A chance wasted by England! And Brunt cannot help but show her frustration.

23rd over: Australia 92-1 (Haynes 29, Lanning 25) We’re racing through the overs now. Another one down, just two off it, as Ecclestone delivers two absolute beauties which Lanning struggles to deal with.

22nd over: Australia 90-1 (Haynes 29, Lanning 25) Lanning moves onto 25 as thoughts turn to how Australia can increase that run rate. Perry’s in next, and after her is Tahlia McGrath, but of course there is no Ash Gardner today.

21st over: Australia 85-1 (Haynes 28, Lanning 21) Ecclestone can’t replicate her miserly opening over, and she concedes eight from this one. Haynes finishes it with a boundary.

20th over: Australia 77-1 (Haynes 22, Lanning 19) Cross produces a tight over, with just one off it, to Haynes. Australia’s current run rate is 3.85, as the camera cuts to Elysse Perry on the sidelines, who appears to the champing at the bit to get out into the middle.

19th over: Australia 76-1 (Haynes 21, Lanning 19) Heather Knight reckons it’s time for a bit of spin and brings Sophie Ecclestone into the attack. Lanning sweeps for a comfortable two but otherwise it’s a decent opening over from the tweaker, three from it.

18th over: Australia 73-1 (Haynes 20, Lanning 17) Haynes takes a wild swing at Cross’s fourth delivery, and the ball loops up into air towards a very short third man. It lands safely though and she picks up a fortuitous single. Lanning, with a degree more class, then punches through the covers for a boundary to round off the over.

17th over: Australia 67-1 (Haynes 19, Lanning 12) Lanning smacks Sciver for a two-bounce four, back over the bowler’s head and Australia take a total of seven off the over.

16th over: Australia 60-1 (Haynes 18, Lanning 6) After the short break, Cross resumes. A single each for Haynes and Lanning sees Australia reach 60, and England have done well to limit the world No 1 ODI side so far.

15th over: Australia 58-1 (Haynes 17, Lanning 5) Haynes now opens up through the off side with a checked cover drive off Sciver’s bowling for four runs and then an even better shot off the final ball of the over - a cut just behind point - yields a single to ensure she keeps the strike. Six off the over in total. Drinks!

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14th over: Australia 52-1 (Haynes 12, Lanning 4) A leg bye and two singles - one a tidy late cut from Haynes - from this over. Nothing much to add.

13th over: Australia 49-1 (Haynes 11, Lanning 3) Oh this is good bowling from Sciver, including a lovely slower ball that Haynes does well to dig out and fend off. Sciver’s gone for just six runs off her three overs, with the scalp of Healy to boot.

12th over: Australia 48-1 (Haynes 11, Lanning 2) Kate Cross is brought into the attack for England and Haynes cracks her third delivery through the covers for a boundary. Welcome to the game, Kate. Haynes then tries to pull a wayward Cross delivery, but she misses - as does Jones behind the stumps and that’ll be five wides.

11th over: Australia 39-1 (Haynes 7, Lanning 2) A scare for Australia as Haynes scampers off for a quick single but gets sent back. She slams the breaks on, and races back to make her ground just before Jones whips off the bails. Sciver’s bowling well - 1-5 off her opening two overs.

10th over: Australia 37-1 (Haynes 6, Lanning 1) Australia’s captain, Meg Lanning, comes to the crease but has to wait to face her first ball as she takes up position at the non-striker’s end for Shrubsole’s fifth over. She gets off the mark soon enough though, with just two off the over. And that’s the powerplay over.

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Ninth over: Australia 35-1 (Haynes 5, Healy 28) So an Australian wicket falls, but there could have been one earlier in the over as Brunt finds a bit of movement off the seam and raps Healy on the pads! It’s given! But it might be going down leg... Healy decides to review and so it is - it’s missing the stumps and Healy survives - if only for a few more balls.

WICKET! Healy 28 c Brunt b Sciver, Australia 35-1

England make the breakthrough! Healy holes out to Katherine Brunt at mid-wicket as Sciver strikes in her first over! Not Healy’s best shot, it lacks any kind of power, and is an easy take for Brunt.

Eighth over: Australia 32-0 (Haynes 4, Healy 27) Just a single from the next Shrubsole over as the England bowler tighens things up.

Seventh over: Australia 31-0 (Haynes 4, Healy 26) Brunt seams one away from Haynes, who keeps the face of her bat open and edges for single wide of the slip. Once on strike, it clear that Healy’s eye is in though, and she pulls away a short delivery for four more runs. A ball later though, she inside edges onto her pads and away to safety when she could easily have played on. That could easily have ended very differently.

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Sixth over: Australia 25-0 (Haynes 3, Healy 21) Shrubsole produces an inswinger which Healy dabbles at - Jones fumbles behind the stumps and the bails fall off in the commotion. It’s one of five dot balls before there are shouts of “catch” from Shrubsole as Healy drives into the air on the final ball of the over. It’s safe though and Healy even gets a couple of runs off it as the spin on the ball as it lands does for the fielder.

Updated

Fifth over: Australia 23-0 (Haynes 3, Healy 19) Haynes tickles a single off her thigh before Brunt angles one into Healy, but the Australian gets it away through the off side for a single. A tighter over from Brunt.

Fourth over: Australia 21-0 (Haynes 2, Healy 18) Healy really gets going now off Shrubsole’s bowling. She follows a lovely cover drive with a chip through mid-wicket - both go for four - and another dink through mid-wicket that doesn’t quite reach the boundary completes a good over for Australia. Eleven off it.

Third over: Australia 10-0 (Haynes 2, Healy 8) Amy Jones dons a lid and moves up to the stumps midway through the over, a move that with two slips in place adds to the pressure on the Australian batters. No matter, Healy opens up and finds the boundary - the first of the day - with a punch just backward of square.

Second over: Australia 4-0 (Haynes 1, Healy 3) Shrubsole opens from the other end and Healy goes after a wider delivery, edging through the slips down to third man for Australia’s first run of the tournament. Haynes then also gets off the mark, to square leg, before Healy adds another two with a neat clip off her legs.

Updated

First over: Australia 0-0 (Haynes 0, Healy 0) The England players take a knee before Katherine Brunt, fresh ball in hand, steams in for the first ball. There’s a bit of outswing in evidence, Haynes fends it off. Brunt continues to hit her mark for the remainder of the over, and Haynes continues to defend astutely. But that’s a decent opening over from the England bowler - a maiden.

Not long to the first ball now. Out stride Healy and Haynes and we’ll get up and running.

Here come the teams for the anthems, but not before we have tributes and a minute’s silence for both Marsh and Warne.

And here’s Raf Nicholson on a far from smooth lead up to the tournament:

Weather update: From a distance, it looks fine today in Hamilton. And an internet search tells me it’s a balmy 25C at Seddon Park with pretty much no chance of rain. So we’re all set for a full day of cricket.

After definitive series wins over India and England this summer – and a total of 29 wins from their last 30 ODIs – Australia head into the Women’s World Cup as overwhelming favourites. It’s a familiar position for this team, who have dominated world cricket for many years. But this particular tournament brings more pressure than usual, and Australia are desperate to regain the trophy after failing to make the final last time out in 2017.

The shadows of both Rod Marsh and Shane Warne will hang heavy over today’s proceedings at Seddon Park and both teams will wear black armbands as a mark of respect. It promises to be an emotional day.

Lineups

Australia are already without Ash Gardner, who has Covid and will be forced to miss the Pakistan clash too, and there is no place for Nicole Carey, Grace Harris or Amanda-Jade Wellington. Annabel Sutherland slots in at No 7 for Gardner.

Australia: Alyssa Healy, Rachael Haynes (vice-captain), Meg Lanning (captain), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown.

No surprises for England who line up as follows:

England: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Heather Knight (captain), Nat Sciver (vice-captain), Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Anya Shrubsole.

Updated

England win the toss and bowl first

“Not sure what the pitch will do,” says England skipper Heather Knight, who fancies her team’s chances of a chase.

Australia captain Meg Lanning says her side are “50-50” when chasing and seems comfortable with the loss of the toss.

“Batting first holds no fears for us,” she says.

Updated

Preamble

What an incredibly sad day for cricket. We were still coming to terms with news of the death of Rod Marsh when the Shane Warne bombshell hit. You can follow the latest as the tributes continue to pour in with my colleague Emma Kemp over on a different liveblog:

The show must go on though, and there is cricket to be played today, so here we go.

Eight teams. Six venues. Thirty one matches (31!). One month. A festival of cricket across the two islands of New Zealand, featuring the host nation, South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh.... and the old foes of Australia and England, who will be the focus of this liveblog for the next little while.

New Zealand and West Indies kicked things off yesterday about a year after the tournament was supposed to begin. It was an absolute humdinger.

It was Covid, of course, that put paid to plans to hold the tournament in February 2021, and there remain some concerns about how the pandemic will affect play over the next four weeks. New Zealand is in the midst of an Omicron outbreak that has led to something of an acceptance that the virus will intervene at some stage - and a bizarre new rule that could see the world’s best sides fielding members of their management teams in the event squads are reduced by Covid. You couldn’t make it up.

Australia - six-time champions - begin their campaign at Hamilton’s Seddon Park as favourites to hoist the trophy for a seventh time come 3 April, but today’s opponents England - four-time champions - have designs of their own on the silverware as they eye back-to-back trophies after Heather Knight’s Tammy Beaumont-inspired team went all the way on home soil in 2017.

The reigning champs v the world No 1 ODI side. As far as opening round matches go, this one’s a bit tasty. The toss is coming right up. In the meantime, if you fancy getting in touch, please do so on email (mike.hytner@theguardian.com) or on Twitter @mike_hytner. Let’s get into this...

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