Raf Nicholson’s report has arrived, so I’m going to wrap things up. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight!
Heather Knight’s verdict
The way we performed tonight was brilliant. The pitch was really different to what we expected – usually spin dominates but it felt like seam was harder to get away. It was an all-round performance. There’s a lot of belief in our team; now onto the ODIs!
Danni kicked it off really well in the Powerplay, and Caps was top-drawer. The crowd really lifted us; it was an amazing atmosphere and we really appreciate the support.
Still a long way to go, there’s not much room for error. One game at a time!
Alyssa Healy’s verdict
They batted really well. They outbraved us, they played a few shots and took their chances. They played some really fearless cricket.
That’s the beauty of T20 cricket. When you’re not quite on, you can get pounced upon by teams. England played a really great style of cricket throughout the series; we didn’t quite match that. Fortunately we’ve still got three games to put it right.
The player of the series is Danni Wyatt
It’s always really nice to contribute. Series win, we’ll take that! Each pitch was different so it was a case of staying calm and backing myself.
[On being so strong on the off side] Yeah I’ve got dodgy wrists. I feel out of a tree when I was 10 so I hold the bat a bit weird. We’ve got a couple of days off now – we’re heading to Wimbledon tomorrow – and then we’ll go again at Bristol.
The player of the match is Alice Capsey
The series is still alive, it’s amazing. It was unbelievable [to have my family here]. They’ve supported me all the way, and I’m sure they’ve enjoyed the hospitality as well!
[On her recent form] With the way I play, sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s just about getting better and more consistent.
The England team are walking round the ground, signing autographs and posing for selfies. Capsey, who was devastated as she walked off, is now beaming. This feels like a very significant week in the development of this young England side.
That was a fine game in front of a record crowd, and Australia deserve huge credit for being so keen to get back on the field in conditions that weren’t great.
England waited almost six years to beat Australia in a live Ashes game, and now they’ve done it twice in four days. The star was Alice Capsey, whose fearless innings of 46 from 23 balls took England within sight of victory. They staggered towards the finish line after that, but they got there in the end.
The result means it is now England 4-6 Australia in the multi-format Ashes, with three ODIs (2pts each) still to come, all in front of sell-out crowds.
ENGLAND WIN BY FIVE WICKETS!
13.2 overs: England 121-5 (Jones 0, Gibson 4) That’ll do! Danni Gibson, playing in her debut series, coolly reverse sweeps her first ball for four. Despite a considerable wobble, England have kept the won the T20 series 2-1 and kept the Ashes alive!
WICKET! England 117-5 (Knight LBW b Jonassen 6)
Oh my goodness. Knight misses a sweep at Jess Jonassen’s first ball and is trapped in front. She reviews, mainly because England have two remaining, but replays show the ball would just have brushed off stump. England need 2 from 5 balls.
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
Another wicket gone. Drama! pic.twitter.com/QIBAerje2p
Updated
13th over: England 117-4 (Knight 6, Jones 0) Jones tries to finish it in style but misses a hearty slap across the line. What’s a superb little spell from Georgia Wareham: 2-0-10-1. England need 2 from 6 balls.
WICKET! England 117-4 (Sciver-Brunt b Wareham 25)
It’s not over just yet. Wareham bowls Sciver-Brunt with a classic flipper, and England need 2 from 7 balls.
Updated
12.3 overs: England 116-3 (Sciver-Brunt 25, Knight 5) Sensible cricket from Sciver-Brunt, who manoeuvres Wareham behind square for a single. The Australian fans are starting to leave the ground. “Why?!” asks Mel Jones on Sky Sports.
Knight’s reverse sweep doesn’t beat backward point. So she swaggers down the pitch to blast the next ball over mid-off for four. Great batting. England need 3 from 9 balls.
12th over: England 111-3 (Sciver-Brunt 24, Knight 1) More exceptional fielding from Australia – this time Georgia Wareham, who saves two runs with a sprawling stop at deep square. The odds are against Australia, but they won’t be giving this up. England need 8 from 12 balls.
WICKET! England 107-3 (Capsey c Gardner b Schutt 46)
An outstanding catch from Ash Gardner ends a delightful innings from Alice Capsey. She smashed Schutt’s first two balls for six and four, and was trying to reach a half-century in style when she launched another big shot towards deep midwicket. Gardner ran round the boundary to take a superb low catch.
Capsey, who came into this game on the back of 17 runs in five innings, made 46 from 23 balls with four fours and two sixes. She looks devastated as she walks off, and won’t be able to enjoy the innings unless England see this through.
Updated
10th over: England 97-2 (Sciver-Brunt 21, Capsey 36) Alyssa Healy has decided to gamble: Georgia Wareham, the legspinner, has the wet ball in her hand.
It’s a good decision. Wareham concedes only four runs and almost picks up both batters. Sciver-Brunt survived an LBW appeal – missing leg – before both she and Capsey sliced the ball just short of the fielder at short third. England need 22 from 18 balls.
10th over: England 93-2 (Sciver-Brunt 19, Capsey 34) Sciver-Brunt slices Sutherland over short third for two, then pulls two more to deep midwicket. Gardner saves the boundary with a fantastic sliding stop. A mistimed lofted drive falls safely; the resulting single brings up the fifty partnership from 34 balls.
Oh, this is delightful: Capsey, who is having a whale of a time, finishes the over with a jaunty reverse scoop for four. Brilliant batting. Capsey has achieved so much already that it’s easy to forget she is still only 18. She’s an extraordinary talent.
England need 26 from 24 balls.
9th over: England 83-2 (Sciver-Brunt 14, Capsey 29) Capsey charges the new bowler Gardner, gets nowhere near the pitch and inside-edges the ball past leg stump for four.
She may be riding her luck but Capsey’s aggression is just what England need, and takes a lot of courage given her recent form. Georgia Wareham drops a really difficult running chance at deep midwicket, then Capsey flat-bats four more back over Gardner’s head. She has 29 from 16 balls; it’s been a gem of an innings.
8th over: England 70-2 (Sciver-Brunt 13, Capsey 17) Darcie Brown comes on for her third and final over. It includes three successive dot balls to Sciver-Brunt, who eventually hacks a single to mid-on.
Capsey lifts a full toss over midwicket for three, with Sutherland doing superbly to save the boundary. This is great stuff!
Brown ends with admirable figures of 3-0-18-1, and England need 49 from 36 balls.
7th over: England 65-2 (Sciver-Brunt 12, Capsey 13) Annabel Sutherland replaces Brown, who has one over remaining. After a good start, four from five balls, Sciver-Brunt wrests the over back by bashing a boundary through extra cover. Schutt made a brilliant sliding stop, only for the ball to deflect off her body and onto the sponge.
England need 54 from 42 balls. Should.
6th over: England 57-2 (Sciver-Brunt 7, Capsey 11) Jess Jonassen’s first over disappears for 14! Her first ball was swept firmly round the corner for four by Sciver-Brunt; the fifth was slog-swept mightily over midwicket for six by Capsey. That’s Alice Capsey.
A fine over for England, though it’s important to note that the wet ball is making life pretty difficult for Australia’s spinners.
ALICE CAPSEY 😍
— England's Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) July 8, 2023
pic.twitter.com/6Zbae1fxsj
Updated
5th over: England 43-2 (Sciver-Brunt 1, Capsey 3) Dunkley, who made nine from 10 balls, was probably guilty of trying to hit the ball too hard.
No surprise that the new batter Alice Capsey is greeted with some short stuff. She cuts a single to get off the mark, as does Sciver-Brunt, and then Capsey pings two more behind square on the off side.
A fine over from Darcie Brown, just four runs and the wicket of Dunkley. England need 76 from 54 balls.
Updated
WICKET! England 39-2 (Dunkley c Jonassen b Brown 9)
Two wickets in two balls! Dunkley tries to pull Brown, is beaten for pace and clouts the ball high in the air. Jess Jonassen steadies herself at backward point to take a comfortable catch.
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
Back to back wickets for Australia! ✌️ pic.twitter.com/hOBtWwvGeT
Updated
4th over: England 39-1 (Dunkley 9, Sciver-Brunt 0) That was the last ball of the over.
WICKET! England 39-1 (Wyatt c Healy b Schutt 26)
A vital wicket for Australia with the last ball of the Powerplay. Wyatt had struck three boundaries in four balls off Schutt, who responded with a slower bouncer that brushed the top edge on its way through to Alyssa Healy. Wyatt goes after an exhilarating cameo: 26 from 15 balls.
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
Australia will be delighted to see the back of Danni Wyatt! pic.twitter.com/3qUlCNPC2h
Updated
3rd over: England 26-0 (Dunkley 8, Wyatt 14) The offspinner Ash Gardner, who shredded England in the Test match, comes into the attack. Dunkley doesn’t connect properly with a couple of big shots; she has been a little frantic at the start of the innings.
Wyatt, by contrast, looks in control. She rifles a thrilling extra cover drive for four, then blazes the next ball over cover for four more. Brilliant batting. England need 93 from 66 balls.
Tonight’s attendance has been confirmed as 21,610, a record for a bilateral women’s game in England.
21,610 🙌
— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 8, 2023
This evening's England v Australia #Ashes IT20 match has broken the home bilateral attendance record for an England Women's fixture.
Thank you to everyone who has attended 👏#LoveLords pic.twitter.com/c3P6sFTlQq
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2nd over: England 17-0 (Dunkley 8, Wyatt 6) The rapid Darcie Brown shares the new ball, with her loosener is timed at 75mph. Dunkley slugs a short ball over midwicket for a two-bounce four.
The rain has enlivened the pitch, and Healy again has to dive to her left to stop a leg-side wide going for four. Nine from the over.
1st over: England 8-0 (Dunkley 2, Wyatt 5) The Powerplay will be four rather than six overs in this reduced chase, with Megan Schutt opening the bowling.
Danni Wyatt calls Sophia Dunkley through for a dangerously tight single, with the throw from point just missing the stumps. Alyssa Healy does superbly to stop a leg-side wide from going to the boundary before Wyatt ends an eventful first over with a thumping back cut for four.
Credit to Australia, who could reasonably have argued that the outfield is too wet for play to resume. They know there’s a bigger picture.
Updated
Here come the players. The forecast looks fine for the rest of the evening, so we should get a game. England need 119 to keep the series alive.
Play to resume at 9.05pm BST
England’s revised target is 119 from 14 overs. It’s on!
Updated
Good news: it has stopped raining and the groundstaff are going to work. They could be back on for a reduced game in 10-15 minutes.
If the match is washed out, the score in this Ashes series will be England 3-7 Australia with six points still on offer. If none of the ODIs are rained off, a no-result tonight is effectively the same as a win for England. They have to win the last three games either way.
Update from Lord’s… #Ashes pic.twitter.com/RSktvBwPt5
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 8, 2023
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The cut-off time for a five-over game is 9.31pm BST
Inspection at 8.40pm
It’s still raining lightly, and we’re about to start losing overs.
Alyssa Healy has popped into the Sky pod for a chat.
Okay first half, probably a little less than we originally thought. But the wicket wasn’t as easy as we expected. A bit of water might help it skid on for our bowlers.
People forget we’re allowed to lose games of cricket, especially in T20. It’s a hard format to be consistent at. When you’re not at your best – and we haven’t been in the first two games – you can get knocked off. Sometimes when you win a lot you can gloss over certain areas, so losing can be a bit of a blessing.
[Are England a little closer to you, and is that a surprise?] Yes they are and no it’s not a surprise. You’ve got a lot of raw talent in this country, they just hadn’t been exposed to international cricket. Everyone’s naturally getting closer, we’ve got to find a way to keep staying ahead.
It’s been great to play at Lord’s – it’s my first experience, I ran drinks in 2013. We did a little tour last night and had a look around. Hopefully we’ll get a few more paintings of some women in the Long Room.
“Looking at Sophie’s face when those catches went down in the last over,” begins Outski, “she makes Lord Jimmy of Turf Moor look forgiving.”
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
Straight through from Sophie Ecclestone and Annabel Sutherland is GONE in the final over ❌ pic.twitter.com/sSC1V0Ie3Z
“In the newly revived ‘spirit of cricket’, should England only get one FFS review?” asks Damian Clarke. “You know, just to be polite.”
FFS walks straight into the OBO Typos XI. The best/worst occurred at about 4am on 20 March 2010, in an entry that should have read:
43rd over: Bangladesh 192-4 (Mahmudullah 38, Shakib Al Hasan 4) Shakib takes consecutive boundaries off Tredwell with a cut and a sweep.
Erm, it’s raining again. Doesn’t look too heavy, so I think we’ll still get a game. If it is washed out, the series will still be alive, but England would have to win the last three games.
“I’m so sorry, Rob!” says Sarah Bacon. “I seriously thought I’d typed DRS not, errr, FFS but ... yikes! Typing one-handed with a broken arm! Apologies!”
I assumed it was deliberate. I quite like it. (Sorry about the arm though. Just type FFS in any future emails, I’ll be able to translate.)
England need 156 to win
Both sides will be happy enough, though perhaps Australia – who pilfered 35 off the last three overs – are slight favourites on an awkward pitches. See you in 10 minutes for the runchase.
WICKET! Australia 155-7 (Harris run out 25)
Grace Harris is run out off the last ball, trying to steal a second to long on. And that’s Blockbusters.
Updated
WICKET! Australia 154-6 (Sutherland b Ecclestone 3)
Ecclestone’s final over starts with two dropped catches in as many balls. Harris was put down by Bell, who lost the ball in the lights at short third, and then Sutherland was dropped by Gibson at long on. That was a much easier chance.
Harris takes advantage to blast a boundary down the ground. Ecclestone eventually bowls Sutherland with a superb quicker ball, though there’s no celebration whatsoever. One ball remaining.
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
Straight through from Sophie Ecclestone and Annabel Sutherland is GONE in the final over ❌ pic.twitter.com/sSC1V0Ie3Z
Updated
19th over: Australia 145-5 (Harris 17, Sutherland 2) It’s raining again, though it’s pretty light so the umpires may try to finish the innings.
A short ball from Bell is hooked sweetly for four by Harris. Shot! Bell ends a good evening’s work with figures of 4-0-24-1.
“*Gnashes teeth* Australia better not lose a review because FFS was down,” sniffs Sarah Bacon. “Staggering. Signed, Furious in London.”
WICKET! Australia 137-5 (Perry LBW b Bell 34)
Lauren Bell traps Ellyse Perry in front with a superb yorker, straight onto the toe. It took the umpire a while to raise his finger, so much so that Bell didn’t realise it was out.
Perry reviewed, simply because Australia have two left, but DRS is down so the decision stands. It looked plumb anyway. Perry goes for a smart, selfless 24-ball 34.
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
Ellyse Perry is given lbw, she appeals but DRS is out of commission so the on field decision stays in place ❌ pic.twitter.com/TzOaFQNggD
Updated
18th over: Australia 137-4 (Perry 34, Harris 11) A big over for Australia: 17 from it. Perry drags Sciver-Brunt’s first two balls round the corner for four, one to fine leg and the other to long leg. Sciver-Brunt slips in her follow-through, which is always a concern given her knee problems, but she seems fine.
A leg-side slower ball is gloved over Jones for four more by Perry, who then chips just short of Wyatt charging in from deep midwicket. Sciver-Brunt ends a decent spell with figures of 4-0-31-2.
Updated
17th over: Australia 120-4 (Perry 17, Harris 11) Classy stuff from Ecclestone, who varies her pace and flight to good effect. Four singles from the over.
16th over: Australia 116-4 (Perry 15, Harris 9) The rain has apparently freshened up Australia’s intent. Ellyse Perry pulls Gibson’s first ball round the corner for six, and four singles make it a very useful over for Australia. A target of 140 wouldn’t be easy on this pitch.
The rain has stopped and play is about to resume. It’s still a 20-over game. While you wait, check this out from Amy Jones.
Oh my days Amy Jones 😍
— England's Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) July 8, 2023
pic.twitter.com/wDiaYCkwZ7
Rain stops play
15th over: Australia 106-4 (Perry 7, Harris 7) Another good over for England – until Grace Harris drags Bell’s last ball round the corner for four. And then, out of nowhere, the heavens open in St John’s Wood.
The forecast is okay so hopefully this will just be a shower.
Updated
14th over: Australia 97-4 (Perry 5, Harris 1) Gardner made 32 from 25 balls, a very useful innings in the context of what should be a lowish-scoring game.
WICKET! Australia 97-4 (Gardner ct/st Jones b Sciver-Brunt 32)
Delightful wicketkeeping from Amy Jones. Gardner charged Sciver-Brunt, who saw her coming and rammed in a bouncer. When Gardner missed a tennis shot, Jones took the ball above her head and broke the stumps in one smooth movement.
There was the thinnest top-edge, in fact, so the book says ct Jones b Sciver-Brunt. It was a seriously good catch; it would have been an even better stumping.
Updated
13th over: Australia 94-3 (Gardner 31, Perry 3) Ecclestone on, Gibson off. A rare long hop is cuffed past extra cover for four by Gardner, who is looking very dangerous. She hammers the next ball to deep midwicket, where Sciver almost takes an outrageous catch. She ran round the boundary and swooped forward to take the ball two-handed – only for it bounce out of her hands on contact. It would have been a stunner.
12th over: Australia 84-3 (Gardner 23, Perry 1) With Mooney out, Sarah Glenn returns to the attack. The calculated assault continues, though, with Gardner scrunching her first ball down the ground for four. But Glenn responds impressively, beating Gardner outside off and conceding only three singles from the last five deliveries.
11th over: Australia 77-3 (Gardner 17, Perry 0) Gardner is hit in the stomach after missing a heave at Gibson. This does look an awkward pitch, and the outfield is slow as well. England will have to go hard in the Powerplay.
Gardner charges the next ball and lifts it miles in the air towards deep midwicket. For a while Sciver-Brunt is in the game but the ball sails over her for six. Gardner drags four more to midwicket later in the over before Perry is beaten by her first ball.
10th over: Australia 66-3 (Gardner 6, Perry 0) That was the last ball of the over. This is intriguingly poised because it’s hard to know what a good score would be.
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
Beth Mooney tries to get funky, and it does NOT pay off ❌ pic.twitter.com/M2pTH2Oue5
Updated
WICKET! Australia 66-3 (Mooney b Sciver-Brunt 32)
Too funky from Beth Mooney. She misses an attempted ramp off Sciver-Brunt, and the ball deflects off the pad onto the stumps. That’s a big wicket for England.
Updated
9th over: Australia 62-2 (Mooney 30, Gardner 4) Time for Sophie Ecclestone, officially the best T20 bowler in the world. Ash Gardner gets a bit lucky when a leading edge loops wide of extra cover.
Mooney, meanwhile, has gone into overdrive. She charges Ecclestone and drives sweetly over mid-off; that’s her fourth boundary in the last six deliveries.
8th over: Australia 55-2 (Mooney 24, Gardner 3) Sarah Glenn’s first ball is slog-swept emphatically for a one-bounce four by Mooney. Glenn has been excellent in this series, so this might be a calculated assault to get on top of her.
The next two legitimate deliveries confirm as much. After a wide from Glenn, Mooney hits two more boundaries to wide long-on and then long-off. As I type, Glenn’s figures are 0.3-0-13-0.
She pulls it back slightly but that’s still a brilliant over for Australia – 16 from it.
7th over: Australia 39-2 (Mooney 11, Gardner 0) Healy aside, nobody has consistently timed their attacking strokes, so maybe a par score is lower than we thought.
WICKET! Australia 37-2 (McGrath c Capsey b Gibson 10)
Danni Gibson strikes with her third ball. Just as Tammy Beaumont was saying on TV that the pitch looks a bit awkward, McGrath swishes straight to mid-off. Capsey takes a simple catch and then bursts out laughing, not sure why.
💥 WICKET 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2023
The men taking Australian wickets at Headingley and the women taking Australian wickets at Lord's 🤝 pic.twitter.com/fWxBWsTeuy
Updated
6th over: Australia 36-1 (Mooney 9, McGrath 10) Mooney sweeps Dean for four, which doubles her score after 13 deliveries. She screams the next ball back at Dean, who can’t hold on to a seriously difficult chance high to her left. The book says it was a dropped catch; in reality she saved four runs.
There’s nothing anyone can do to save four runs when McGrath swaggers down to drive Dean over mid-off. That’s a beautiful shot.
“Well, that’s not gonna get the Long Room baying, is it?” says Matt Dony. “What’s Healy playing at?”
Same old Aussie wicketkeeper-batters, always walking.
5th over: Australia 27-1 (Mooney 4, McGrath 6) McGrath plays a one-handed square drive for four off Bell. It was in the air but between the two fielders. Australia’s batters have been a little frantic at the start of the innings. McGrath is beaten and then screws an attempted drive to midwicket. Excellent stuff from Bell, whose first two overs have cost just eight.
4th over: Australia 23-1 (Mooney 4, McGrath 2) Mooney is beaten by a bit of extra bounce from Dean, whose second over has been right on the money. McGrath misses a booming drive, then takes a tight single to point off the last ball.
WICKET! Australia 20-1 (Healy LBW b Dean 16)
How’s this for the spirit of cricket: Alyssa Healy has walked on an LBW. She whipped across the line at an offbreak from Dean and was hit in front. It was plumb, and Healy was on the move before the umpire’s finger went up. She made a breezy 10-ball 16.
Updated
3rd over: Australia 20-0 (Healy 16, Mooney 3) Lauren Bell replaces Charlie Dean. Healy chips her stylishly over mid-on for two, with the ball plugging on the outfield. That aside it’s an excellent first over from Bell, with a top speed of around 73mph; Mooney is beaten by the last delivery.
2nd over: Australia 16-0 (Healy 13, Mooney 2) Nat Sciver-Brunt will share the new ball. Healy continues her blistering start, clipping firmly between midwicket and mid-on for four – but then she’s dropped! She tried to repeat the shot and got a leading edge back towards Sciver-Brunt, who couldn’t take a sharp chance in her follow through. A fielder of her class would take that maybe seven times out of 10.
Updated
1st over: Australia 10-0 (Healy 9, Mooney 1) Nobody sets a tone quite like Alyssa Healy, and she has just hit the first two balls of the match for four. The first was a classic cover drive, the second a flick off the pads when Dean erred in line. A couple of singles complete an excellent first over for Australia.
“It’s great to see the size of the crowd,” says Matt Dony. “Fantastic. Now, we just need something vaguely contentious to happen, and see if we can get Lords to go loco again. Hoping for some cracking entertainment.”
Here we go then. Charlie Dean to Alyssa Healy, the Ashes on the line.
Yep, this is pretty cool!
— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) July 8, 2023
Healy and Mooney out in the middle at Lord’s, tune in on 9Gem or 9Now #Ashes pic.twitter.com/R7QoEiCk3E
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It’s been 25 years since the creation of the Women’s Ashes, in the Harris Garden here @HomeOfCricket
— Raf Nicholson (@RafNicholson) July 8, 2023
Fantastic to be at the unveiling of a new plaque this evening with some amazing faces in women’s cricket, old and new, to celebrate! pic.twitter.com/4Or1VkL9Zz
Two Ashes matches going on simultaneously? Yes please, four.
Team news
Both teams are unchanged. Next!
England Dunkley, Wyatt, Capsey, Sciver-Brunt, Knight (c), Jones (wk), Gibson, Ecclestone, Glenn, Dean, Bell.
Australia Healy (c/wk), Mooney, McGrath, Gardner, Perry, Harris, Sutherland, Wareham, Jonassen, Schutt, Brown.
England win the toss and bowl
It’s a bit cloudy, so you can understand that decision. Alyssa Healy is happy to lose the toss because she was unsure what to do.
Updated
Preamble
Who wants a bit of the old clarity? It’s been English cricket’s buzzword over the last year, one that has empowered batters and bowlers to have fun like they did when they were young. Sometimes, alas, clarity is a mixed blessing. England’s position in this Ashes series could not be clearer: they have to win every single remaining game against the best team in the world, or else.
After their stirring three-run victory at the Oval on Thursday, England are a fifth of the way to the greatest comeback in cricket history. More importantly, they know they can beat Australia in a live Ashes match; it hadn’t happened since October 2017, so the players could be forgiven for wondering whether they’d ever do so again. In that sense, the 2025-26 Ashes series is already underway, and there are plenty of points to be scored in the next week or so.
The actual points tally in the 2023 Ashes is England 2-6 Australia, with eight more available. All three matches so far have been close, so, while Australia are still formidably good, perhaps the gap is closing slightly.
One thing has certainly changed since the last Ashes series in England: the size of the crowds. There should be around 20,000 people at Lord’s tonight – scandalously, this is Australia’s first game here since 2013 - and the three upcoming ODIs have all sold out.
If there’s this much anticipation for what has threatened to be a one-sided series, imagine what it will be like if England run Australia close.
Tonight’s match starts at 6.35pm BST, 3.35am AEST.
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