Match report
The Ashes Are Alive
Crikey. Well done England, they pulled it out of the bag at the end to level the series. The teams head to a sell-out at Southampton on Sunday for another crunch encounter. We’ll be there to bring you that, providing the OBO’s nerves have recovered in time…
Raf Nicholson’s match report will be along very soon but that is all from me this evening. Thanks as ever for your company and correspondence. Goodnight!
Ashes still alive. Heather Knight you absolute beauty 🔥🔥 #ashes
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) July 12, 2023
Heather Knight is Player of the Match, she is beaming bashfully from ear to ear.
It feels very good! It was hard work out there. I thought it was starting to slip away at the end but Kate Cross, what a hero! She was nervous when she came in but we broke it down. To beat a very good side is outstanding - and we can be a lot better. The fight in the side is remarkable and we showed that again today.
Inspiring words from the England skipper, she has a look in her eyes that suggests she knows her side can win the Ashes if they play at their true potential.
Every game has been so close, It’s been an awesome series. I wanted to be there at the end, I didn’t want to go back in with a few runs needed. It was pure joy at the end. It’s my home club, lots of family and friends watching.
Knight signs off by thanking the crowd:
We’ve kept growing as a team and we’re still got a long way to go. We’ve kept calm in the big moments. We’re got a lot of momentum. The support from the crowd was unreal again. It has really made the difference for us.”
Alyssa Healy speaks:
We probably got outplayed a little bit at the end but we fought well to keep ourselves in it. We were probably 20 short with the bat and bowled 20-odd extras. That’s 40 runs in the game. Our spinners did an outstanding job on that wicket.
Australia were particularly sloppy with gifting extras at the start of their bowling stint, allowing England to get off to a flier.
Alyssa Healy knows she’s got a fight on her hands in this Ashes series
The Ashes is on the line now proper. If that doesn’t galvanise our group then I don’t know what will! We haven’t been in this position a lot. It’s up to us to turn it around. We’ve just got to be better and sharper in certain areas to get us over the line.”
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I’m going to catch my breath for a couple of minutes. Here’s some initial reaction from other people that I’ve found on the Internet. Phew.
The momentum England have could be their biggest friend unless Australia work out now how to recover from the sort of losses they’ve never experienced. What a time to pull out a record run chase. Knight - and Cross in particular - hard as nails at the end #Ashes #EngvAus 🔥
— Alison Mitchell (@AlisonMitchell) July 12, 2023
WHAT AN ASHES SUMMER THIS IS!
— Adam Mountford (@tmsproducer) July 12, 2023
Every match in the women’s & men’s series a thriller.
Can our nerves take any more?
Next stop Sunday at the Ageas Bowl with @bbctms on air 1045pm. #WAshes #MAshes pic.twitter.com/p4UwseA00P
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The final partnership between Cross and Knight was 32 runs in 28 balls. Incredible drama. England have beaten the best white-ball side perhaps ever in three straight matches, that was a record run chase to boot.
This is the first time Australia women have lost three consecutive matches in all formats since a run of two T20Is and an ODI against New Zealand in Feb 2017.#Ashes #WomensAshes https://t.co/92q18hSIZE
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) July 12, 2023
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ENGLAND WIN BY 2 WICKETS!
England keep the Ashes alive! Heather Knight smashes a full toss from Jess Jonassen to the fence and roars with delight and no little relief! The Bristol crowd join her. Cross and Knight embrace in the middle, they’ve got England home at the end, when the pressure was on they stood tall. The Ashes are level at 6-6.
HEATHER KNIGHT. KATE CROSS. 😮#BBCCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/7mNkGlSQyQ
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 12, 2023
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48th over: England 263-8 (Knight 71, Cross 19) Megan Schutt is summoned by Healy. Knight takes a single off the first ball, a dicey one off a Schutt mis-field. Knight trusts Kate Cross here… and why not! Cross laps Schutt over wicketkeeper Healy for FOUR RUNS!
WHAT. A. SHOT. Executed wonderfully by Cross. England need five more… Kate Cross! She drills Schutt through cover for four more to take it to ONE RUN NEEDED FOR ENGLAND! Two dots to end the over, the last a DROP from Schutt as Cross smokes one straight back at her! Send for help… I can hardly type.
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47th over: England 254-8 (Knight 70, Cross 11) Cross faces three dots and then nudges a single off Jonassen. Knight has two balls in this over to play with. Oooh! A full toss is clobbered straight to the fielder, they take one. Cross plays out a dot. Knight will be on strike for the next over. Ten runs off 18 balls for England to stay alive in this Ashes series.
46th over: England 252-8 (Knight 69, Cross 10) Two singles off Gardner and then… A SIX! A SIX to Heather Knight! Clears the front pad and smokes it over the fence! What a shot. What a moment. England need 12 runs off 24 balls.
45th over: England 244-8 (Knight 62, Cross 9) Bristol goes bananas as Kate Cross smashes back to back boundaries! A loose ball from Jess Jonassen is swivelled to the fence and followed by a thump down the ground for four more! Absolute scenes in the South-West. England need 20 runs off 25 balls. Australia need two wickets. Another Ashes classic in the offing.
44th over: England 236-8 (Knight 62, Cross 1) Kate Cross joins Knight, she’s no stranger to tight Ashes finishes. Canberra anyone? Cross steals the strike with a single off the last. England need 28 off 36. Australia need TWO wickets.
WICKET! Glenn c Litchfield b Gardner 3 (England 235-8)
Glenn goes! A plink to cover is gleefully grabbed by Gardner. Australia are closing in on the Ashes.
43rd over: England 234-7 (Knight 61, Glenn 3) So close! Glenn chops Jonassen back past her stumps and scampers back for two. England will take ‘em any which way. 30 needed off 42 balls for England. Three wickets for Australia.
42nd over: England 231-7 (Knight 60, Glenn 1) Sarah Glenn to the middle, she needs to stay with Heather Knight here. Four runs off the over, which is all England need but they are running out of wickets.
WICKET! Ecclestone c Wareham b Gardner 5 (England 229-7)
Gone! Ecclestone tries to go for a maximum but puts it straight down the throat of Wareham on the square-leg fence. Three more needed for Australia. Silence hangs over Bristol.
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41st over: England 227-6 (Knight 58, Ecclestone 5) Jess Jonassen returns, she’s something of a death overs specialist. Three singles and a DROP! McGrath can’t cling on to a pull at short mid-wicket from Ecclestone. Nearly grabbed it on the second attempt but the ball fell to the turf. Five off the over and Knight keeps strike for the next. It is TENSE. England need 37 runs, Australia need four wickets.
40th over: England 222-6 (Knight 55, Ecclestone 3) Ash Gardner to Knight. Key battle right here, right now. Knight strikes first! A reverse-sweep for four. A single off the next brings Ecclestone on strike and she can’t get the canny Gardner away, four dots to end the over.
39th over: England 217-6 (Knight 50, Ecclestone 3) FIFTY for Heather Knight! A low key celebration from England’s skipper, her focus is trained on the crucial victory. Georgia Wareham finishes a fine spell, she closes with 2-34 from her ten overs.
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38th over: England 215-6 (Knight 49, Ecclestone 2) More pressure on Heather Knight’s shoulders with the loss of Jones. Decent over for England though, four singles are followed by a gimme from Australia! Mooney mis-fields another on the leg-side and gifts Knight a boundary. England’s skipper goes to 49. The same number her side need. Can Knight see her side home? I just don’t know (what to do with myself)
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37th over: England 207-6 (Knight 43, Ecclestone 0) Sophie Ecclestone strides to the crease with the Ashes on the line. Australia build the pressure, four dots and the field up. Wicket maiden to Wareham.
WICKET! Jones c & b Wareham 2 (England 207-6)
Soft dismissal for Amy Jones – she plinks a return catch to Wareham. Australia well and truly in the hunt. They need four wickets to retain the Ashes. England need 57 more runs.
36th over: England 207-5 (Knight 43, Jones 2) Shot Heather! Knight plays her favourite sweep shot and gets Schutt away for four runs! A roar goes up around Bristol!
35th over: England 201-5 (Knight 38, Jones 1) Heather Knight calms England nerves with a glide for four past backward point. Three more singles makes it seven off the over. England need 63 more runs off 15 overs. Australia need 5 wickets to retain the Ashes. Gulp.
WICKET! Wyatt c Jonassen b Schutt 14 (England 194-5)
Gone! Wyatt tries to slap Schutt over point but fails to get enough of it! Jonassen clings on to a sharp chance. Pressure ramps up. Amy Jones is the new batter.
34th over: England 190-4 (Knight 32, Jones)
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33rd over: England 190-4 (Knight 29, Wyatt 13) Class from Knight and Wyatt, they pick off four runs from Wareham’s over with ease. England edging closer.
32nd over: England 186-4 (Knight 27, Wyatt 11) Megan Schutt returns after drinks. A tidy over with just two runs off it. Australia need wicket here otherwise it might well turn into a cakewalk. England will not mind that.
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31st over: England 184-4 (Knight 26, Wyatt 10) Heather Knight exhibits all her serenity, she’ll know this game is in her hands. Two runs off Wareham’s over. Time for a drink. My toddler has just appeared in the room full of the proverbial and - by the looks of her top – actual beans. Time for a two minute stretch of the legs.
30th over: England 182-4 (Knight 24, Wyatt 10) Big over for England! Two boundaries hit off McGrath’s over. Knight swept fine for the first and Wyatt drove dashingly for the second. Australia look flat out there. England in control. Ten off the over. 82 needed from 102 balls.
29th over: England 172-4 (Knight 20, Wyatt 5) Four runs collected off Jonassen. How are your nerves?
England can win this game if they just knock it around. But will they?
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) July 12, 2023
28th over: England 168-4 (Knight 19, Wyatt 2) Tahlia McGrath into the attack. That might favour Wyatt’s shot-making instincts. Three runs off the over. Feels like a crucial period, if England can get through whilst keeping the scoreboard ticking they’ll be golden. If Australia nip a couple of quick wickets it’ll be more tense than Millets.
27th over: England 163-4 (Knight 16, Wyatt 1) Danni Wyatt is the new batter, she will play in her usual aggressive style which might help Knight to anchor the innings at the other end. She’s off the mark with a punched single.
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WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Wareham b Jonassen 31 (England 163-4)
Breakthrough! NSB falls to Jonassen, an uppish reverse-sweep is swallowed by Wareham at point.
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26th over: England 163-3 (Knight 16, Sciver-Brunt 31) Gardner drops short and is punished by Nat Sciver-Brunt – four runs slapped through midwicket. A welcome seven runs off the over for England. Ticking along.
25th over: England 156-3 (Knight 15, Sciver-Brunt 25) Chip Chip Chipping away at the target. Just a single off Jonassen’s over. Halfway through, England accumulating calmly. Will Australia spark a wobble?
24th over: England 155-3 (Knight 15, Sciver-Brunt 24) England seem happy to eke out what they can off the wily Ash Gardner and pick up runs at the other end. Three off the over. Steady accumulation. 109 runs needed for England to keep the Ashes alive.
23rd over: England 152-3 (Knight 14, Sciver-Brunt 22) Jess Jonassen into the attack. Four singles rotated off the left-armer and a drag down is thwacked away by NSB for a welcome boundary.
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22nd over: England 144-3 (Knight 12, Sciver-Brunt 16) The two experienced hands are bringing an element of calm to this run chase. Three runs collected off the dangerous Gardner with very little risk.
21st over: England 141-3 (Knight 10, Sciver-Brunt 15) England collect four from Wareham’s latest. Chipping away at this target in these middle overs. The required run rate is less than 4.5 per over. England will coast this if they keep wickets in hand.
20th over: England 137-3 (Knight 9, Sciver-Brunt 12) Delicious reverse-sweep from Nat Sciver-Brunt brings a welcome four for England. Such skill and placement. England are halfway there – cue Bon Jovi being let loose on the PA system in Bristol.
19th over: England 130-3 (Knight 7, Sciver-Brunt 8) A couple of singles to England. Australia turn up the pressure-cooker a notch. The spin of Wareham and Gardner has been much harder to get away.
18th over: England 128-3 (Knight 7, Sciver-Brunt 8) Close! Australia go upstairs for a review for an LBW but Sciver-Brunt got a tickle on it. Gardner takes the prize for the first maiden of the day.
Love this from Anna Beer on the sleeper to Berlin. Very John le Carré. Engage and let us know how you get on Anna…
.@Jimbo_Cricket following OBO on the (new) night train to Berlin @EuropeanSlpr. Do I try to engage my French and American couchette companions (strangers until 10 mins ago)? [Was at Lord's for the T20 so am...optimistic about result, not engagement]
— Anna Beer (@annarosebeer) July 12, 2023
17th over: England 128-3 (Knight 7, Sciver-Brunt 8) Wareham continues. A couple of singles precede a lucky boundary for NSB as a sweep is mis-fielded by Mooney at fine leg.
WICKET! Capsey c Sutherland b Gardner 40 (England 121-3)
Ash Gardner into the attack. This could be a pivotal battle in this run-chase. Nifty turn straightaway for Gardner. Heather Knight reverse-sweeps for a single to bring Capsey on strike. Gah! Capsey aims to go big over long-on but doesn’t quite get the distance, well pouched on the rope by Sutherland. Big wicket for Australia.
16th over: England 122-3 (Knight 6, Sciver-Brunt 1) Nat Sciver Brunt is the new batter for England, she’s off the mark with a single.
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15th over: England 119-2 (Capsey 39, Knight 5) A bit of turn in evidence for Wareham, Knight and Capsey content to knock the ball into the gaps and pick up the runs on offer. Five off the over. 145 runs needed for England. 8 wickets for Australia.
14th over: England 114-2 (Capsey 37, Knight 2) Alice Capsey launches Schutt down the ground for six! A truly brilliant shot. No backward step taken from England, they collect nine runs from the over.
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13th over: England 105-2 (Capsey 29, Knight 1) England’s captain Heather Knight comes out to join Alice Capsey. England need 161 runs to keep in the hunt for the Ashes. Knight is off the mark with a single to cover. Capsey clips to long-off and takes another single. England are so far ahead of the rate they can take a bit of time to reassess here. Not sure if Capsey sees it that way…
WICKET! Beaumont c McGrath b Wareham (England 103-2)
Gone now though! Beaumont tries to club the spin of Wareham through mid-wicket where McGrath hangs on to a sharp chance. Beaumont will be upset with that, she was on one and seeing it big.
12th over: England 102-1 (Beaumont 47, Capsey 27) Capsey digs out a yorker to mid-off and takes the single. Shot! Beaumont looks in fantastic fettle, she shimmies down and slaps a short ball over mid-wicket to pick up four. And another! Same approach but this time Beaumont carves through the off-side for four more! SIX! A slower ball from Sutherland is smeared away for a maximum over long-on! Beaumont’s blitzkrieg has left Australia reeling.
Tammy Beaumont. #BBCCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/9p2xVGtcSo
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 12, 2023
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11th over: England 87-1 (Beaumont 33, Capsey 26) Megan Schutt continues with Healy up at the stumps. A single and a wide off it. Tighter stuff. Australia needed that. England’s start has been electrifying.
@bbctms @AlexHartley93 @melindafarrell @henrymoeranBBC
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) July 12, 2023
Don't have complete records, particularly for pre-2000 matches, but where data is available, this is the most England women have scored in the first 10 overs of an ODI, beating 73/0 v Sri Lanka in 2019.
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10th over: England 84-1 (Beaumont 32, Capsey 25) Another front-foot no-ball, this time from new bowler Annabelle Sutherland. Australia get away with this one, Beaumont can only plink to mid-on. Shot! A rasping cut by Beaumont for four! Eight more off the over. Ten overs done and England have reduced the target to 180 runs from 40 overs. Marvellous batting and some poor bowling from Australia.
9th over: England 76-1 (Beaumont 25, Capsey 25) Megan Schutt takes the ball and is tasked with providing some control for Australia. Three singles taken before Capsey runs her away down to third for a boundary off the last ball. England putting the pressure on Australia and having some success. Healy looks a little rattled.
8th over: England 69-1 (Beaumont 23, Capsey 20) Alice Capsey has just taken Ellyse Perry to the cleaners! FOUR boundaries off the over. Two through mid-wicket and two through the covers on the off-side. Disdainful and precocious stuff from Capsey. England have clobbered the run-rate down to 4.64. They are currently motoring at over eight an over.
7th over: England 53-1 (Beaumont 23, Capsey 4) Brown sends down another wide. And another! Australia have clocked up 18 extras in seven overs. England gave them nine in their full set of fifty. Time will tell if it has a bearing on the result. More runs off the bat too, Beaumont drives through the off side with panache before a thin edge is DROPPED by Healy behind the stumps. Tough chance but definitely carried, four more to England. Salt? Meet Wound. Beaumont punches Brown through cover for four more! England are flying.
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6th over: England 39-1 (Beaumont 11, Capsey 4) Nine runs off the over! Beaumont flicks Perry away through mid-wicket for four and then Capsey gets off the mark with a clubbed drive down the ground for four more! Lovely footwork from Capsey. England counterpunching in this PowerPlay.
5th over: England 30-1 (Beaumont 6, Capsey 0) Australia have settled into their work after those frenetic few overs. The wicket will have helped. Close! A quick single nearly sees Capsey run out… my oh my that would have been a sickener for England, a direct hit and she was well gone.
4th over: England 29-1 (Beaumont 5, Capsey 0) Two runs and a wicket off Perry’s second over. Alice Capsey comes out to bat at three for England. I think she was down to bat at five… evidently wants a piece of this run-chase nice and early.
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WICKET! Dunkley b Perry 8 (England 29-1)
Gone! Australia have their first! Ellyse Perry puts an end to their scrappy start with a fantastic nip-backer that beats Dunkley’s tentative forward defence and flicks the off bail like a child might the head of a dandelion. Fabulous delivery.
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3rd over: England 27-0 (Beaumont 5, Dunkley 8) Beaumont collects a single with a clip off the pads and the umpire calls wide on a steepling bouncer. More freebies! Brown spears one down the leg-side and it races away for five wides! Sloppy cricket from the World Champs.
Extraordinary start from Australia. England are 27-0 after three overs, and 26 of those are extras, mostly wides) or have come from Australia errors (misfields/free hits)
— Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) July 12, 2023
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2nd over: England 20-0 (Beaumont 4, Dunkley 8) Another ragged over from Australia and a decent one for England. Ellyse Perry shares the new ball, her first delivery is pushed into the off-side by Dunkley where a misfield by Phoebe Litchfield sees the ball run away for a boundary. Whoops. No-Ball! And another Free-Hit which is pulled away to the boundary by Dunkley. Another couple of wides from Perry and Australia have gifted England a start here.
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1st over: England 9-0 (Beaumont 4, Dunkley 0) Brown oversteps with her first delivery which clips Beaumont on the pads and trickles away for a couple plus one for the front foot infraction. England will have a FREE-HIT here… crashed for four over point! That’ll ease any nervous tension in Tammy Beaumont’s forearms. Brown looks a smidge nervous, she sends down a couple of big wides in and amongst some back of a length balls. Decent first over for England, call me optimistic and a maths whizz but they are ahead of the run-rate.
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Here come the players… a swarm of yellow disperses over the field and out stride Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley to start off for England. Darcie Brown has the new Dukes in her mitts. The Ashes on the line – let’s play!
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It’s a bit of a stodgy wicket in Bristol, shot-making might not come that easy. The home crowd seemed to go very quiet towards the end of the Australian innings, perhaps fearing that the visitors have got too many runs on the board. As ever, the start will be crucial. If England’s batters can get themselves in and then capitalise then it will be game on.
Thanks Geoff and hello everyone. “263, we’ll take that.” Alice Capsey was bullish as she left the field. A slight frustration is that the target for England could have been significantly lower had they not seemingly delved their digits into a tub of Utterly Butterly before taking to the field. I make it six dropped catches all told. Still, with their gun batting line up they might well fancy this chase. They need to of course, only a win will keep their hopes of re-claiming the Ashes alive.
First innings ✅
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 12, 2023
Australia finish on 263-8.
Feeling confident England fans? 🏴#EnglandCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/etCaLkeDVi
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England will need 264 to win
Interesting day. It felt like England were on top throughout, it felt like Australia struggled, but still England put down six catches and squandered chances to make things much more difficult.
As for run chases in women’s ODIs, there have only been 15 instances of teams chasing this many or more. Australia seven times, New Zealand four, South Africa three, India once. England, never.
Notwithstanding what I said earlier about England batting confidently at the moment, this surface looks pretty slow and one that makes it difficult to time big shots. So it won’t be easy for England. The task is ahead of them.
Ahead of you is the second innings with James Wallace.
50th over: Australia 263-8 (Mooney 81, Schutt 3) Reverse paddle attempt from Megan Schutt first ball, misses that, but scoops to the leg side for two. They take the second run, rather than putting Mooney on strike. Not sure about the wisdom of that. And with a short fine leg in place, the last ball is a single.
WICKET! Wareham c Wyatt b Sciver-Brunt 12, Australia 260-8
Caught at deep midwicket going again, but 12 from 6 balls is a useful contribution.
49th over: Australia 255-7 (Mooney 76, Wareham 6) That’s so useful, having someone like Wareham to come in. Five singles off the Bell over, but she lines up the last ball and pounds it over midwicket for four.
48th over: Australia 246-7 (Mooney 73, Wareham 6) The over starts with Jonassen picking the gap at wide long on for four, but she’s out trying to reach the boundary over cover. What does Wareham do? First ball four! The right-hander slices away through deep third. Edge, but runs. Adds two more flicked off the pads. A dozen runs from the over, what Australia needed despite the wicket.
Ecclestone 1 for 58 off her 10.
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WICKET! Jonassen b Ecclestone 30, Australia 240-7
Something had to give! Jonassen has to try. She backs away to open up some room, but Ecclestone from over the wicket turns the ball back in, taking off stump.
47th over: Australia 234-6 (Mooney 72, Jonassen 25) Still can’t find the fence! Bell is bowling her slower balls, lands one really well in the blockhole, sends down the next as a low full toss but Mooney finds deep midwicket on the bounce. Singles, one brace, seven from the over.
46th over: Australia 227-6 (Mooney 68, Jonassen 22) Mooney steps away to Ecclestone, trying to open up extra cover, but only gets one to long off. Jonassen tries the first shot behind the wicket, a scoop that isn’t timed but gets her two. There’s another Jonassen two on an overthrow, and two more behind square leg for Mooney. Seven from the over is decent, but they still can’t break loose.
45th over: Australia 220-6 (Mooney 66, Jonassen 17) Mooney trying to step up the pace, it’s been hard to time shots on this pitch. Cross-bat, dragged down to mid on. Similar for Jonassen. Four singles from Sciver-Brunt.
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44th over: Australia 216-6 (Mooney 64, Jonassen 15) Timed drive to extra cover by Jonassen, thinks of the second, would have made it on that throw too but doesn’t go. Ecclestone the bowler, cost another run when Mooney plays the ball into the ground and bounces it past Jones behind the stumps. Still, those are the only two from the over. Ecclestone has two overs to come.
43rd over: Australia 214-6 (Mooney 63, Jonassen 14) Sliced away by Jonassen, and catch number six goes down for England. Lauren Bell diving forward at short third, gets hands to it but the ball breaks through, into the ground, up into her sternum, back into her hands. She waves a flat palm to the umpire to signal not out. No joy for Nat Sciver-Brunt with the ball after taking two catches herself.
42nd over: Australia 211-6 (Mooney 61, Jonassen 13) There’s the end of the boundary-less run for Capsey. In her ninth over, Jonassen throws the bat and gets a nick along the ground for four. With the spell broken, Mooney steps down and hits four over her head!
41st over: Australia 202-6 (Mooney 57, Jonassen 8) Ten overs to go. I reckon that England, the way they’re playing of late, should chase 250. Not that an England team ever has chased 250, mind you. Scores have historically tended to be lower than that in the women’s game. But the modern game is different, and they’re in good fettle and feeling confident. So it’s whether Australia can push the score any further than that. It’s a big ask from here.
Bell tries out the short ball a couple of times. The batters handle it with control, hitting to the sweepers. Six from the over.
40th over: Australia 196-6 (Mooney 53, Jonassen 6) Will Capsey bowl ten on the reel? Jonassen cuts a run, Mooney scoops one away, Jonassen gets a leg bye, Mooney plays tip and run. But they haven’t been game to after Capsey. She hasn’t been hit for a boundary in her whole spell.
39th over: Australia 192-6 (Mooney 51, Jonassen 5) No more wickets for Bell, as the left-handers knock a few singles. They will want to up the scoring soon, but they don’t have a great deal left in the sheds. Wareham can be very destructive, but Australia’s 10 and 11 don’t offer much batting.
Half century! Mooney 50 from 70 balls
38th over: Australia 189-6 (Mooney 50, Jonassen 3) Capsey her seventh over on the spin, and Mooney punches through cover for her 50th run. Vital contribution on this scorecard. Only three singles from Capsey again.
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37th over: Australia 186-6 (Mooney 49, Jonassen 1) Even more relies on Beth Mooney now for Australia. She’s so often the one to bat through an innings. Another left-hander joins her, Jess Jonassen. Cuts a run first ball.
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WICKET! Sutherland b Bell 0, Australia 185-6
Stunning delivery! Two wickets in three balls for Lauren Bell. Angles in, swings away. Gets Sutherland playing down the wrong line, then goes past her outside edge to take off stump. Has Bell skewed this match England’s way?
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WICKET! Gardner c Sciver-Brunt b Bell 21, Australia 185-5
That is clutch! Brilliant piece of fielding. Big top edge from Gardner as she pulls, it goes high over the leg side but seems to have enough on it to carry the infield and land safely in the deep. Perhaps it holds up in the breeze a little. Sciver-Brunt is running back from midwicket, looking back over her left shoulder, trying to track the ball high in the air. In the end flings her hands out in front of her body and manages to hang on. Double fist pump in celebration. That’s key, knowing the damage Gardner can do late.
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36th over: Australia 184-4 (Mooney 48, Gardner 21) They’re playing cautiously against Capsey. Three singles here, less than four an over across her spell. She’s slow through the air but landing it on a decent length and getting some bounce, bit of turn. Just enough to worry about.
35th over: Australia 181-4 (Mooney 46, Gardner 20) Oof, just over the top! Gardner barely clears mid on, another outstretched one-hander attempt, but this time Ecclestone is the bowler rather than the fielder. Gardner gets four. Follows it up with another over cover, then a third cut behind point. Three in four balls!
34th over: Australia 169-4 (Mooney 46, Gardner 8) A wide and some good knocking about, and Australia take seven from Capsey.
“Loving the coverage of the Mashes and Washes so far this summer, but I have to object to describing Bristol as a ‘lovely seaside town’. Anyone who has made the trek from central Bristol to Pill will know that the local seaside is neither that close, nor lovely.”
Tom Hewlett, this is the intrigue of compound versus non-compound adjectives. A lovely seaside town might follow your inference, or it might mean that I think Bristol is a lovely town (yes, yes, don’t come at me with your definitions of city) and that it happens to be near the sea. That doesn’t necessarily mean the seaside is lovely. As for saltwater proximity, I’m using the dozens of gulls circling the playing surface to rest my case.
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33rd over: Australia 162-4 (Mooney 44, Gardner 4) Ecclestone back, five overs left in her allotment. And Amy Jones misses a stumping! Routine, first ball. Mooney comes down, beaten by a faster one down the leg side, might even have been deliberate by Ecclestone, but the ball bounces and Jones is not equal to it. Even if she’d fumbled that and retaken it, she might have had time to dismiss Mooney, who was yards down the track. But the ball hits the ends of her fingers and deflects away. That’s just poor.
Undaunted, Mooney advances again two balls later and smacks four over cover. Drinks.
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32nd over: Australia 156-4 (Mooney 39, Gardner 4) England have kept the brakes on pretty well. Australia at less than five per over, four wickets down. Six up in the circle, only three in the deep for Capsey. An outside edge from Gardner lands safely behind point, just getting bat down when the ball was about to nail her in front of off stump.
31st over: Australia 153-4 (Mooney 37, Gardner 3) Crunched by Mooney, she’s been trudging along with a strike rate in the 50s or 60s through this innings. Gets a short one from Glenn and pulverises the pull shot along the ground. Ones and twos follow, nine from the over, a good one for Australia.
30th over: Australia 144-4 (Mooney 31) It’ll be Ash Gardner in next.
WICKET! McGrath b Capsey 24, Australia 144-4
The bails light up! She got out like that in the Test match, though that was with the left-arm spinner turning the ball slightly away from the bat. This time it’s the off-spinner not turning the ball. McGrath defends on the back foot allowing for turn, but Capsey’s ball goes straight on past the outside edge and takes off stump. The bowler stands still and raises one arm in celebration, as if saying, over here, come and surround me. Her teammates oblige.
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29th over: Australia 141-3 (Mooney 30, McGrath 22) Another dicey shot! This time it’s Mooney just clearing midwicket with a heave-ho. Gets two runs, amongst a few singles from Glenn.
“Unfortunate for Ingerland that the dropsies (dropsys?) have peppered this series, much like the men’s contest,” writes Sarah Bacon. “I just ... expected a bit more from this admirable team in 2023, especially when they play so regularly in the short form of the game. Am I asking too much? I hope Australia don’t exhibit the same in their reply.”
If they have dropsy then they’re in real trouble.
28th over: Australia 136-3 (Mooney 26, McGrath 21) Mooney getting itchy feet now, down to Capsey to lift the ball over cover. Picks the gap but not with enough power, gets two runs rather than four.
27th over: Australia 132-3 (Mooney 23, McGrath 20) Glenn to carry on from the Ashley Down End, driven through cover by McGrath but the outfielder keeps it to two. Mooney advances, stops, under-edges, can’t score. Three from the over.
26th over: Australia 129-3 (Mooney 23, McGrath 17) Alice Capsey on for a bowl, with her hesitant little steps like she’s trying to sneak up on an escaped pigeon. McGrath plays a potent cut shot but it’s stopped on the boundary. A bit of turn and bounce from the surface with the flight that Capsey gives the ball. Two from the over.
25th over: Australia 127-3 (Mooney 22, McGrath 16) Decent over from Glenn, two singles from it as McGrath is happy to see a few off.
24th over: Australia 125-3 (Mooney 21, McGrath 15) Another over, another thumping cover drive from McGrath for four.
So Ecclestone has had two catches dropped and dropped one. Cross has had two catches dropped and dropped one. Glenn has had a catch dropped and dropped one.
23rd over: Australia 118-3 (Mooney 20, McGrath 10) And another down, and another one down, another one bites the dust. Or the grass, any rate. Kate Cross this time. She’s had two catches missed off her own bowling, so she joins the drop club to maybe make them feel better? This one is simple, a low full toss from Glenn dipping on Mooney, who mistimes her shot towards cover. The ball is also dipping on Cross, but that should be taken. Inexplicable that England have been so poor in the field today.
22nd over: Australia 114-3 (Mooney 18, McGrath 8) Power from McGrath! Change in bowling, Cross back on. So after a couple of runs to the leg side, McGrath uses the extra pace, steps into the ball and coruscates it through cover for four.
Two balls later, guess what? Another drop. This one would have been a screamer though. Beaumont at backward point launches full length to her left, mid air as her fingers make contact. Can’t get enough purchase. A taller player might have? But they might not have got the same dynamic launch.
21st over: Australia 107-3 (Mooney 18, McGrath 1) The sun comes out at Bristol, lovely seaside town that it is. Great crowd in, most of the seats are packed out. Tahlia McGrath starts with a single.
WICKET! Perry c Sciver-Brunt b Glenn 41, Australia 106-3
Finally, Perry’s charmed run comes to an end. Has not looked fluent today at all, forcing the pace and only occasionally middling the ball. This is another clunked shot, an attempted pull, and it just lobs to midwicket for a simple catch – this time, one that is claimed.
Or was it just smart play from Glenn to drop the catch so she could take Perry’s wicket herself… ?
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20th over: Australia 106-2 (Perry 41, Mooney 18) Double spin, with Ecclestone and Glenn in tandem. Keeps the scoring to two singles.
19th over: Australia 104-2 (Perry 40, Mooney 17) Drop a catch and into the attack, Sarah Glenn with her leg breaks. It’s a picket fence over, singles off each ball.
18th over: Australia 98-2 (Perry 37, Mooney 14) Ohhh no. Perry is dropped again! And that’s just a straightforward one. Ecclestone the bowler again. Lofts the ball straight, Sarah Glenn at mid on has to run around a few paces but covers the distance comfortably. Dives for the ball when she doesn’t need to. Off balance, lets it through her hands. That’s fielding that belongs a few levels below this. Perry has been dropped twice and come close to being caught three times, in the space of 37 runs.
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17th over: Australia 95-2 (Perry 35, Mooney 13) Perry living dangerously, and still getting away with it! Punches a pull shot from Sciver-Brunt, and again just clears the fielder, this time at midwicket. Gains four, and that’s after Mooney drove four over cover.
16th over: Australia 85-2 (Perry 30, Mooney 8) What a shot! First ball after drinks, Perry shimmies down the track and smokes an off drive from Ecclestone, straight and just inside the fielder’s position there, scorching past on the grass.
15th over: Australia 79-2 (Perry 25, Mooney 7) Nice bit of fielding from Capsey at cover point, snaring a Mooney square drive, in contrast to the fielding there when Litchfield was batting. But Mooney picks off a straight one immediately afterwards, and the outfield has been fast today even though it’s a bit humid and cloudy out there. Drinks.
14th over: Australia 74-2 (Perry 24, Mooney 3) Ecclestone bowling, and they take four singles from her, one off the pad. If they could replicate that across the innings, the Australians would be pretty happy.
13th over: Australia 70-2 (Perry 23, Mooney 1) Left-hander replaces left-hander, Mooney to the middle and defending her first three balls before dropping a run to square leg.
WICKET! Litchfield c Ecclestone b Sciver-Brunt 34, Australia 69-2
It’s a speccy! Ecclestone strikes, but not in the way she would have envisaged. She’s at mid off as Litchfield tries a lofted shot against medium pace. Looking to go over extra, she halves the stroke and it miscues straighter. Still nearly has enough contact to clear the fielder, but Ecclestone periscopes up one arm and takes a one-hander!
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12th over: Australia 69-1 (Litchfield 34, Perry 23) Here’s Ecclestone, this is the contest. The one that could be decisive. And it nearly is! Perry lifts it just wide of mid on for four! Inches away from a catch.
11th over: Australia 64-1 (Litchfield 33, Perry 19) Sciver-Brunt tidies up a little, two singles from the over.
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10th over: Australia 62-1 (Litchfield 32, Perry 18) Lauren Bell continues, and that’s one over too many. Litchfield with surgical precision takes it apart. Starts off with a cover drive for four. They have a cover point and backward point, so she threads the ball right between them with a square drive. Repeats the trick between cover and mid off, a tiny gap that she finds unerringly. Under pressure, Bell bowls short and Litchfield goes back to belt over the leg side! Four balls, four boundaries. Litchfield has doubled her score in an over. Wonder if that’s the highest score somebody has been on before doubling it…
9th over: Australia 46-1 (Litchfield 16, Perry 18) First bowling change, Nat Sciver-Brunt on to bowl her mediums. Litchfield gets off strike. Then woof. Perry smashes one! Not super short, but she gets right back and swings the bat up and under that ball, lifting it over deep backward square. Wants to hit that for six. In the end it bounces just short, and fine leg running around puts in a despairing dive hoping for a catch, but can’t get close enough.
8th over: Australia 41-1 (Litchfield 15, Perry 14) Good over from Bell, starts with a wide but keeps those inswingers coming and gets her length right. Only one run from the bat.
7th over: Australia 39-1 (Litchfield 14, Perry 14) Cross bowling in at the legs of Litchfield, who stabs a single. Two slips for Perry, but they’re no use when you bowl leg stump and let her swing it away behind square. Luckily for England there’s protection back and that middle shot only costs one run. Just the one slip for the left-hander, by contrast. Ring field, four up on the off side, so she drop-kicks it over the leg side for another boundary. More height than distance but it just beats the pursuing fielder. Litchfield steers a single behind point. Cross didn’t get her line right at all in that over.
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6th over: Australia 32-1 (Litchfield 8, Perry 13) Tall and ponytailed, Bell is making the ball swing, starting wide to Perry and getting inward movement. You only need one mistake to be punished though, and when Bell bowls too short Perry pulls it for four. Another wide follows.
“Good start for England here, Crossy in particular making things happen. You wonder if that drop will cost us but you’d hope this team will fear mistakes far less given their performances in the Ashes so far. But there’s a big step between 20 and 50-over Australia. Victory today will be a real switch of pressure to a side that’s not that used to it. A good day to be at Bristol, and I particularly like the blue kit today. Isn’t cricket the best?”
It is, Guy Hornsby.
5th over: Australia 27-1 (Litchfield 8, Perry 9) Walking at Cross to change the length, Perry flicks Cross to leg for a run. Litchfield is honing her front foot defence, then extends that forward movement into a lofted flick for four. Lovely shot, over midwicket, confident to clear the field. Then returns to that defence.
4th over: Australia 22-1 (Litchfield 4, Perry 8) Very quiet over from Bell to Perry mostly, a wide and an eventual single. Perry coming in so early will probably take her time.
3rd over: Australia 20-1 (Litchfield 4, Perry 7) A couple of leaves from Perry, as Cross bowls wide of off stump, then four runs through fine leg as the bowler goes too straight. Then is wided outside off stump again. Gets the line right at last, and Perry is dropped! Straightforward edge to slip, but keeper Amy Jones dives in front of Ecclestone at first slip. Doesn’t get a touch on the ball but she probably distracts Ecclestone, who gets her fingers onto the ground trying to catch the sharply dipping ball but lets it spill free.
2nd over: Australia 14-1 (Litchfield 4, Perry 2) Lauren Bell to Litchfield, straying too wide third ball and the left-hander drives her through cover for four.
1st over: Australia 10-1 (Litchfield 0, Perry 2) Runs for Perry first ball, clipped for two through square leg. This is her format: average of just under 50, makes a half century or better every third innings across her long career.
WICKET! Healy lbw Cross 8, Australia 8-1
Action packed first over! Kate Cross begins proceedings here at Bristol conceding four, first ball of the match. Timed through extra cover, nicely struck. Aanother two balls later, this time a low full toss and Healy is able to clobber it through midwicket. Fourth ball of the over though, Cross gets one angling across towards leg stump to swing back in. The movement beats the bat and hits Healy low on the pad. Umpire Harris says not out, perhaps thinking she nicked it, but the replay shows that not to be the case! Good review.
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About to start…
Those are some interesting picks. No Filer or Wong for England, the two speedsters. Instead they’ve gone with the swing and slower balls of Bell and the consistency of Cross, with two spinners. Australia leaving out Alana King given that Wareham as the other leg-spinner offers more with the bat. But plenty of spin options in Jonassen and Gardner. Both teams perhaps expecting this pitch to assist taking the pace off.
Teams
England
Tammy Beaumont
Sophia Dunkley
Heather Knight *
Nat Sciver-Brunt
Alice Capsey
Danni Wyatt
Amy Jones +
Sophie Ecclestone
Sarah Glenn
Kate Cross
Lauren Bell
Australia
Alyssa Healy * +
Phoebe Litchfield
Ellyse Perry
Beth Mooney
Tahlia McGrath
Ash Gardner
Annabel Sutherland
Jess Jonassen
Georgia Wareham
Megan Schutt
Darcie Brown
Australia win the toss and bat
Alyssa Healy’s side will set a target today. Lets them control the game, they will hope.
One thing the Women’s Ashes does offer, at least for the time being, is a more affordable look at Ashes cricket for those coming through the gates. Especially if needing to bring along a few children and perhaps another adult to help marshal them, any live sport is a vastly expensive exercise. Jonathan Liew has been thinking about that general scene.
In some ways, there is a strong argument for separating the Women’s Ashes series from the men’s, given that the games have been jumbled on top of one another this year. The idea that spectators or reporters might value them equally and want to attend both has not been considered.
On the other hand, there’s Emma John’s terrific piece about the unique thrill of the overlap.
Preamble
Hello world. It’s time for another one. Another what? Another must-win match for the England, another chance for Australia to lock away the Women’s Ashes trophy.
This has been the case ever since Australia won the Test match and the first T20 in this multiformat series. From that point, England needed to win the next two T20s and the three 50-over matches to follow. They have delivered on the first two parts of that equation, which still leaves three to go.
The difficulty, of course, is going up against an Australian team that is the current World Cup holder in both formats, the current Ashes holder, the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallists, and probably the hotel ping-pong champions if we look deep enough. Beating them five times in a row seems impossible. But then, a week ago, so did beating them twice in a row.
The shift to the 50-over format will make things interesting. Generally, the shorter the game, the better the chance for an upset. England won those most recent two T20s on a surprise batting assault led by Danni Wyatt, propelling them to their highest score against Australia, and then a rain-reduced run chase where Alice Capsey took charge.
Winning in one-day cricket will require holding the ascendancy for longer periods of time. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone will be key, having proved her ability to stay consistent in longer forms after a stunning performance in the Test match that deserved to finish on the winning side. But she will need plenty of support.
Should be quite a day at Bristol. Come along.
