Meg Lanning has edged Australia closer to retaining the Ashes after a fightback with Rachael Haynes helped their team to 7-327 in the sole Test against England.
Lanning narrowly missed out on her maiden Test century on a big opening day in Canberra, but still peeled off the biggest score by an Australian captain in a home Ashes Test.
After coming to the wicket at 3-43, Lanning's 93 helped Australia steady the ship and then emerge on top as part of a 169-run stand with Haynes.
Haynes also fell just short of her first Test century, watching Australia lose their first two wickets for just three runs before finishing on 86 herself.
Ashleigh Gardner also hit a quickfire 56 from 74 balls late in the day, while a wild shot from Tahlia McGrath on the final ball of the day left her caught behind on 56.
But still, Australia have the firm advantage at Manuka Oval with the hosts already leading the multi-format series 4-2.
No team has ever been beaten in the 142 women's Tests played when they have scored in excess of 300 in the opening innings.
That figure is helped by the fact that matches are only given four days, with a significant number of those results ending in draws.
A win for Australia in Canberra will ensure they wrap up the Ashes, while a draw would mean they only need to win one of the three ensuing ODIs to retain the trophy.
And if Australia do keep the Ashes for a fourth straight series, they will have Haynes and Lanning to thank for it.
When Alyssa Healy (0), Beth Mooney (3) and Ellyse Perry (18) fell early, Katherine Brunt (3-52) and Nat Sciver (3-41) looked as if they had put England back in the series.
But after hitting an unbeaten 64 in Australia's series-opening Twenty20 win, Lanning cut beautifully on Thursday and hit the ball nicely through the offside.
It came as England often bowled too short and wide, with Haynes also making use of any width in the highest score by an Australian opener this century.
England also missed crucial chances, including two when Lanning was on zero and 14 in the slips that would have swung the game.
Australia's skipper also survived a shout for both lbw and caught behind, with the third umpire ruling it had come off her forearm on review and ball-tracking showing the ball going over the stumps.
Haynes was also put down on 44, before the pair both fell within three balls of each other after tea and made way for the Gardner and McGrath counterpunch.
Look back at how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
Live updates
By Dean Bilton
By Dean Bilton
THAT'S STUMPS! Australia 7-327 (Sutherland 7*)
All in all a pretty good day of Test cricket. Both teams had their moments, but having been sent in to bat you'd have to say the honours are with Australia at this stage of the match. The frustration will be that none of the four half-centuries were turned into centuries today, but 7-327 is a pretty solid spot to be in.
For England, Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt were the standouts with three wickets apiece. But there will be a sense of missed opportunity with some dropped catches costing them the chance to really take hold of the game. Still, that work can be made up with the bat tomorrow.
A more in depth wrap of the days play won't be too far away, but for now that's it from me! Thanks for sticking with me for the day, and I'll catch you again in the morning.
By Dean Bilton
OH AND SHE'S OUT! LAST BALL, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? MCGRATH GOES
Nat Sciver does get her superstar trifecta! Full and wide, Tahlia McGrath couldn't help having a swing. A thin edge presented Amy Jones with a simple catch, and a fun innings ends with the final ball of day one.
By Dean Bilton
97th over - Sciver in again
DROPPED! AND 50 FOR MCGRATH! It was a thick top edge from that cut shot, and it spooned up and over Dunkley's head at point. She made good ground and got two hands on it... and she probably should have held it. Two runs for McGrath means yet another 50 for Australia, what a player.
A couple more for McGrath off her pads again. Hasn't missed on anything there.
Here we go, last ball of the day coming up here.
By Dean Bilton
96th over - Here's Cross
And one more for McGrath to the covers. She's creeping closer to another half-century for Australia.
EDGED FOR FOUR! Thick edge from Sutherland but it flies between slip and gully for another boundary.
Nice and watchful from Sutherland, she's got eyes on stumps.
By Dean Bilton
95th over - Sciver to McGrath now
It's a weary England out there now, it's been a long day.
There's the short one, and McGrath pulls it solidly out for one more.
Sutherland sees a couple more out and another over is wiled away.
By Dean Bilton
94th over - Kate Cross has ball in hand
A quick burst from her too before stumps. Time for a few more overs.
SHOT! Can't play a cover drive much better than that. Smoked through the gap for four.
FOUR MORE! Through midwicket this time! Wonderful flicked off the pads for four.
SMACK! That is brutal from Tahlia McGrath! She gets a bit of width and absolute belts it through point for four. Three boundaries in four balls.
Excellent batting from McGrath, whose sparkling form is only continuing here.
By Dean Bilton
93rd over - Nat Sciver to get one more crack tonight
With Perry and Lanning in the bag already, McGrath might just about complete the trifecta.
Sciver pulls one in short and McGrath works it away for a single.
That's a nice shot from Sutherland, confidently punched off the back foor to cover. Two more as the over ends.
By Dean Bilton
92nd over - Shrubsole to Sutherland now
Anya's first look at Annabel.
Solid forward defence from Sutherland. No risks needed with stumps looming.
EDGED! Just short of first slip. Soft hands saved Annabel Sutherland there.
Another maiden from Shrubsole.
By Dean Bilton
91st over - Brunt to Sutherland now
BEATEN! That's just about unplayable. Beautiful stuff from Brunt, and a bit of theatrics from her afterwards too. There's just enough third grade in Brunt to make her absolutely captivating to watch.
Sutherland is off the mark! She takes a single from the final ball of the over to get going.
By Dean Bilton
90th over - Shrubsole to McGrath
A couple more tonight would be more than handy for England.
FOUR RUNS! Just turned around the corner by McGrath, and Ecclestone couldn't quite get to it ahead of the rope. And that is 300 up for Australia, a successful first day indeed.
A maiden over from Anya Shrubsole, well bowled.
By Dean Bilton
89th over continued - Three to come for Brunt
Annabel Sutherland is the new batter in.
Sutherland sees those three out and another over is ticked off. We'll play another half an hour, but we won't be getting the full 100 overs in today. Shows what a difference DRS makes to over rates, because it's pretty rare the women don't complete their overs in a day.
By Dean Bilton
OUT! GARDNER MUST GO! BRUNT TRAPS HER LBW FOR 56!
Three red lights means Gardner has to go. A fine, counter-attacking innings from Gardner that has pushed Australia on from a good position to a great one. But Brunt has deserved everything she has received today, working so hard for her three wickets so far.
By Dean Bilton
89th over - Brunt to Gardner
REVIEW FOR OBSTRUCTING THE FIELD! Interesting. So England has appealed, claiming Gardner moved off her line to stop Brunt's throw from hitting the stump. If she did that while out of her crease, she can be given out obstructing the field.
It's pretty obvious Gardner didn't change her line though. Pretty pointless appeal and a waste of time reviewing that. Not out.
SLASHED FOR FOUR! Might have ticked Ash Gardner off a bit too. She responds by smoking one off the back foot through the covers for four.
NOW GARDNER'S BEEN GIVEN OUT LBW TOO! But another review! I think that looks closer than the one in the last over, but maybe a fraction high?
By Dean Bilton
88th over - Here's Shrubsole again
BEATEN! What a seed! That has jagged back a mile, past McGrath's inside edge and over her middle stump. So unlucky.
Shrubsole is still offering up too much width, but even though she is swinging her socks off, McGrath has been unable to cash in.
OUT! MCGRATH IS GIVEN OUT LBW! But we have a review! That swung back a long way, so there is a chance it may have been sliding down the leg side. It hit McGrath's back pad though which won't help.
Going to be close, but I think Tahlia's in strife. Umpire's call on the leg stump perhaps?
NOT OUT! Going over and wide of the leg stump! McGrath survives!
Even more frustrating for England, but with the amount of swing that Shrubsole gets there is always a chance that it will be sliding down the leg side.
A good finish to the over, no luck for Shrubsole there.
By Dean Bilton
87th over - Brunt in again
OUCH! Short from Brunt, and a little slower than McGrath expected. It whacks her in the back once she is through the shot.
VERY short from Brunt that time, and McGrath has to stretch to get something on it. Her wild hook shot goes down to fine leg for one.
BEATEN! Corker from Brunt. Gardner had a nibble, but gets away with. One from the over.
By Dean Bilton
86th over - Anya Shrubsole to hoop a few in
Watch your front pads, Shrubsole is ready to blow a few away.
SHOT! Too wide to start with from Shrubsole and punched off the front foot by McGrath. Four more.
That was short from Shrubsole, but it kept low again. McGrath pulls for one more.
Gardner drives to extra cover this time, and gets enough on it to pick up two.
Shrubsole hasn't got her line right in this over yet. Seven runs off the over.
By Dean Bilton
85th over - At last! Katherine Brunt and the new ball
Here we go. Brunt is ready to belt on in with a shiny new ball. Big challenge for these batters.
BEATEN! There we go! Straight past the outside edge of Gardner's bat.
IN THE AIR! But safe, too straight for mid on. Gardner takes two.
SHOT! AND 50 FOR ASH GARDNER! She loves Test cricket! Another half-century, and brought up with a sensational cover drive to the rope. This has been a fine innings.
Six from the first over with the new ball.
