Match report
Aussies on top despite Beaumont's heroics
Australia will be much the happier of the two sides after that final session, at one point it looked like they might be behind on first innings but they snaffled the final England wickets quickly and then truly dominated with the bat. England were guilty of spraying it around and wasting the new ball, handing the momentum back to Australia and taking a little of the shine off Tammy Beaumont’s history making day.
There are two days left in this Test match and so plenty of time for a result, it feels like England will need to get something from this game in order to have a chance in this Ashes series. Australia are such a strong white ball side, perhaps the best ever, that it’ll be hard to prise any points off them in the shorter format games. But hark at me, Mr Doom and Gloom. Despite Australia having the upper hand at stumps, the day firmly belongs to the remarkable Tammy Beaumont who now has a slice of cricket history to her name.
That’s it from me, we’ll be back tomorrow to bring you day four. Have a good one, goodbye.
In esteemed company. 💪 pic.twitter.com/vsKpO544Yi
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 24, 2023
The moment Tammy Beaumont made history 🫶
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 24, 2023
Enjoy. #EnglandCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/WLztuAdtqi
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Stumps: Australia 82-0 (lead by 92 runs)
A chastising final session for England, Australia make their way seemlessly and quickly to a lead of 92 with ten wickets left to press their advantage home tomorrow. A full toss from Knight is swatted away for four by Litchfield which rather sums up the last couple of hours for England.
19th over: Australia 82-0 (Mooney 33, Litchfield 41)
18th over: Australia 77-0 (Mooney 33, Litchfield 37) Close! Ecclestone nearly gets Litchfield to poke one to Dunkley at silly point but the ball dies on the turf without carrying. Just a single off the over, skipper Heather Knight is going to bowl the final over of the day, can England burgle a wicket at the last?
17th over: Australia 76-0 (Mooney 33, Litchfield 36) Heather Knight brings herself on for a bit of tweak and starts with a maiden. We’ve got two overs left in the day, Australia lead by 87.
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16th over: Australia 76-0 (Mooney 33, Litchfield 36) Shadows begin to lengthen across the Trent Bridge outfield. We’ve got a handful of overs left in the day. England would dearly love a breakthrough before the close. Just a single to Mooney off Ecclestone.
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15th over: Australia 75-0 (Mooney 32, Litchfield 36) Very comfortable for Australia, Filer has yet to find her rhythm and sprays down a wide in and amongst the Aussie openers collecting five runs.
14th over: Australia 71-0 (Mooney 31, Litchfield 33) Ecclestone applies the brakes once more during her over, just a single off it.
an absolute honour/horror to sit next to this man all day and watch him do his thing https://t.co/UnQI4dDFEy
— Taha Hashim (@tahahash) June 24, 2023
13th over: Australia 70-0 (Mooney 31, Litchfield 32) Filer is showing her inexperience here, a full toss is bunted by Mooney down the ground for an easy four. Another boundary comes in the form of an outside edge past gully. Eight more to Australia and the lead motors up to 80. England have been loosey-goosey with the ball and the Aussies have snatched the initiative in this game.
12th over: Australia 62-0 (Mooney 23, Litchfield 32) Ecclestone starts with a maiden, applying the brakes straightaway, Australia have been rattling along at over five an over so far. Tammy Beaumont btw is back under the lid with the pads on at short leg. Top effort.
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11th over: Australia 62-0 (Mooney 23, Litchfield 32) Filer now has a leg-slip and a short leg but Litchfield and Mooney are decisive, collecting runs and not giving a sniff. We’re going to see Sophie Ecclestone do her thing. England need a breakthrough.
10th over: Australia 57-0 (Mooney 22, Litchfield 28) A poor over from Bell who serves up two juicy drive balls that Litchfield doesn’t miss out on. Australia stretch the lead to 67 runs.
9th over: Australia 48-0 (Mooney 22, Litchfield 18) Lauren Filer is called for and I reckon that is a good decision from Knight, it was all getting too comfortable. Two slips and a short-leg greet Filer as she steams in. Hmmm her radar is a bit wayward and she slides down the leg too often with Mooney latching onto one and clipping away for four runs through mid-wicket. England need some inspiration here, Australia lead by 58 and are stealing the advantage in this Test.
8th over: Australia 43-0 (Mooney 18, Litchfield 18) Delicious driving from Beth Mooney! Bell goes too full and Mooney doesn’t miss out. Australia have been ruthless so far in this third innings.
7th over: Australia 39-0 (Mooney 14, Litchfield 18) Kate Cross goes round the stumps, she’s still a smidge full and is worked away by Mooney for a couple off the pads and then a single into the off. Close! Litchfield drives uppishly back down the ground and Cross can only get her fingertips to the ball as it rasps past her and down to the boundary. Sometimes they stick, and when they don’t, they hurt. More pain for England and Cross as Litchfield plunders a cover drive for four more off the final ball.
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6th over: Australia 28-0 (Mooney 11, Litchfield 10) Bonus runs for Australia as Bell loses her way during her delviery stride and sprays one way past Amy Jones for five wides. England might need to change it up a little here, it’s been a bit unthreatening so far. Mooney collects three off the last ball with an easy flick off her pads through mid-wicket. Ecclestone time?
5th over: Australia 20-0 (Mooney 8, Litchfield 10) Shot for four! Cross is miffed once more as another full delivery is leant on by Litchfield and the ball traces away for four through cover. A strong response from Australia this, they lead by 30 runs.
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4th over: Australia 15-0 (Mooney 7, Litchfield 6) Another decent over from Bell, just two runs from it and nearly sneaks through Litchfield’s forward poke off the last.
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3rd over: Australia 13-0 (Mooney 7, Litchfield 4) Shot! Cross is striving for some movement but Mooney latches onto a half-volley and spears her away through the covers for four! Compact batting from the visitors at the top of the order.
2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Mooney 3, Litchfield 4) Lauren Bell shares the new ball with Cross and is full in the search of some movement. Litchfield is watchful and apart from a wayward wide it is a probing over from the lissom seamer.
1st over: Australia 8-0 (Mooney 3, Litchfield 4) Beth Mooney starts brightly with a crisp drive for three runs and her opening partner then outdoes her with an open faced drive for four! Confident start for Australia. Cross is cross annoyed at herself for going a tad too full!
Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield scratch their guard and it will be Kate Cross with the shiny new Dukes to start for England. Play!
Heather Knight calls her team into a huddle and offers some rousing words, England will be in the hunt for early wickets. Can Australia get through the first passage unscathed and wrestle the advantage? An exciting passage of play awaits!
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WICKET! Beaumont b Gardner 208 (England all out 463)
An extraordinary innings comes to an end and with it England’s first innings. A slog-sweep off Gardner is missed and the stumps are broken. The Australian’s run up to congratulate her on the fine innings before the players walk off. Australia lead by 10 runs and their openers trundle off to strap on the pads. Game on!
👏 👏 @Tammy_Beaumont https://t.co/IwG8A7ehH4
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) June 24, 2023
What a mighty innings that was from Tammy Beaumont. Congratulated by all the Australians as she walked back to the pavilion and rightly so. Outstanding. #Ashes
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) June 24, 2023
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WICKET! Filer c Healy b McGrath 11 (England 463-9)
Healy snaffles a sharp catch off a booming drive to end Filer’s fun. England down to their final wicket. Lauren Bell strides to the crease. Bell somehow survives the four remaining balls in the over. Time for Tammy to swing the blade I reckon.
119th over: England 463-9 (Beaumont 208, Bell 0)
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118th over: England 463-8 (Beaumont 208, Filer 11) Filer thrashes Gardner through the leg-side to knock four more runs off the deficit. A neat glide for three more and it is clear that Filer is more than handy with the bat in hand. Ten runs are pocketed off the over and Filer steals the strike for the next over. The lead is now just ten runs. It’s looking like a one innings shoot out from here.
116th over: England 453-8 (Beaumont 206, Filer 3) The debutant Lauren Filer joins Beaumont and is away with a crisp cover drive for three that also brings up England’s 450.
WICKET! Cross b McGrath 0 (England 448-8)
Bowled her! Nowt much Kate Cross could do about that. McGrath sends down a beauty that pitches on middle-and-leg and straightens at pace to clip the top of off. Cross stares down the wicket momentarily dumbounded.
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116th over: England 448-7 (Beaumont 205, Cross 0) Kate Cross joins Beaumont in the middle and Ash Gardner is summoned for a twirl. Neat stuff too, a maiden.
Some innings, some player.#bbccricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/waZuojPFu9
— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) June 24, 2023
WICKET! Ecclestone lbw b McGrath 17 (England 448-7)
Shot! Back down to business for Beaumont as she digs out a yorker from McGrath before pouncing on a shorter length delivery and cutting away for four. Ecclestone is then pinned in front by a yorker and Umpire Redfern raises the finger. A review is called for but it’s three reds on the DRS and Ecclestone has to go. Was there a sniff of an inside edge before the ball smashed into her toe? The third umpire seems to think not and seals her fate. Heather Knight looks a bit miffed on the England balcony. England trail by 25.
115th over: England 448-7 (Beaumont 205, Cross 0)
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Tammy Beaumont reaches a Double Century!
A guttural roar goes up around Trent Bridge as Tammy Beaumont clips the single she needs to take her to the milestone. She becomes the first Englishwoman to make a double ton and just the eighth in Test history. What an innings, Beaumont soaks up the adulation before gathering herself once more. Fantastic scenes.
116th over: England 443-6 (Beaumont 200, Ecclestone 17)
They’ve been playing women’s Test cricket since 1934. That makes 8 double centuries, as Tammy Beaumont goes to 200. #Ashes
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) June 24, 2023
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115th over: England 436-6 (Beaumont 199, Ecclestone 11) A maiden to McGrath. Tammy B will be on strike at the start of the next over on the small matter of 199*. Don’t go anywhere!
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114th over: England 436-6 (Beaumont 199, Ecclestone 11) Four singles off Sutherland and Beaumont goes to 199*. The camera cuts to Kate Cross hugging a Trent Bridge pavillion balustrade nervously as her teammate edges closer to a double century… Ecclestone pinches the strike off the last ball to draw out the tension even more.
113th over: England 432-6 (Beaumont 197, Ecclestone 9) A weary and somewhat scruffy over from McGrath, she’s down on the speedometer and fires far too many deliveries down the leg-side. Alyssa Heally is visibly frustrated as two byes are gifted to the England total.
112th over: England 429-6 (Beaumont 196, Ecclestone 9) Beaumont inches closer, a single off Sutherland. There’s a crackle of anticipation in the crowd. Thalia McGrath is going to start from the t’other end.
The players head back out onto the outfield. Sutherland is going to start with the ball to two slips and a gully. Tammy Beaumont re-marks her guard, she’s five away from a historic double century. Let’s play.
Tea-time reading courtesy of TdL:
For tomorrow's Observer, I've written the kind of piece that is officially referred to as a chinstroker#Ashes #Englandcricket #Bazball https://t.co/HisWR5dczt
— Tim de Lisle (@TimdeLisle) June 24, 2023
111th over: England 428-6 (Beaumont 195, Ecclestone 9) An expensive over from Ellyse Perry, a no-ball is clipped for two before Ecclestone disdainfully clips a full delivery square of the wicket for four. A couple of singles follow before Perry drags one down and is scythed over the in-field for another boundary by Sophie Ecclesone!
That’s Tea. England trail by just 45 runs.
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Well played Tammy Beaumont!
Tammy Beaumont reaches 192* - The highest score from an England Women player in the history of international cricket 😍#EnglandCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/pAl5jP3For
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 24, 2023
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Tammy Beamont goes past Betty Snowball!
A glide for four runs brings her the record for England’s highest individual score, she bashfully embraces Ecclestone, the crowd are well aware of the achievement and give her a standing ovation. Well played! Beamont moves to 193 and trains her focus on notching up a double-century. No, there’s no such thing as an OBO jinx, promise.
110th over: England 416-6 (Beaumont 193, Ecclestone 0)
The highest score from an England Women player in the history of international cricket.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 24, 2023
Tammy Beaumont moves to 192 with a four, which surpasses Betty Snowball's record of 189, set in 1935.
A moment of history. What a knock. 👏#BBCCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/mooWTYY4hH
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109th over: England 411-6 (Beaumont 188, Ecclestone 0) Sophie Ecclestone is back at the crease, last time she came out to bat in an Ashes Test match it was to bat out for a draw in the thrilling game at Canberra last year. This is an altogether different scenario with England looking to draw level and press for an advantage. Ecclestone can bat, can she hang around with Beaumont? Australia have given themselves a lift with those two wickets and there’s a bit of a buzz out on the Trent Bridge outfield. The game is enticingly poised.
WICKET! Jones c Sutherland b Perry 13 (England 411-6)
Gah! Soft dismissal for Jones who mis-times a leg-side drive and plinks the ball tamely to mid-on. Australia hit back again, Perry has her 50th wicket on English soil too.
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108th over: England 411-5 (Beaumont 188, Jones 13) Brown drops short to Amy Jones and is dismissively pulled away to the fence, Jones enjoyed that and so did the England fans. England still have five wickets in the hutch and trail by just 62 now. If they can get themselves a first innings lead it will be a big psychological blow. Big if too.
107th over: England 406-5 (Beaumont 188, Jones 8) Beamont flicks a ball off her thigh (it’s given as runs anyway) to pick up four and go within one run of Betty Snowball’s record. Some knock this. She’s kept her side in the fight in this Ashes Test.
106th over: England 400-5 (Beaumont 182, Jones 8) Beamont closes in on Betty Snowball’s highest England Test score with another well judged single. Darcie Brown gives Amy Jones width to slash her away through point for four. The 400 is up for England and the lead now is down to 73. There are still just under 2.5 days left in this game, it’s on the boil nicely.
105th over: England 395-5 (Beaumont 181, Jones 4) Ellyse Perry is into the attack and she’s hanging the ball outside off stump with a hint of away-swing trying to tempt Beaumont into a big drive… TammyB is not taking the bait and waits for a straight ball to clip off her pads for a single.
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WICKET! Wyatt c Jonassen b Brown 44 (England 390-5)
Easy catch and Danni Wyatt is kicking herself! She glides the ball straight to Jess Jonassen in the gully/wide slip area and trudges off in frustration. She looked in good touch and had the Aussie’s on the back foot. Amy Jones is the new batter, she plays out three dots before unleashing a meaty pull shot for four! England trail by 79 runs. Crucial period in the game right here, right now.
104rd over: England 394-5 (Beaumont 180, Jones 4)
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103rd over: England 390-4 (Beaumont 180, Wyatt 44) Tammy Beaumont nudges a couple of singles off Garth which take her to 180* and the second highest score in women’s Test matches! Wyatt continues to score quickly and slaps another wide-ish delivery to the point boundary.
If you’re out there then do give us a holla on the BatPhone (email James or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket) thoughts, theories, predictions, Glastonbury reviews and recco’s most welcome.
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102nd over: England 382-4 (Beaumont 178, Wyatt 38) Brown drops wide outside of off-stump and Wyatt doesn’t miss out, square driving to the fence with abandon. The ball doesn’t seem to be carrying through very well despite it’s freshness and dare I say it the Aussies look a bit short of inspiration. The lead is down to 91.
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It’s (all) the small things that count, thanks Geoff and hello all. We’ve got a game on here, Danni Wyatt can score at a heck of a lick and Tammy Beaumont is hunting down the great Betty Snowball, so to speak. I’m just getting myself settled in the furrows of the OBO armchair as Kim Garth shares the new ball and sends down a tidy if unthreatening over that Wyatt clips for a solitary a single.
101st over: England 378-4 (Beaumont 178, Wyatt 34)
Tammy Beaumont is edging in on the legendary Betty Snowball's England record for the highest score in women's Tests of 189 - dating back to Christchurch in 1934-35 #WAshes
— James Coyne (@coynejames) June 24, 2023
100th over: England 377-4 (Beaumont 178, Wyatt 33) It’s the second new ball! Having had enough of spin being whammoed, Healy asks Darcie Brown to limber up. She does what she did this morning, wide of off stump. This could get interesting fast, Wyatt loves throwing her hands at pace out there. Instead, we get the antithesis: Brown bowls straight and Wyatt plays a leg glance for one. Bouncer! Good one, Beaumont yanks her head out of the way. Then aims a huge drive at a full ball and misses. The effect of pace, after facing spin for hours. So close to a nick. Brown tries for the pads, but Beaumont keeps it out.
That will be drinks. England trail by 96, and I’m done for the day. Your friend Jim Wallace will say it ain’t so, he will not go, turn the lights off, and carry you home.
99th over: England 376-4 (Beaumont 178, Wyatt 32) Spanked out to cover for one, this pair have put on 50. That brings Beaumont on strike, who plays an exquisite shot, walking at Jonassen and driving, on the move, straight of mid on. Four. Australia looking ragged here. A single off every other ball. Nine from the over, and the gap is down to double figures! It’s 97.
98th over: England 367-4 (Beaumont 172, Wyatt 29) A dozen overs in a row for Gardner, either side of lunch. Beaumont races from the non-striker’s end for a single after a fumble at cover, nearly trouble. Then nearly gets hit on the pad but gets something on it, away to leg.
97th over: England 365-4 (Beaumont 171, Wyatt 28) Upping the ante! This is what Wyatt brings. She leans back and gets under a ball from Jonassen, clobbers it straight for four. Unsubtle, effective. Then four more on the sweep to deep backward square as Darcie Brown misfields on the rope. She still has a bit of that baby-horse awkwardness at times. A couple of singles, 11 off the over, standard Test cricket stuff.
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96th over: England 354-4 (Beaumont 169, Wyatt 19) Five Australian players in a conference at one end of the pitch, discussing what to do next. Their decision is: continue with Gardner. Beaumont drives a single, Wyatt gets down for a lap-sweep! Over fine leg for four. That ball is more of an off-stump line than she anticipates, and she has to flinch away from it while playing the shot, but gets enough of it.
The deficit is down to 119.
95th over: England 349-4 (Beaumont 168, Wyatt 15) Jess Jonassen! The search party has found Australia’s left-arm spinner, who will be allowed to bowl. One run from her over, which is typically on the spot.
94th over: England 348-4 (Beaumont 167, Wyatt 15) No switch, more spin. Gardner has been the most dangerous bowler, and they still look twitchy against her a couple of times in this over. Not quite sure how the ball will behave.
93rd over: England 346-4 (Beaumont 166, Wyatt 14) A couple of singles from King. Time for Australia to switch things up?
Caroline Swan writes in with devastating news. “Unfortunately, the Winchester, as with so many pubs in London, has now been converted into flats, so we’re a bit buggered.”
Surely, Shaun of the Dead warranted cultural heritage protections?
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92nd over: England 344-4 (Beaumont 165, Wyatt 13) Jonassen must be starting to feel like a dartboard at slip. A dartboard for someone with bad aim. Beaumont edges one along the ground next to her. Wyatt edges on in the air past her. No chance to her right that time, Jonassen. Four for Wyatt. Then an extra run from an overthrow sixth ball.
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91st over: England 335-4 (Beaumont 162, Wyatt 7) The singles coming from King, though Australia’s ground fielding has picked up, they’re attacking the ball where possible.
90th over: England 332-4 (Beaumont 160, Wyatt 6) Another run for Wyatt, driving into the off side. That’s her game. England 138 behind.
89th over: England 330-4 (Beaumont 159, Wyatt 5) Onto strike comes Wyatt after a Beaumont single, and King gives her a present. Overpitched delivery, landing outside the off stump, perfectly in Wyatt’s driving zone, and with an economical placement of the bat she sends it speeding through cover. Four. The almost the same again, but half stopped by Sutherland’s outstretched left hand and kept to one run.
Brian Withington has taken to his quills. “Some fairly attritional cricket in the last hour, enlivened by the great bridge debate. Whilst we are indebted to Not That Andy Flintoff’s contribution to the oeuvre, I am inclined to forgive John Starbuck for any gaps in the record if only for the lovely understated use of the word ‘thence’ when describing the convoluted route from the Toll Ferry into the city (over 67). Kudos. In passing, some fine bucket hats promoting the Red for Ruth charity during the lunch break. Good cause.”
True that, fundraising is taking place today in memory of Ruth Strauss. Lots of red in the crowd here at the Bridge.
88th over: England 324-4 (Beaumont 158, Wyatt 0) Undaunted response from Beaumont to her close call, cracking a square drive from Gardner for four. The bowler nearly gets through onto pad but Beaumont gets her bat down. Then digs out a full ball on the advance for one. Keeps strike, buys Wyatt some more time to settle at the far end.
87th over: England 319-4 (Beaumont 153, Wyatt 0) So nearly two in two overs, and the spin persistence would really have paid off! King bowls a good one, less loop, more pace, still some turn. Pitches it around leg stump, beats Beaumont on the sweep and hits her dead in front. Umpire Redfern has a long think and then gives it out. Beaumont reviews, and DRS shows it pitching outside leg stump by a millimetre. That was from over the wicket, turning back and beating bat. Morally out, if I were the umpire – that aspect of the Law is an injustice to bowlers. Either way, this Test match has become a tussle.
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86th over: England 318-4 (Beaumont 152, Wyatt 0) The spin persistence has paid off for Alyssa Healy. Now what? New ball for Danni Wyatt, walking in on debut? Wyatt loves the cut shot and the lofted extra cover drive though, so maybe giving her pace isn’t the option. She defends her first ball in Test cricket and ends the over.
WICKET! Dunkley b Gardner 9, England 318-4
Bowwwwwled! That’s a shocker from Dunkley. Decides that she wants to impose herself, but she swings so hard at the ball that she loses all shape. Looks like she would have yanked her neck out of alignment. Her head is nowhere near the line. She’s aiming over midwicket with a furious swing of the bat, so much that I don’t think she was even looking at the ball by the time that shot reached the business end. Gardner’s off-break turns from outside the off stump and collects the woodwork, as the angled bat swishes over the top of it.
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85th over: England 317-3 (Beaumont 151, Dunkley 9) There’s 150 up for Tammy Beaumont, after driving Alana King down the ground for four, then turning a single to square. She’s more than doubled her previous Test best of 70. King giving the ball a lot of air, England finding runs easily. They’re 157 behind.
“Good afternoon Geoff,” writes a temporally accurate and civil Kim Thonger. “Well done the women for not succumbing to scoreboard pressure. Greetings to all from sunny Somerset where news of the Russian proto civil war is largely greeted with meh. If everybody goes to The Winchester to wait for it all to blow over, will there be enough outdoor tables with parasols to accommodate them all?”
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84th over: England 310-3 (Beaumont 145, Dunkley 8) Australia continue with spin after the break, still no new ball. Dunkley sweeps a run immediately. Gardner to Beaumont, who takes a few balls to feel confident to leave her crease, driving down the ground for one.
We’re heading back for play after lunch…
Lunch - England 308 for 3, trailing by 165
England’s session. Nat Sciver-Brunt will be annoyed to have fallen short of a hundred, as Ellyse Perry would have been on Day 1, but they’ve added 89 runs to the score for that one wicket, they have batting to come, and they’re closing on Australia’s score. The contest became more of a grind after that first hour, and if England bat through the day in that fashion then it starts to become harder to see where a result will come from. But things can change quickly as the game goes on, and a batting line-up of Beaumont, Dunkley, Wyatt, Jones and Ecclestone could make that happen.
83rd over: England 308-3 (Beaumont 144, Dunkley 7) King, flight, not much turn, Dunkley propping and blocking on repeat. There is some turn from one ball, it spins away from the bat. Five dots, a run from the last ball, and that’s lunch.
82nd over: England 307-3 (Beaumont 144, Dunkley 6) Gardner back over the wicket to Dunkley. Slip in place. Five blocks, then Dunkley walks and chips a run to mid on. Who is set deep to give her the run, and get her on strike against King. The Australians run to get into position.
“Quite right,” says John Starbuck on bridge chat. “I’d forgotten about the one at Newark, and it’s one I must have crossed a fair few times. Since I haven’t actually lived in my home city for over thirty years I’m a bit out of date. There is also a toll bridge on the A57 at Newton-on-Trent where there are pubs on both sides.”
Game of bridge, anyone?
81st over: England 306-3 (Beaumont 144, Dunkley 5) Alana King is coming on. Didn’t see the umpire signal with the new ball, so perhaps they’ll continue with the older one and spin. Harder to hit, might be able to keep tying Dunkley down. She’s an aggressive player normally, and they can often find themselves caught in two minds during a rare Test appearance. Beaumont is on strike though, and keeps it by sweeping a couple of runs. Betters that with a finer sweep for four! Haven’t had a boundary since two overs before Sciver-Brunt was dismissed.
80th over: England 300-3 (Beaumont 138 Dunkley 5) Gardner bowling the 80th, new ball will be due after this. Beaumont drives a single to get England to 300, they’re 173 behind. Still a long way behind if wickets fall, but that doesn’t look likely right now. Eight minutes from lunch. Dunkley plays a big shot, swinging a cut, but doesn’t connect.
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79th over: England 299-3 (Beaumont 137, Dunkley 5) Just the one run from the McGrath over.
“Re the pitch chat,” writes Guy Hornsby, “I think it’s one that could be more even but given its (finally!) a 5 day Test, it should be enough time to get a result. It’s more surprising that Australia’s deep range of bowling options haven’t made a better go of it. They were pretty loose at times yesterday, perhaps without the control of Sophie Ecclestone, though I fear for her shoulder on Day 5. It’s gone at a fair lick, and surely England will want to force a result more given Australia’s peerless white ball record. Mainly, it’s just great to see the women in a ground they deserve to play in. More of this. P.S: On the hair, I think you look cracking with a short crop. But I have no hair so everything’s a bonus.”
Everything is relative, hey? Especially cousins. Australia bowled poorly yesterday, there was some bad stuff to start this morning, and the fielding has been below standard. Things have tightened up a lot in the last hour. Wonder if the new ball will pick up the scoring rate again.
78th over: England 298-3 (Beaumont 136, Dunkley 5) Gardern continues, around the wicket now, wonder why when she was going so well bowling over the wicket. The English pair work four singles off the straight, and it looks comfortable enough.
77th over: England 294-3 (Beaumont 134, Dunkley 3) Three more dot balls for Dunkley, then she gets a second run, flicking McGrath off her legs. A couple more singles follow.
Oh, dear. Things are spicing up in Nottingham Bridge Chat, the only live blog dedicated to the bridges of Nottingham.
Not That Andy Flintoff writes, “As a (near) local, just to correct John Starbuck’s bridge pedantry (and no doubt getting it wrong myself!) there are three more downstream (road) bridges of the Trent before you leave Nottinghamshire: one at Kelham, one at South Muskham and one on the A1 just north of Newark. After that the Trent turns north and forms the border between Notts and Lincolnshire, and then Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, but there are no bridges wholly within the county.”
Rocked. I am rocked.
76th over: England 291-3 (Beaumont 133, Dunkley 1) The grind continues for Dunkley against Gardner, digging out full balls, advancing and then blocking, not confident. Up to 17 balls without scoring. Gardner goes around the wicket and Dunkley does break her duck, working a run through square leg.
75th over: England 290-3 (Beaumont 133, Dunkley 0) A maiden for McGrath, as Beaumont sees out the lot. Three runs in five overs, suddenly the scoring has stopped.
This is nice, from Richard Jansz-Moore, about one of our Guardian stable. “For Xmas I bought my 7yr old nephew a copy of Tanya Aldred’s Ultimate Cricket Superstars book. He’s absolutely over the moon about the chance of seeing three of the people from the book playing today (Beaumont, Ecclestone & Perry). He was upset to be missing out on seeing Meg Lanning but has brought the book in hope of picking up some autographs. A future Final Nerd in the making and a great example of how good Tanya’s book is. Just a shame that one of his favourite cricketers in the book is David Warner!”
Whatever you can say about Warner, people are drawn to watching him. Those who like him and those who don’t.
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74th over: England 290-3 (Beaumont 133, Dunkley 0) Gardner bowling well! Beats the edge of Dunkley’s bat, twice, the ball going straight on like the one that took Heather Knight’s edge yesterday. Dunkley getting very crab-walk after that and digging the ball out.
David Manby writes in. “I’m stopped at a cag (pronounced jah) kebab house in eastern Turkey to have a bite to eat and catch up on English batting. What you reckon, close of play England circa 500 and bowled a few overs with no luck? Beautiful old castle on the other side of the river.”
I wasn’t sure if the castle is here or there, but judging by the photo David sent it must be in Turkey. I’m sure there’s a castle or two close to Nottingham if one were so inclined.
73rd over: England 289-3 (Beaumont 132, Dunkley 0) McGrath from the Radcliffe Road End keeps bowling at the stumps and full, keeping Dunkley very quiet.
72nd over: England 288-3 (Beaumont 131, Dunkley 0) Gardner spears one down leg side with Dunkley fresh at the crease. Finds her line again, and has Dunkley propping awkwardly on the front foot.
WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Healy b Gardner 78, England 288-3
Finally, the Australians get through! Big turn from Gardner, Sciver-Brunt rocking back and looking to cut through the off side, but the bounce and angle in is too much for her, top edging through to Healy. Fine catch, after a domineering innings that also had its share of luck.
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71st over: England 288-2 (Beaumont 131, Sciver-Brunt 78) The one run from McGrath’s over, she’s done a decent job since coming on.
70th over: England 287-2 (Beaumont 131, Sciver-Brunt 77) Gardner on for some off spin. Jonassen has still only bowled two overs for the match. Gardner the more attacking option. Last ball of the over, Beaumont steps down and cracks her through cover for four, and the fielder there can’t get in the way. Didn’t seem to pick up the path of the ball at all.
69th over: England 281-2 (Beaumont 126, Sciver-Brunt 76) Just getting the ball to stop in the pitch is McGrath, squaring up Sciver-Brunt who has to adjust her defensive shot and keep it out of her pads. That’s after she’s twice worked the ball to leg for a brace. England have the deficit down to 192.
68th over: England 276-2 (Beaumont 125, Sciver-Brunt 72) Sutherland a decent line after drinks, couple of singles and a leg bye. Has Sciver-Brunt joining in the pull party facing a short one.
67th over: England 273-2 (Beaumont 124, Sciver-Brunt 71) Tahlia McGrath is on for her first over in the match. She described herself as the fifth seamer before play. Well, she’s needed now. Starts with a short ball, hasn’t got the memo, and Beaumont pulls two. Dinks another. We go from dinks to drinks.
John Starbuck is coming across the river to greet me.
“There’s a main bridge called Trent Bridge, and near it are the preserved remains of an earlier stone-built version, which for several centuries was the only one direct into Nottingham. Nowadays, there’s also LadyBay Bridge (extra road relief for rush-hour traffic), plus the suspension bridge (pedestrians and cyclists only) which I crossed daily on my way to school. Further upstream is the Toll Bridge, where, as you might expect, traffic has to pay to cross it into/out of Wilford. This rarely caught on, not because people were mean but because the way into the city was so convoluted thence that few wanted to be bothered. More recently, much further upstream is Clifton Bridge, while downstream, not counting the various railway bridges, is Gunthorpe Bridge, pretty much the last in Nottinghamshire until the Lincolnshire border.”
Is this the abridged version?
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66th over: England 270-2 (Beaumont 122, Sciver-Brunt 71) Sutherland is warming into her spell. A few singles, then a bit of bounce that beats the angled edge of Beaumont’s bat, good line in the channel. But the short ball can be an indulgence. Beaumont loves it, with her high backlift quivering, ready to get back and hook. And it is a hook, high bounce on that ball compared to the short stature of the player, who middles it to deep square leg. A tenanted area, thus one run, not four.
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65th over: England 266-2 (Beaumont 120, Sciver-Brunt 69) Garth ploughs on in another long spell, her sixth over of the morning. A couple of singles, before Beaumont throws a diagonal bat outside off stump and mistimes it into the ground. Garth is going at 2.6 an over, most of the others at above 4.
“I love that the Guardian is covering the Women’s Ashes,” writes William Williams, “but given the current circumstances in Russia, is it really worthy of push notifications? We’re sitting here waiting for nuclear civil war to break out - perhaps leave the Ashes notifications to those who have opted in?”
Out of my hands, William. But if the Russians decide to dig one in short, I don’t think push notes are going to help us.
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64th over: England 264-2 (Beaumont 119, Sciver-Brunt 68) This is turning into a pounding! Sutherland to Sciver-Brunt, who flicks her through midwicket for four, then repeats the dose. The bowler changes her line, so the batter crunches a cut shot for four! Three in three. Sutherland responds with a bouncer, good one, that Sciver-Brunt ducks, then a good length ball that kicks up a bit, tight on off stump. Great batting, decent response.
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63rd over: England 251-2 (Beaumont 118, Sciver-Brunt 56) Lovely bowling from Garth, angle in and shape away. Sciver-Brunt stays poised in her stance like a falcon about to tip off the glove, but doesn’t go. Beaumont has already raised the hundred partnership with a single.
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62nd over: England 250-2 (Beaumont 117, Sciver-Brunt 56) Annabel Sutherland comes on for Brown. Took a wicket in her first over yesterday. Followed up with a series of full tosses, mind, so it wasn’t all her own way. Sciver-Brunt defends three before getting off strike, leaving Beaumont to play very nicely with an open blade, behind point, Gardner racing around. Beaumont glances a single to follow. Ripple of applause for the 250. They’re 223 behind.
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61st over: England 246-2 (Beaumont 114, Sciver-Brunt 55) A couple of singles from Garth, in another controlled set.
Peter Gibbs has emailed in. “Last night, Heather K saying: ‘It was in the balance last night, the wicket is pretty dead for the bowlers. That Sophie was able to hold one end was outstanding, keep the bowlers banging it into off stump.’ I’m assuming that like the bazballers, we have a choice on how the wickets are prepared for the series. Do we? Is this what we wanted? Has it worked out? In other news, saw you on that there How to win the Ashes Doco. I never really appreciated your hair until I saw it ‘live’. Have a fine day everyone. I’ll be pootling up the Welsh Coast.”
Thanks Peter. The hair was mown for this summer, but it’ll be back. As for pitches, most women’s Tests have struggled to even be allocated a ground. There has been no choice of pitch, and even in the decade I’ve been covering the game we’ve consistently seen used pitches, slow flat mudheaps, given to the women’s game. So in that canon, this pitch is great. I don’t think “dead” is the right word, just that it’s good for batting and the bowlers have to work, but at least it has pace and carry, so runs are scored quickly and chances can be created. At Taunton 2019, or North Sydney 2017, or Canterbury 2015, you wouldn’t have had any edges carrying to the cordon. These players have missed too many, so the batting side has stayed on top.
Half century! Natalie Sciver-Brunt 53 from 69 balls
60th over: England 244-2 (Beaumont 113, Sciver-Brunt 54) Nice scoring rate for Sciver-Brunt as she brings up her minor milestone with a slash through point for four. Brown just keeps bowling wide outside off. There’s a bit of swing through the air but it’s no threat unless they’re trying to feed a catch to gully. Could be an expensive method against this player.
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59th over: England 238-2 (Beaumont 112, Sciver-Brunt 49) First controlled runs of the day off Garth, as Sciver-Brunt places a couple through point and follows up with a single to move to 49 and keep the strike.
58th over: England 235-2 (Beaumont 112, Sciver-Brunt 46) Well Stuie, they will if Brown keeps bowling like this. Too full, and Beaumont drives it perfectly through mid off for four. Three balls later, one-day muscle memory means she can’t help reaching for the wider one, gliding it away despite two slips to the rope. The next ball is a short hit-me, and Beaumont clatters the pull shot for a dozen off the over.
@GeoffLemonSport g’day geoff, hopefully England can push on this morning & get close to Aus total.
— Stuie Neale (@MrNeale92) June 24, 2023
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57th over: England 223-2 (Beaumont 100, Sciver-Brunt 46) In the blockhole goes Garth to Sciver-Brunt, keeps drying things up, and when she offers width there’s another drop! Australia missed a few yesterday. Technically maybe no one got a touch on it, but the top-edged cut flies between first and second slip and neither is fast enough to respond. It’s hard work for a fielding team if you don’t take those.
56th over: England 219-2 (Beaumont 100, Sciver-Brunt 42) A little ratty from Beaumont early, hurls the bat at width from Brown but can’t lay bat on it. Brown keeps bowling wider of the off stump than is probably her intention, but at least it stops the scoring.
55th over: England 219-2 (Beaumont 100, Sciver-Brunt 42) Kim Garth was Australia’s tidiest operator with the ball yesterday, kept the runs down, and she starts similarly this morning on an off-stump line, treated watchfully by Sciver-Brunt.
54th over: England 219-2 (Beaumont 100, Sciver-Brunt 42) Drama first ball of the day! Darcie Brown booms an inswinger, nails Nat SB on the pad, and she’s given out. The batter reviews, of course she does, biggest wicket remaining and there’s plenty of movement on that ball. So much so that it’s sneaking past leg stump. Hard being a bowler: beat them all ends up with a great delivery, but it’s doing too much.
We’re almost ready to go…
Drop me a line
The email and the tweets are open, the links are up top or to the side, depending what your screen looks like.
If you want more detail on exactly what happened, I’ve got a daily wrap podcast for Day 2 with Bharat Sundaresan which is here.
… and on day two about the apprentice, Annabel Sutherland.
In what essentially became a two-parter, I wrote on day one about Ellyse Perry, the master…
Ali Martin wrote about the excitement of England’s new pace option Lauren Filer, who tested them out especially on Day 1.
If you’re catching up on yesterday, why not start with the match report from Raf Nicholson.
Preamble
Hello friends. It’s another warm morning from the place where the bridge is named Trent, or so the signs would have me believe. And it’s the day when the tussle for leverage in this Test match might go one way or the other. We’ve had a fast-scoring couple of days on a nice batting surface, 700 runs between the two teams. Centuries yesterday to Annabel Sutherland for Australia and Tammy Beaumont for England. We haven’t lost any play, either, despite that rain delay on day one – we’ve caught up to 180 overs if you account for two overs for the innings change.
It’ll be interesting to see how England approach things today. Beaumont and Nat Sciver-Brunt to resume, both played an attacking style yesterday. Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt to follow, who usually do the same. They’re 218 for 2, still 255 behind, but the rate they have been going, could knock those runs off in a couple of sessions. Australia will need to bowl better than they did yesterday to force enough breakthroughs. Fatigue for both teams will increasingly become an factor.
Should be a good day.
