A spectacular Women's Ashes took place this summer with Australia retaining the trophy, despite winning fewer games. With record crowds and high calibre performances, it was one to remember. Through this piece, Richard and Polly Starkie aim to take a look back over the matches and the feelings at the time.
An homage to Jack Fingleton
I feel I need to start with an explanation of the title. “The Ashes Crown the Year” is a 70 year old book, a tour
diary of Australia Men’s tour to England in 1953 written by Jack Fingleton. Fingleton was a great cricket writer who happened to have also played the game rather well, representing Australia in the famous Bodyline series of 1932-33. Of course the summer of 1953 is also famous for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Fingleton himself was invited to the Abbey alongside Australia captain Lindsay Hassett and was clearly very honoured and impressed by the whole experience. Hence the title of his book. It appears to me that there are some
parallels between 1953 and 2023. A Coronation, for example, although this happened a little too early in the year for Alyssa Healy or Pat Cummins to make the guest list (interestingly though, Australian women’s sport was well represented at the ceremony by Sam Kerr, the Chelsea and Matildas footballer, who carried the Australian flag).
Another parallel is an Australian cricket team arriving on these shores who had not been beaten for a very long time. In 1953 it had been over 20 years since England’s men had last won the Ashes (albeit in acrimonious and controversial fashion). Since then, Australia had continually improved, helped of course by the statistical anomaly that was Sir Donald Bradman, almost certainly the most superior player of a sport that has ever existed when compared to everyone else in history who has played that sport. (His career test batting average was 99.94. No other player who has played significant test cricket has managed to average more than 62.)
However, the Australian cricket team arriving in England in 2023 with the same reputation as Bradman’s
Invincibles was not the men’s team, but the women’s team, whom we may even refer to as Lanning’s Invincibles, such has been the dominance of this team led by captain Meg Lanning over recent times.
Fingleton’s title was clearly a generous reference to the regaining of the Ashes by England after such a long time, with a view that this upturn in fortunes on the sports field led by Bedsar, Compton and Edrich could also be a sign of things improving in post-war Britain, where there was still rationing and the country was only beginning to recover from the ravages of war.
The W-Ashes Crown the Year, cannot, unlike its predecessor, end with England gloriously re-capturing the urn. However, the title does represent the idea that regardless of the end result, this series marks a new pinnacle in the development of the women’s game and such an enthralling, edge of your seat series of contests has added sparkle and sheen to the Coronation year of 2023.
Chapter 1 – The Myth of Invincibility
In the history of sport, few national teams have achieved the mythical status of invincibility. The Brazilian football team of 1970 or their Hungarian counterparts a generation before may have come close. The USSR ice hockey team was a formidable winning machine for many years. Within cricket, alongside Bradman’s Invincibles of 1948 and the mighty West Indies men’s team of 1976-1984, one must include the current Australian women’s cricket team.
Since losing the ODI World Cup semi-final to India in July 2017, they have gone on to dominate the rapidly-developing women’s game over the past six years. During this period they won an incredible 26 consecutive ODIs and 21 consecutive T20s. They continually overcame their nearest rivals, India and England, both home and away, continuing to overpower their opponents even in dead rubbers. Similarly, they ruthlessly dispatched every other team in the cricketing world as they won the T20 World Cup three times (2018, 2020, 2023), the ODI World Cup of 2022, the Commonwealth Games gold medal (also in 2022) and at the start of this series, had held the Ashes since 2015.
For any national team facing up to Australia, the first barrier to overcome is one of belief. The myth of invincibility so surrounded this team, that many teams were effectively beaten even before they started. Australia always found a way of winning, even when not playing at their best. For example, in the opening game of the Commonwealth Games T20 competition, India set Australia 155 to win. In the eighth over of their reply, Australia were floundering on 49/5, their top order blown away by Renuka Singh Thakur. It mattered not. Australia won by three wickets with an over to spare. Such is the depth of their batting that removing the top five means nothing. Batters 6, 7, 8 & 9 are just as likely to produce a match winning innings given the chance.
At the heart of this winning machine have been some of the greatest players in the history of women’s cricket.
Meg Lanning, age 31, a focussed, driven and inspirational captain who averages 53 in ODI and has represented Australia 241 times in a career spanning 12 years. She has scored 17 international centuries, more than anyone in the history of the game.
Beth Mooney, age 29, a stubbornly consistent top order batter and occasional wicket-keeper who has played over 130 times for Australia over the last seven years and averages 52 in ODI.
32-year-old Ellyse Perry, a double international in football and cricket, without doubt the greatest all-rounder to have played the women’s game. She has played international cricket for half her lifetime. She has scored over
6000 international runs and taken over 300 international wickets and has a batting average of 50 in ODI.
Alyssa Healy, age 33, Australia’s wicketkeeper, winner of eight world cups plus a Commonwealth Games gold medallist. She famously hit 170 against England in the 2022 ODI World Cup Final in Christchurch. She has made almost 250 appearances for Australia in a career spanning 13 years.
Fast bowler Meghan Schutt, age 30, has taken more International T20 wickets than anyone in the history of the game. A winner of five world cups and a Commonwealth Games gold medal, she has been a regular in this team for a decade.
A superficial look at the ages of these five players may cause us to conclude erroneously that this is a team which is somewhat past its best. Far from it! Australian cricket continues to produce new world class players, and within the Ashes touring party are some of the most promising young players in the world, such as 20 year old Phoebe Litchfield, a brilliant left handed opening batter, 20 year old pace bowler Darcie Brown and 21 year old all-rounder Anabel Sutherland.
Add to this three players at the peak of their powers: 26 year old Ash Gardner plus 27 year olds Tahlia McGrath and Alana King and one immediately sees why this team has been so successful through the years: a blend of youth and experience, strong leadership through which the baton of success is passed on and a blend of skills to counter every difficulty: a balance of left handers and right handers in both batting and bowling, world class bowlers who can be trusted to bat well down the order when needed, finger spinners and wrist spinners, a top class wicket-keeper, a shrewd and ambitious captain. In short, there is no weak link.
The myth of invincibility is built on the reality of a team made up of some of the greatest players in history. As the Australians prepared to fly to England in early Summer 2023, it appeared to many that England did not have a chance.
England
England had not won the Ashes since January 2014. During the intervening decade, the women’s game had transformed beyond recognition. In January 2014, England did not have central contracts. England’s Women
cricketers, led by Charlotte Edwards, were essentially amateurs during that Ashes tour. By that time however, the Australian team were centrally contracted and being paid up to AUS $52,000 per year. England won the test match on that Ashes tour, but won only one of the three ODI and one of the three T20s. However, this was enough for them to win the multi-format series 10-8.
The crowds at venues such as the MCG were described as “sparse” by the Sydney Morning Herald. Australia’s Alex Blackwell, who played in the 2014 Ashes and then in the 2015 Ashes in England was amazed on that 2015 tour by the atmosphere at Bristol and Taunton, where crowds “in excess of 3000” cheered on the teams, describing it as the best atmosphere she had experienced in her career. Little did she know that within five years Australia’s women would be filling the MCG for the T20 World Cup Final in March 2020.
The popularity of women’s cricket in England had grown exponentially in the years leading up to the Ashes because of the success of the new 100 ball franchise tournament (called The Hundred) launched by the England and Wales cricket board in 2021. Women’s franchise teams playing double header games with men’s teams of the same franchise were being watched by average crowds of almost 8,000 in 2021, rising to 10,400 in 2022, with over a quarter of a million people in total watching a women’s Hundred game in both those seasons.
This enabled female cricketers to gain exposure on national, mainstream, free to air television and players were increasingly using social media to widen the audience and appeal of the game. There was a growing sense in broadcast and print media that female sport had been marginalised by them over the years and that this historical inequality needed addressing.
The result of this new popularity of the women’s game for the England team was that a wider pool of young, hungry stars were developing rapidly in the hothouse of high stakes, high pressure cricket played in front of big crowds at major venues. Players such as Alice Capsey, Issy Wong and Lauren Bell were fearlessly stepping up into the England team. The gap between England and Australia might, it seemed, be narrowing.
The 12 months leading up to the Ashes had, however, not gone particularly well for England. A disappointing Commonwealth Games, in which they failed to get a medal, followed by a home series against India in which they won the T20 series 2-1, but lost the ODI series 3-0, including a fraught final game at Lord’s in which they failed to chase down 169 and lost their final wicket to a controversial run out. This match also marked the end of Lisa Keightley’s reign as England coach.
A leadership vacuum
England captain Heather Knight had been ruled out of both the Commonwealth Games and the India series with a hip problem which required surgery, and it seemed that without her there was a leadership vacuum in the England camp, causing the team to fold at crucial moments. Under new coach Jon Lewis and with Heather Knight recovered, England then easily won three ODIs and five T20s in the Caribbean in December 2022, but this did not prepare them properly for the rigours of the T20 World Cup in South Africa three months later, in which they were disappointingly eliminated by the hosts in the semi-final.
England’s next meaningful game after that semi-final defeat was the Ashes Test match at Trent Bridge. What could they do to have any chance of beating Australia, a team who had once again easily won the T20 World Cup? New coach Jon Lewis seemed not at all worried by the World Cup campaign. He spoke of fearless cricket and reflected the values of England Men’s coach Brendan McCullum in which playing brave, attacking and entertaining cricket was of more importance than the actual result.
A new world dawns in India
Between the end of the World Cup and the start of the Ashes, there was the small matter of the Women’s Premier League - another franchise tournament - to be played in India. The eye-watering amounts of money paid to England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt and Australia’s Ash Gardner caused many to question the relevance and
the future of international teams playing bilateral series and whether in the near future all top players will give up playing for their countries in order to make the most of the riches on offer in this league and other leagues round the world.
Already West Indies’ Deandra Dottin and South Africans Dané van Niekerk, Lizelle Lee and Shabnim Ismail had followed this path, knowing that working a few weeks in a few tournaments was going to pay them more than their own cricket boards would pay them without having to deal with the complexities and politics of playing for an international side. 12 of the touring Australians and seven England players were involved in this tournament, many of them earning much more than their central contract annual salary in the four weeks they spent playing in India during the month of April. Could this have an effect on the Ashes series, with exhausted players going from World Cup to WPL to bilateral series without much of a break and knowing that they could comfortably live without international cricket?
The warm up games
As the Australian touring party arrived in the UK, it was announced on 13th June that Australian captain Meg Lanning would not be taking part in the Ashes and was remaining in Australia for medical treatment. Lanning had previously taken six months off cricket for a mental health break, but had come back to successfully captain Australia in the World Cup. She had also taken part in the WPL six weeks before the Ashes, where she was the leading run scorer in the tournament. This was undoubtedly a blow for Australia, and Alyssa Healy, her replacement as captain, made it clear that her leadership style is very different to Lanning’s and that the captaincy role is one that she is ready to hand back to Lanning at the earliest opportunity.
Lanning’s absence would clearly affect Australia adversely - she is their best batter as well as their captain, but when Healy led the side previously, on a potentially very tricky T20 tour to India in December 2022, they easily won that series 4-1, and their only defeat was in a super over of a tied game. So whilst this was not an ideal start to the tour for Australia, there was no sense that Lanning’s absence would in any way affect the eventual outcome of the Ashes. In fact one could argue that without Lanning, and with Healy both captaining and wicket-keeping, Phoebe Litchfield could take her natural place at the top of the batting order and in her, one of the next generation of Australia stars could be allowed to develop during this series.
Both teams needed the opportunity to prepare for the test match as neither country plays any domestic first class cricket. So two games were organised in the East Midlands on 15th-17th June. At Leicester, Australia played an England A side, whilst at Derby, an Australia A side played England. What, if anything, would we learn from these matches and how would selections for the Test match be influenced by what went on in these games?
England produced some selection surprises when naming their squad for the game at Derby. The uncapped Lauren Filer and Dani Gibson of Western Storm were brought in. Gibson had been the touring reserve during the T20 World Cup, but Filer’s inclusion was a complete shock to everyone, including the player herself, who missed the call from coach Jon Lewis because she was out walking her dog in the Somerset countryside where there was no phone signal. Filer had been working with Somerset bowler Jack Brooks and England fast bowling
coach Matt Mason over the winter to remodel her action. Mason’s remit is to develop current and future England fast bowlers and clearly Filer had been identified early on as a “point of difference” bowler - someone who had the potential to generate more pace than any other bowler in regional cricket. However, her stats for the 2023 season were not exactly world beating: her best return was taking 3 for 60 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy match against South-East Stars, so putting her into a five day test match seemed a little premature.
Both warm up games ended in entertaining draws, with the England teams accumulating huge scores at rapid strike rates. At Derby, Tammy Beaumont hit 201 before retiring out as England scored 650 all out in response to Australia A’s first innings total of 221. England scored at 5.49 runs per over, including hitting an astonishing 510 runs on day 2 alone. Four other England players chipped in with rapidly accumulated half centuries on a day when England thoroughly dominated the Australia A attack. A similar story was unfolding at Leicester, where the full Australia side, led by Healy were dismissed for 284, a total bolstered by the reliable Bath Mooney’s century.
England A in response posted 562 from 115 overs, with centuries from Lauren Winfield-Hill and Paige Scholfield and half centuries for promising youngsters Grace Scrivens and Bess Heath. Australia, keen to avoid the humiliation of a loss to England’s second string, re-ordered their batting line up for the second innings, with Annabel Sutherland promoted from number seven to open the batting with Phoebe Litchfield.
These two youngsters shared an opening partnership of 177 in just 32 overs, Sutherland going on to make a fine century as the game petered out into a draw, although Kirstie Gordon taking 5 for 49 was a timely nudge to the England selectors to consider a second specialist spinner for the test match. (As an aside, this opening partnership was used again by Australia on their tour of Ireland following the Ashes, a match in which both batters hit centuries in an unbeaten stand of 221 enabling Australia to win the ODI by 10 wickets - expect to see more of Litchfield and Sutherland at the top of the order in the future).
Back at Derby, Australia A’s response to their second day pummelling by Beaumont was to comfortably bat out day three, making 361/7, including an impressive 173 not out by Jess Jonassen. Lauren Filer, given her opportunity to prove herself with the red ball returned match figures of 19-2-67-0, indicating that almost certainly she would not be chosen to play in the following week’s test match.
It’s worth adding that, almost unnoticed, the two “A” sides continued to play each other throughout the tour, England winning the T20 series 3-0 and then Australia winning the 50 over series 3-0. Players such as Lauren Cheatle, Courtney Webb, Grace Scrivens and Bess Heath gave us a glimpse of what the sides contesting the Ashes may look like in 2027.
Chapter 2 - The Test
Test Match - Daily reports by Polly Starkie
Debutants: Phoebe Litchfield (AUS), Kim Garth (AUS), Lauren Filer (ENG), Danni Wyatt (ENG)
England XI: Tammy Beaumont, Emma Lamb, Heather Knight ©, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell
Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Jess Jonassen, Alyssa Healy © (wk), Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Alana King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown
Day 1
Despite an impressive debut by England’s Lauren Filer, Australia ploughed their way to 328/7 to end day one with Ellyse Perry falling short of a century by one run.
England legend Enid Bakewell, Australia’s Mitchell Starc and hundreds of school children were among those who piled into a sunny Trent Bridge to witness the first day of the 2023 Women’s Ashes Test Match.
National anthems blaring, teammates standing shoulder to shoulder with artificial fire blazing either side of them; the scene was set. After baggy greens were handed to Test debutants Phoebe Litchfield and Kim Garth and baggy blues for Danni Wyatt and England debutant, Lauren Filer, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first.
Heather Knight claimed she would have chosen to bowl, so both camps were satisfied with the decision. Kate Cross stepped into the role of leading the attack as a result of the retirement of Katherine Sciver-Brunt.
It was a tentative start from both sides, with Beth Mooney, in particular, playing conservatively. The tension started to build as in the 9th over, Kate Cross dropped the first chance of the day from her own bowling. Her response came only a few deliveries later, trapping debutant Phoebe Litchfield LBW for 23 who then walked without hesitation or thinking to review the decision, which would have been overturned by DRS.
Regretfully, in the 16th over another chance was dropped by Tammy Beaumont at short leg, the bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, dropping to the ground in despair. The match lulled once again as the overs ticked by.
Lauren Filer almost took a wicket with the first ball of her England career. There was a big appeal as the 22-year-old thought she trapped Perry LBW for 10, getting plenty of swing on the ball. This time Australia reviewed Umpire Sue Redfern’s decision and DRS showed Perry’s slight inside edge, overturning the decision.
Towards the end of the opening session, Filer came back into the attack to take her first international wicket. Kate Cross took the catch in the slips to send Beth Mooney back to the pavilion for 33. Australia had the upper hand as the 100 came up in the final over before lunch with Tahlia McGrath on 11 and Perry on 31.
England struggled to find a breakthrough as Perry pressed on, bringing up her half-century from 76 deliveries, hitting back-to-back boundaries to start the 36th over. McGrath followed suit, reaching 50, raising her bat in the air – England without an answer to Australia’s persistent batting.
If England’s body language wasn’t a clear enough indicator, the scoreboard showed Australia’s 200 up with Perry edging closer to a century – both batters looking comfortable at the crease. Inevitably, it was the world’s best bowler, Sophie Ecclestone who provided the counter attack, dismissing McGrath for 61 – the Aussie batter looking behind her to see the bails scattered on the ground.
As predicted, the showers started, and the teams left the field with Australia 213/3 after 51.3 overs. It was just under two hours later that play started again with Jess Jonassen and the anchor, Perry at the crease. A key breakthrough came for England as a hesitant and brave review by Heather Knight saw the end of Jonassen. Ecclestone took two wickets in three balls, removing skipper, Alyssa Healy for a duck – her third consecutive duck in Test matches.
As Perry moved closer to another century, Lauren Filer came back into the attack and it was the debutant who saw the end of Perry, falling agonisingly short of the milestone, for 99 with a tidy catch by Nat Sciver-Brunt at gully. Australia placed the pressure back on England as the close of play came into sight. Ash Gardner and Annabel Sutherland found some rhythm, building a solid partnership. Sophia Dunkley came into the attack to bowl her unconventional leg-spin, Gardner taking advantage of this, hitting the first six of the day.
The new ball was taken with five overs remaining, Kate Cross once again leading the attack. It was Lauren Bell however, who worked her magic with the new ball, Gardner nicking the ball behind into the safe hands of keeper, Amy Jones. Play closed with Australia on 328/7
What the players and the media said:
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian reflected “with Australia finishing on 328 for seven, and work left to do, England might already be ruing their decision to field just one frontline spinner”
Fiona Tomas in the Telegraph preferred to praise the role that England’s only frontline spinner Sophie Ecclestone played on day 1. “With the sun peeking through the afternoon clouds and flashing off her disco-like blue sunglasses, Ecclestone had the aura of a rockstar as she strutted towards the crease, producing a double-wicket maiden to drag England back into a game that was running away from them.”
Alex Blackwell on BBC Test Match Special commented: “I think there was a moment in the game where England got up and about and that's where the three wickets fell for 12 runs. Barring that, there was some ill-discipline from the bowlers. They will come out tomorrow hoping to knock off these wickets and get batting.”
Ffion Wynn for BBC sport wrote of Lauren Filer’s contribution, “The debutant was relatively expensive - conceding 65 runs in 14 overs - but after the international retirement of pace spearhead Katherine Sciver-Brunt earlier this year, the early signs will excite England and Lewis for the future.”
Ellyse Perry, speaking to BBC TMS at stumps said, "I thought probably to finish the way we did in those last couple of sessions tonight has given us some really good momentum tomorrow but it certainly makes the first session in the morning really important. It would be nice to push up close to 400 runs."
According to David Charlesworth in the Independent, “The tall and speedy Filer vindicated her selection over Issy Wong with two for 65 but all of England’s seamers went at more than four an over, with Ecclestone the only bowler to hem in Australia’s batters.”
Paul Newman of the Mail Online also focussed on Filer’s impact “Lauren Filer confirmed herself as the fastest bowler in English women’s cricket yesterday to make an immediate impression on Australia and keep England in the Ashes test hunt”
Filer herself told the BBC at the end of day one, “It was quite tough, the ball wasn't moving a lot and the pitch probably didn't have as much pace as we thought it was going to have. We'll try and bowl straight and full tomorrow and take the last three wickets."
Day 2
England struggled to see the back of Australia as they persisted with the bat in the first session of the day. Concluding on 473 all out, it was Sophie Ecclestone who excelled with the ball, taking her maiden five-for in Test cricket. Just before tea, England had their first opportunity with the bat, Tammy Beaumont with a formidable innings of 100*, ending the day on 218/2.
With plenty of cloud cover, day two of the Women’s Ashes Test Match opened with Lauren Bell running in from the Radcliffe Road End with Alana King and Annabel Sutherland in the middle for Australia.
It was another frustrating period of play for England in the first session, both King and Sutherland surpassing their highest international totals with the bat. Sutherland brought up her first international half-century from 100 balls.
After two unsuccessful appeals, England found their first breakthrough of the day, with middle and off stump rattled back by Lauren Bell to see King head back to the pavilion for 21. England’s fatigue showed as Australia’s 400 came up in the 109th over – a milestone the Aussies would have been keen to reach.
The first century of the game occurred when 21-year-old Annabel Sutherland brought up her maiden international 100, her previous highest score in international cricket being just 35. The all-rounder has previously been compared to teammate and Australian icon, Ellyse Perry – the century being clear evidence to support that comparison. Sutherland’s century was the fastest Test Hundred for an Australian woman, bringing it up from 148 balls beating Aussie legend Belinda Clark’s record.
England returned looking weary, but it was the ever-present Sophie Ecclestone who dismissed Kim Garth after her stubborn 22 runs from 76 deliveries. Once again, it was the Cheshire spinner who concluded Australia’s 1st innings on 473 taking the catch off her own bowling to remove Darcie Brown.
This gave Ecclestone her maiden Test five-for, recording her best figures of 5/129 from a mammoth 46.2 overs. Although not the greatest morning for England, significantly, it was the first time England have bowled out Australia in a Test innings since the Ashes Test in Perth back in 2014.
It was a tentative start for England as Darcie Brown and Kim Garth opened the bowling, however, Australia’s batting hero, Annabel Sutherland, came into the attack and took the first wicket, Emma Lamb falling for 10. Sutherland bowled back-to-back maidens to open her spell – the first being a crucial wicket maiden. Knight’s presence at the crease accelerated the run rate slightly with a comfortable Beaumont at the other end.
At tea England were 68/1 – and it seemed that drinking a nice cup of Earl Grey became a galvanising moment for the batting side as Beaumont and Knight’s partnership developed, the pair both making half centuries in a fine stand. However, Australia’s wealth of bowling options proved advantageous as Ash Gardner came into the attack, forcing Heather Knight to depart for 57 as she edged the ball through to Alyssa Healy.
England showed intent towards the end of the day as Australia's fielding weaknesses were exposed and Beaumont and Nat Sciver-Brunt pressed on, finding the gaps to reach the boundary. To add to the nerves of an invested crowd, Beaumont creeped towards 100, reaching the milestone by scampering through for two runs in the final over. Beaumont's century made her one of very few England cricketers to have reached a century in all three formats.
Play closed with England on 218/2, trailing by 255 runs.
What the players and the media said:
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian applauded Ecclestone’s efforts but showed concern for her workload: “Whether or not they go on to overcome their current first-innings deficit, England’s concern must surely be that they have potentially burned out their key wicket-taking threat, with three days of this Test left to run.”
Alex Hartley speaking on Test Match Special said: “I think England have done incredibly well, especially Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight. Yes, they are just over 250 behind, but it doesn't feel like that.”
Fiona Tomas, writing in the Telegraph said: “On a day when Australia — inspired by a thumping innings from Annabel Sutherland — threw down the gauntlet to England with a mammoth 473 from their first innings, Tammy Beaumont came to her side’s rescue to steady a sinking ship.”
Syd Egan of crickether.com praised Beaumont’s growing confidence through her innings. “There was a brief period early on where she looked slightly wobbly, mistiming a defensive drive which on another day could easily have carried to cover, and then almost playing-on shortly after. But having got through that, she sailed on with increasing confidence, and you wouldn’t bet against her adding another 100 tomorrow.”
Beaumont herself commented on the state of the game: “I think it’s finely balanced. I think it’s a very good batting wicket, if two people get in it’s very hard to get them out. I don’t think I batted my best, I was stubborn, which Heather Knight has called me for years."
Ffion Wynne of BBC Sport lavished praise on Sutherland: “Sutherland capitalised on a tired England attack to score Australia's fastest century in women's Test cricket and the fourth-fastest in history. Her 148-ball innings was one of technical brilliance with her scoring straight down the ground of particular elegance.”
Laura Jolly, writing for Cricket.com.au summed up the state of play: “Annabel Sutherland showed why she is one of Australia's brightest prospects with a record-breaking century on day two at Trent Bridge, before Tammy Beaumont's maiden hundred thrust the hosts firmly back into the contest by stumps.”
Day 3
England had a lot of work to do on day three and opener Tammy Beaumont took the brunt of that, scoring 208, staying in the middle from start to finish. Beaumont was breaking records all over the park, but England fell short of Australia’s total by 10 runs. The Aussies started with the bat again, looking confident and determined.
A sea of red flooded into Trent Bridge as the crowd turned ‘Red for Ruth’ on day 3 of the women’s Test match.
Drama opened the day as Nat Sciver-Brunt was given out from the first delivery of the day, umpires convinced that Darcie Brown had trapped Sciver-Brunt LBW. An England review overturned the decision, the England pair
confident with the decision to go upstairs. Sciver-Brunt played some dangerous shots, including a chip over slip early on but an aesthetically very pleasing boundary, racing down to third was the shot which brought up her half-century in the 60th over.
Beaumont and Sciver-Brunt looked unstoppable but a full delivery from Ash Gardner forced Sciver-Bunt to lean back, edging the ball through to Alyssa Healy. It was a surprise to see minimal spin this morning. With the prospect of the new ball looming, it was seamer Kim Garth who was mainly in the action but looked far from taking a wicket. However, it was strange that Jonassen was not utilised in the morning session despite being ranked second best bowler in the world.
There were positives for the English as at lunch, they sat 308/3 with Beaumont on 144* the new batter, Dunkley, on 7*. The platform was set to establish a first innings lead and set up an unlikely win.
A third wicket came for Gardner as Dunkley tried to play across the line and was bowled. It was a very lethargic and uncharacteristically nervous innings however, scoring only 9 from 50 balls. Her replacement was Danni Wyatt who made her way to the crease on Test debut. Despite an illustrious 245 white ball caps, she’d previously never been called on, in the long form.
Beaumont reviewed an LBW decision after being rapped on the pads by Alana King. The crowd relaxed as DRS showed the delivery was pitching outside leg.
Tammy Beaumont surpassed her highest total 168*, going on to break the 88-year long record for the highest individual score by an England women’s cricketer set by Betty Snowball in 1935 (189), whilst Danni Wyatt fell short of a half-century in her first appearance in the whites hitting a quick 44 from 49.
Once again, Beaumont was ever-present, persisting throughout the day. The opener scored a double century but soon after, Ecclestone departed, and Australia were well and truly into the tail end.
Australia ran through England’s long tail quite quickly, England ending 463 all out, giving Australia a lead of 10 runs. England had lost their last five wickets for 52 runs, gifting a first innings lead to Australia, who by contrast had added 158 for their last three wickets.
Showing their clear intent to win the game, the Aussies came out firing, Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield scoring at around six runs per over, accelerating on to 82/0 at stumps. Despite Beaumont’s earlier heroics, it was a dejected and chastened England who walked from the field at stumps, with a sense that a great opportunity to win this test match had slipped away from them in a disastrous final session.
What the players and the media said
Ebony Rainford-Brent speaking on BBC TMS about Beaumont’s innings and England’s missed opportunity: “She didn't even look flustered and that was one of the best innings I've ever seen. England will owe her a lot for those runs. For me, that middle order could have added more and England could have easily got a 50-run lead."
Tammy Beaumont reflected on her marathon innings, but also what might have been for England: “The team always scores quickly when Scriver-Brunt is at the crease and Danni Wyatt, we could have taken the game away from Australians. It's always nice to bat with your best mates”
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian compared Beaumont’s innings with the previous highest score by Betty Snowball 88 years earlier, “New Zealand in 1935 were amateurs in the literal sense of the word; Beaumont just made the Australians – repeatedly fumbling in the field – at times look like amateurs.”
Sam Dalling in the Telegraph was particularly critical of Healy’s reluctance to take the new ball until the 99th over: “Times were tricky for Australia and their stand-in captain Alyssa Healy in the field. They were, uncharacteristically, as flat as the pitch for large swathes of Saturday, a Meg Lanning sized leadership hole visible.”
Laura Jolly writing for cricket.com.au, reflected on the fragility of England’s tail being a key moment in the match: “With Beaumont immoveable at the crease throughout the first two sessions and supported first by Natalie Sciver-Brunt (78) and then Danni Wyatt (44), England at times appeared on track to build a first-innings lead. But key blows from Ashleigh Gardner (4-99) and three late wickets to Tahlia McGrath (3-24) saw England lose 4-15 and ensured the tourists retained a slim advantage.”
Day 4
On a day of twists and turns, Australia looked on top, piling on runs. A team effort by England saw the Aussies bowled out for 257 giving England 268 to win.
Another Sophie Ecclestone five-for was the talk of the day but England's strong start with the bat gave the home crowd hope. However, slipping to five wickets down at the close, the hope has started to fade.
Play started on day four with the delivery of the game by Kate Cross, bowling wide outside the off stump to debutant Phoebe Litchfield, the ball nipping back to scatter her stumps. Lauren Filer demonstrated her
excellence with the ball, adding to an already successful debut, dismissing both Ellyse Perry – who she removed in the first innings on 99 – and Tahlia McGrath in quick succession, bowling back-to-back wicket maidens.
The Aussies had lost some momentum before the lunch break, leaving the field on 155/3, Beth Mooney, comfortable on 73 and the new batter, Jess Jonassen on 2. After lunch the inevitable Ecclestone turned her left arm over once again, this time bowling Jonassen for 14. Joy turned to ecstasy a few moments later as it was yet again Ecclestone with the breakthrough, bowling wide of the crease and bowling Beth Mooney for 85, Australia falling to 195/5.
Mysteriously, skipper, Alyssa Healy who came in six in the first innings was nowhere to be seen, Annabel Sutherland and Ash Gardner coming in ahead of her. It was only a matter of minutes until another wicket fell, Gardner edging Cross’ delivery to Heather Knight at gully.
Eventually the skipper strode to the crease, looking extremely nervy from the first ball. Healy did manage to get off the mark but her batting partner, Sutherland, was quick to go, a poor shot becoming an easy catch for Danni Wyatt.
The momentum started to swing England’s way and things continued to get better. England’s heroic left-arm spinner was once again among the wickets, taking another 5-fer in this Test match. Lauren Bell also made her contribution, taking a wicket early into her spell.
As England approached Australia’s tail end, Trent Bridge announced tickets for day five were free, causing a sizeable queue online for tickets. Ecclestone’s magic saw Australia all-out for 257, giving England 268 to win.
With a plethora of boundaries and a run rate of 6 an over, England’s opening pair were off to a flying start, quickly kick starting the chase with a 50 partnership. The intent was clear and head coach John Lewis’ style of play was coming to the fore. This early momentum was disrupted by Australia’s chief wicket-taker, Gardner seeing Beaumont off for 22 before Lamb went lbw for 28.
It brought two new batters to the crease with just over 16 overs left in the day. Cracks started to show as Nat Sciver-brunt registered a duck, top edging an attempted sweep into the air, to be caught by Garth moving round behind the keeper to take the catch.
Yet again, there was a change of momentum and England started to collapse. Garner’s persistence produced a third wicket for her, as Knight went for only 9.The momentum of the game was now turning decisively in Australia’s favour as they strangled out England's top order one by one. Kate Cross came in as the nightwatcher as Dunkley suffered another disappointing dismissal, this time to Kim Garth. Play closed with England 116/5, needing an unlikely 152 runs tomorrow to win.
What the players and the media said
Laura Jolly pointed out England’s poor fielding as a key factor in letting the game slip away: “It left Australia teetering at 7-198, leading by 208, and the scenario could have become even more dire when Amy Jones missed a catching chance with Alyssa Healy on zero. It was one of six missed chances by England during Australia’s second innings, with openers Litchfield and Mooney also among the beneficiaries of the hosts' sloppiness in the field.”
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian summed up the state of the game and the importance spin was playing in the end result: “With Australia’s spinners licking their lips at the prospect of a fifth day on this pitch, England have a mountain to climb.”
Sam Dalling in the Telegraph summed up the feelings following the final hour’s play: “Suddenly, everyone remembered this is Australia, one of the world’s dominant sporting sides. England’s task became harder still when Sophia Dunkley gave Kim Garth her maiden Test wicket shortly before close, with Danni Wyatt (20) and Kate Cross (5*) left to see out the final few overs.”
Alex Hartley on BBC TMS reflected on the disappointing end to the day’s play for England: “England will be disappointed, there were some soft dismissals. When you're chasing a total it's going to be tough but that Nat Sciver-Brunt sweep shot, was it needed? Probably not. Get yourself in first maybe?”
Alex Blackwell on BBC TMS reflected on key contributors from both sides: “Kate Cross was amazing today. She definitely reflected on yesterday and was terrific today. She did a great spell of bowling despite dislocating her thumb. The fifty runs from Healy could prove to be match winning.”
Day 5
An Ash Gardner eight-for inspired an 89-run victory for Australia in the Test match securing the first four points of the multi-format Ashes series. For the first time since 1992, the teams returned for a fifth day at Trent Bridge to wrap up a thriller of an Ashes test match. With England requiring 152 to win with five wickets remaining, the
final day was set up to be very exciting.
England’s Danni Wyatt and nightwatcher Kate Cross came to the crease on 20 and 5 respectively but it was a short-lived partnership as Ash Gardner picked up her fourth wicket of the innings, Cross edging through to the keeper.
Danni Wyatt pressed on, but her new batting partner, Amy Jones, barely got off the mark, going for four. England’s hopes briefly rose as the confident and assured Sophie Ecclestone strode to the crease. Wyatt anchored the innings and Ecclestone was Gardner’s 6th victim of the innings, walking off visibly frustrated before the decision had been fully reviewed by the fourth umpire. England slumped to 176/8, still requiring 92 to win.
Reality struck as the ever present Gardner took another wicket bringing out Lauren Bell to the crease. It looked unlikely that England would survive until after lunch. Australia took the win, as expected, just after midday with Ash Gardner taking her 8th wicket – her 12th in the entire match.
It was an 89 run victory for the Aussies who took the first four points of the multi-format Women’s Ashes series. England needed to win at least five of the white ball games to win the Ashes.
What the players and the media said
Valkerie Baynes, writing for ESPNCricinfo saw the dismissal of Amy Jones as being the key moment: “It handed Gardner her fifth of a stunning eight wickets for the innings after she had been pivotal in putting the tourists on top at Trent Bridge heading into the fifth and final day of an enthralling Women's Ashes Test. It was also a turning point in this match which Australia won by 89 runs to claim four crucial points for the series.”
Heather Knight, England Captain, reflected on the importance of playing a five day test: "I think it's been a great Test match. We had lobbied hard for the fifth day. If it had been four days it would have petered out and been forgotten. There's a lot experience out there but many of us are learning to play Test cricket.”
Alex Hartley on BBC TMS reflected on what might have been: “Australia are such a strong side, they've come out on top and ride the pressure much better than England. For me, England should have won that Test match.”
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian heaped praise on Gardner: “Her second-innings figures of eight for 66, and match return of 12 for 165 – the best for Australia in a women’s Test – made a mockery of Jon Lewis’s and Knight’s pre-match belief that the pitch would not take spin.”
Sam Dalling in the Telegraph pointed out the moments in which the game was won and lost: “Across the course of five days’ action there will always be periods a losing side can look back on with some regret. For England there were two: slipping from 55 for 0 to 74 for 3 in the space of 29 balls late on day four, and allowing Australia to race to 82 for 0 in the final 19 overs of day three.”
Syd Egan on Crickether.com outlined the challenges that now lie ahead as England attempt to regain the Ashes: “This defeat will be demoralising for England. They now need to win 5 of the 6 white ball games against a team who have lost just one white-ball match in the past two years, and whom England haven’t beaten in any format since a dead-rubber win at Bristol in 2019. That’s a psychological hurdle the size of a double-decker bus, and England are trying to jump it Evel Knievel-style… on a moped.”
After the event - some of our thoughts now about the Test Match
Richard’s thoughts:
It was all fine. The cricket was fine. The weather was fine. The margins were fine. A social media post by cricket Australia on Day 4 actually picked out the split second in which the outcome of five days was decided. Healy, dropped on 0, goes on to make a half century. One cannot help but feel that if England were chasing about 50 fewer runs on the final day, they would have got them.
Polly’s thoughts:
Ahead of the Test match, we all knew how crucial it was. The match with the most weighting and with England needing to regain the Ashes rather than just retain, a win would have given them the best possible chance. We also knew an outcome was highly likely. The 5th day meant there was time for some poor weather and both teams knew they could push for a result. With hindsight, it’s easy to say that if England had won the test, they would have won the Ashes. I would beg to differ. Perhaps if England had been triumphant, the drive and shift in mentality which happened after the Edgbaston T20, simply would not have happened.
Chapter 3 - The T20s
1st T20 - Edgbaston 1st July 2023
Debutants: Dani Gibson (ENG)
England XI: Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight ©, Amy Jones (wk), Dani Gibson, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Freya Davies, Lauren Bell
Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy © (wk), Tahlia McGrath, Ash Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Grace Harris, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
A crowd of 19,527 were present at Edgbaston Stadium to witness a thriller between England and Australia in the 1st Vitality IT20 match of the Women’s Ashes. Australia came out on top, sealing the win by four wickets.
Former England player, Fran Wilson, presented her Western Storm teammate, Dani Gibson, with her first
England cap ahead of the 1st Vitality IT20 Ashes match of the multi format series. Gibson was included in Jon Lewis’ 15 player Test match squad however did not make her debut. Notably, Birmingham local, Issy Wong, was not in the XI – struggling with consistency throughout the season so far.
Given Australia’s triumph in the test match, giving them four points to start the series, England required five wins out of the six white ball games to secure the Ashes. Edgbaston became a fortress for Australia last summer with the side winning Commonwealth Gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Returning, however, was much different with a packed crowd of 19,527 and an improved England side.
Despite her good form in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, Danni Wyatt fell quickly, being bowled by Megan Schutt. Wyatt had escaped a few overs earlier as Darcie Brown had hit her off stump, the bail miraculously staying put.
The fearless Alice Capsey came to the crease, but it was a short innings as she was caught off guard and run out by Brown who hit the stumps in response to Capsey’s direct shot. Sophia Dunkley, however, so out of form in the test match, managed to anchor the innings, making an assured 56 from 48 deliveries.
A misjudged shot by Nat Sciver-Brunt saw her time in the middle come to an end swiftly but the skipper Heather Knight joined Dunkley to build a vital partnership. Once again, the Aussies showed their human side, with some poor fielding costing multiple boundaries and misfields which England capitalised on. Dunkley and Knight ploughed on with Dunkley’s half-century coming from 42 balls and the 100-run partnership being reached in the 14th over. The skipper departed, scoring 29 from 22 balls as she attempted to hit straight to the boundary, finding Annabel Sutherland at deep long-on. England went five wickets down as Dunkley was caught off the bowling of Schutt who registered her second wicket.
It did however bring the highly anticipated debutant, Dani Gibson, to the crease for the first time in an England shirt. The hosts suffered a collapse – Gibson and Ecclestone departing quickly. England concluded on 153/7 – Dunkley being the pick of the batters. Jess Jonassen starred with the ball, with final figures of 3/25, supported by Megan Schutt who took 2/33.
Chasing 154, Beth Mooney controlled the innings with skipper Alyssa Healy only making 5. Ecclestone found a breakthrough in the 10th over, dismissing Tahlia McGrath for 40 but Mooney continued to develop a partnership with Ash Gardner. Amy Jones was once again key behind the wickets, taking the catch off the bowling of leggie Sarah Glenn to see the end of Gardner.
It was two in two for Glenn as Grace Harris was dismissed without scoring, the crowd exhilarated by the actions on the field. The crowd all but quietened as Lauren Bell bowled reverse swing, removing Ellyse Perry for 7 sending roars throughout the ground and keeping England's hopes alive.
With one run to win and four balls remaining, Ecclestone bowled neatly but frustratingly, the Aussies managed to take the final run. England pushed Australia to the final over but the World Champions came out on top. The Aussies sat 6-0 in the multi format series and England needing to win all of their remaining games.
What the players and the media said
Valkerie Baynes for ESPNCricinfo.com focussed on how close the game became because of Amy Jones’ batting at the death: “A half-century from Sophia Dunkley and Amy Jones' quickfire 40 gave England something to defend and they almost pulled off a coup, as Ecclestone, Bell and Sarah Glenn picked up two wickets each.”
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian noted how Australia in this game lacked their usual clinical edge: “Overall, it was an uncharacteristically klutzy effort from Australia in the field. Four balls into Jones’s innings, Jess Jonassen had fluffed an easy chance to run out the England wicketkeeper, while she was also dropped by Wareham at deep midwicket when on 15”
Ffion Wynne writing for BBC Sport commented: “It is another case of a missed opportunity for Knight's side, but it is a sign of Australia's relentless quality that they have a 6-0 lead, despite being far from their best.”
Georgia Elwiss on BBC TMS remarked: “Beth Mooney just anchored the innings for Australia and with her side batting all the way down you never felt England had that game in control. That is the closest England have come to beating Australia in a long while. England's players have to believe - they have two huge games at Lord's and The Oval now.”
England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt in her post-match interview said: “I guess we have to keep believing in what we're doing, if we did things differently there might have been a different result. We just need to find a way to maintain being on top.”
T20 2nd - The Oval 5th July 2023
England XI: Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight ©, Amy Jones (wk), Dani Gibson, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean, Lauren Bell
Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy © (wk), Tahlia McGrath, Ash Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Grace Harris, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
A record crowd for a women’s bilateral series in England was set as the Oval attracted 20,328 spectators to see England secure their first win of the Ashes series, beating Australia by 3 runs.
England made one change to their XI, swapping Freya Davies for Charlie Dean, the skipper referencing that Nat Sciver-Brunt was now able to bowl her full allocation after suffering from a knee injury. The Aussies, given their success, remained unchanged.
Australia, once again, won the toss – this time electing to bowl first with young South Australian Darcie Brown, opening the bowling. To keep the Ashes alive, this was a must win game for England. The hosts were 6-0 down
ahead of the 2nd T20 against a team who have only lost a few white ball games in the past two years.
England were 24/0 as Sophia Dunkley top edged the ball into the air, the catch seeming inevitable, but Tahlia McGrath put down the regulation piece of fielding, relieving the partisan crowd. The home support was apparent, and England continued to dominate after the powerplay and showed their clear intent and aggression.
Once again, the delivery was short, outside the off stump and Dunkley repeated her previous error – this time McGrath managed to keep hold of the ball, despite some juggling. Danni Wyatt and Nat Sciver-Brunt built on the groundwork put in during the powerplay, keeping the runs ticking and reaching 100 in the 12th over.
It wasn’t to last as Australia’s leading wicket taker in the Ashes, Ash Gardner, dismissed Sciver-Brunt for 23. Homegrown Surrey star, Alice Capsey, came to the crease with the ambition to entertain her local crowd.
Australia tightened in the field and started to slow England down, Capsey falling quickly for 5, taking England to 109/3. It was two in two for Annabel Sutherland as she sent the English skipper, Heather Knight, back to the pavilion for a duck in her 100th T20 appearance for England.
England desperately required Amy Jones to rebuild the innings for England, but the game seemed to turn on its head. A spectacular diving catch by the ever-present Sutherland saw the end of Jones as England slipped to 112/5.
Dani Gibson headed to the middle, burdened with saving the game for the hosts in what was only her second outing in an England shirt. The Oval applauded in a standing ovation as Wyatt brought up her half-century – her 12th in IT20s. It was a true English collapse as Gibson departed for one and the side were crumbling at the hands of Australia.
Danni Wyatt had her day to star with the bat, scoring 76. The crowd stood to respect Wyatt’s knock as she was removed by Sutherland – taking her third wicket. The voice of third umpire Sue Redfern dictated a close call on a potential run out, eventually being deemed not out to the frustration of the Aussies. England accelerated in the final overs – a necessary move if they wanted to post a competitive total. Sophie Ecclestone stood out, finding three consecutive boundaries.
England finished their 20 overs on an impressive 185/9 with a run out from the final ball, their total augmented by 15 wides delivered by Australia.
As expected, the Aussies got off to a flying start, Alyssa Healy quickly sending one over the rope. Mooney followed suit, sending the ball into the stands for a crowd catch. Leggie, Sarah Glenn, had the big breakthrough for England bowling Alyssa Healy, rattling middle stump. Perhaps the damage had already been done with Healy’s cameo producing 37 from only 19 balls.
Next, quick-thinking Charlie Dean fielded the ball, and – while still on her knees – threw the ball into the expectant gloves of Amy Jones to spectacularly run out Tahlia McGrath. England’s players mobbed Dean enthusiastically for her inspired improvisation.
Dani Gibson registered her first international wicket – Beth Mooney – while Sophie Ecclestone quickly followed, taking her 100th IT20 wicket at the age of just 24. With Ecclestone’s inevitable wicket, Australia slumped to 75/4.
The Aussies started to fight back with a few impressive boundaries, but Dean silenced them as she deceived Grace Harris, bowling her for 9. The run rate was rising as Glenn came back into the attack.
A half-hearted appeal went upstairs, which showed a spike as the ball apparently made contact with the bat. However, it was deemed not out, despite Ellyse Perry herself, almost back to the pavilion.
There were intermittent boundaries and wickets as Sutherland chipped one straight to the England skipper to send the Aussies 6 wickets down. There was hope for Australia, as they can famously bat all the way down to number 11, but England were inching closer to their first Ashes match win.
Georgia Wareham moved through the gears as she stuck consecutive sixes off the bowling of Dean, leaving the Oval stunned. Heading into the penultimate over, Australia required 31 runs with Lauren Bell bowling what was perhaps the most important over of her career.
Bell caused the ground to erupt as she sent Wareham’s bails flying, enhancing England’s chances. 20 runs were the target for the Aussies with only 6 balls remaining. A consultation between the skipper and her bowlers assigned the world’s number one, Sophie Ecclestone, to take the ball.
It only took Ecclestone’s second ball to have an impact and despite two consecutive sixes, England secured the 3-run victory, keeping the Ashes alive. England broke Australia's winning IT20 streak, inflicting their first defeat since March 2021.
What the players and the media said:
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian enthused about Wyatt’s efforts with the bat: “the England batter took 25 runs off one Megan Schutt over, including four successive boundaries – sliced, lofted, pulled and cut. At last, the crowd had something to shout about – as they did when Ecclestone speared the only six of the England innings over midwicket during her 12-ball 22-run cameo.”
Valkyrie Baynes on ESPNCricinfo.com recalled England’s ability to bounce back in the past: “The hosts came into the match needing to win all five remaining matches to wrest back the Ashes and, having won five on the trot to reach the final of the 50-over World Cup last year after dropping their first three games, this victory could just have them daring to dream, trailing 6-2 but with eight more points up for grabs.”
Australia captain Alyssa Healy appeared relaxed about the defeat: “England also came out at the start of the series and said this is their strongest format. So you have to think that they will potentially challenge you at some point, and they did tonight. It’s the game of cricket, you win some, you lose some. Fortunately for us we haven’t lost a lot.”
Scott Bailey, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, did not fail to notice the slip in standards by Australia: “On a big night for the women’s game in England with 20,328 fans in attendance, Wyatt led the way for the hosts against an uncharacteristically sloppy Australia in the field and with the ball.”
T20 3rd - Lords 8th July 2023
England XI: Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight ©, Amy Jones (wk), Dani Gibson, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean, Lauren Bell
Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy © (wk), Tahlia McGrath, Ash Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Grace Harris, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
England won consecutive T20s to keep the Ashes alive at the home of cricket in front of another record crowd. Australia registered consecutive losses for the first time since 2017, a turning point for England.
Off the back of their first Ashes win, the sides headed north of the river to play the final T20 of the multiformat series. The sides were unchanged, but England’s approach differed from the previous match with Charlie Dean and Nat Sciver-Brunt opening the bowling.
England’s start was shaky with poor fielding resulting in back-to-back boundaries for Alyssa Healy. The Australian opener was then dropped by Sciver-Brunt on 13, but it was not a costly mistake as Dean struck,
trapping Healy LBW for 16. New into the international scene, Dani Gibson took her second wicket for England with Tahlia McGrath chipping the ball directly to Alice Capsey at mid-off. Crucially – as runs were flowing – Beth Mooney attempted to ramp Sciver-Brunt but it was a poor shot, and the bails were sent flying at the Pavilion End. The outstanding Amy Jones displayed some unbelievable wicket-keeping and stood up to the stumps, as Sciver-Brunt bowled a short bouncer and Jones stumped the destructive Ash Gardner for 32.
Australia had started to find some rhythm as Ellyse Perry and Grace Harris settled at the crease. As predicted, however, a dark cloud emerged and there was a brief shower of rain as the Aussies were 106/4 with 5 overs remaining.
Play resumed swiftly and the Aussies were fired up, finding their momentum, once again, after the break. Ellyse Perry struck 34 from 24 balls but Lauren Bell hit Perry on the pads, the on-field umpire ruling it out.
In a turn of events favouring England, DRS was down in the ground, meaning that the umpire’s original decision was stuck with – out. A frustrated Perry trudged off but that only served as a catalyst for Harris to fire. Ecclestone removed Sutherland in the final over but there were muted celebrations as she stood frustrated at the end of the mark. There was a run out from the final delivery, but Australia wrapped up on 155/7. With the rain continuing during the innings break, play was pushed back, and England’s innings was reduced to 14 overs. There was a four over powerplay with a revised target of 119 for England to aim for.
A slow start for England didn’t last as Danni Wyatt – who starred at the Oval on Wednesday night – coasted to 26 from 15. Wyatt was caught behind by Healy to head back to the pavilion after her cameo.
Two in two balls came for Australia as Sophia Dunkley attempted to play a pull shot but skied the ball up and into the hands of Jess Jonassen, swinging the momentum in Australia’s favour.
Alice Capsey, who has been out of form recently, had an important role to play, heading to the crease.
Intent was clear as the 18-year-old, struck a six early on in her innings, energising the 21,610-record crowd in attendance. Australia had a chance at another breakthrough as a sliding chance for catch from Georgia Wareham was fumbled. England’s boundaries were flowing, with Capsey accelerating the run-rate.
Heading into the final five overs, England required 36 from 30 balls with Capsey on 29 from 16 balls and Sciver-Brunt on 14 from 13 deliveries. The 11th over was key for Australia as Wareham only conceded four, demonstrating her control. Megan Schutt was back into the attack, but the fearless Capsey guided the ball straight into the stands, followed by a boundary to the pavilion.
Capsey’s performance of 46 from 23 was ended as she hit a full toss to deep mid-wicket, walking off, annoyed with her error. England edged closer, requiring 8 from the final two overs. As Sciver-Brunt was dismissed, the job was almost done with two runs left to win from the final over. A consultation between the bowlers and the skipper saw Jonassen tasked with bowling the final over.
The drama continued in North London with the England skipper Heather Knight being trapped LBW by Jonassen. Dani Gibson – on her third time in an England shirt – was sent to the middle to be England’s hero. Gibson was England’s hero as she reverse swept the ball for four, England winning by 5 wickets keeping the Ashes alive. The last time Australia lost back-to-back games was 2017, and Australia has not lost a bilateral series for six years.
What the players and the media said:
Seth Nobes, writing for the Sports Gazette, noted the significance of England’s women being granted the rare opportunity to play at Lord’s: “There will no doubt be youngsters in the crowd tonight inspired after witnessing Amy Jones’ incredible take to dismiss Ashleigh Gardner, Alice Capsey’s huge sixes, or even Australia’s late bowling comeback to take the game to the final over. Let’s hope they will be able to return to Lord’s to see England Women again, because they should be.”
Glenn Moore in the Sydney Morning Herald reflected on Australia’s diminished reputation following two defeats: “But the loss was a blow to the team’s air of invincibility, resigning Australia to its first defeat in a T20 bilateral series for more than six years. Australia coach Shelley Nitschke admitted Lanning’s absence was having an impact on the team, but was confident momentum in the series would swing back in their favour.”
Valkerie Baynes on ESPNCricinfo.com thought about the Alice Capsey effect on England: “Capsey, who had scores of 3 and 5 in the first two matches, found some fine touch at the perfect moment. She launched Jonassen for six over deep midwicket and after seven overs, the halfway point of their innings, England were 65 for 2. A clever scoop by Capsey to the rope through third brought up the fifty-partnership with Sciver-Brunt and England needed 26 off four overs.”
Syd Egan on crickether.com lauded the efforts of Alice Capsey: “Alice Capsey loves Lord’s. And Lord’s loves Alice Capsey. Back at the ground where she announced herself on the big stage with a half-century in the first edition of The Hundred, she smashed 46 off 23 balls – a Strike Rate of exactly 200 – to keep England’s Ashes hopes alive going into the ODIs next week.”
Alyssa Healy, Australia’s captain admitted, “They out-braved us, they played a few shots and took their chances. They played some really fearless cricket.”
According to England’s Lauren Bell, “Everyone’s buzzing. We know they’re the best team in the world but the last two games have shown that we’re closing the gap. Now we can push onto the ODIs with a lot of confidence.”
Cricket historian Raf Nicholson referred back to the improvised bat-burning ceremony 25 years earlier which had created the Women’s Ashes trophy using a wok from the Lord’s kitchen as a fire pit: “England’s Ashes hopes still hang in the balance – they remain 6pts to 4pts down and need to win all three one-day internationals to regain the trophy – but after Saturday at Lord’s, it no longer feels impossible that the remnants of that wok-burned bat might at last be returning to English hands.”
After the event. Some of our thoughts now on the T20 series.
Richard writes:
Australia always finds a way of winning. They can win spectacularly, they can win boringly, they can win after a poor start, they can win when there is rain, they can win when it’s hot and sunny. Batting first or chasing, it matters not. They always find a way of winning. Until 5th July 2023. And then 8th July 2023. It happened twice. Not a one-off. Not an accident. Not bad luck. They were beaten by a team who was better than them.
The myth of invincibility has been shown up to be an illusion. Perhaps too late in this series, England has discovered that the gap they have long perceived to exist between the two teams was no more. Like East Germans after the fall of the Berlin Wall, they had continued to live with a “wall inside their head” preventing them from fully embracing their winning potential. In two matches, one at the Oval and one at Lord’s, England had finally asserted themselves and it felt great!
Polly writes:
Belief is the main take away from the T20 series. England had the belief that they could win all the remaining white ball games in the Ashes. There were close margins throughout the T20 series which separated the sides but England did what was seemingly impossible: beat Australia. They not only beat Australia, but they did it multiple times. The myth of invincibility has already been mentioned and the myth was busted. Of course, Australia were still giants in the women’s game and that will probably never change but they were beatable and cracks were evident.
Chapter 4 - The ODIs
1st ODI - Bristol
England XI: Sophia Dunkley, Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight ©, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alice Capsey, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Kate Cross, Lauren Bell
Australia XI: Alyssa Healy © (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
The Ashes remain alive as Kate Cross and Heather Knight guided England to their third consecutive victory over Australia in the 1st ODI at Bristol. It was another must-win game for England at a sold-out Bristol in the first ODI of the multi-format Ashes series. The home side made some bold changes from their last ODI XI back in December.
Wicket-taking threat, Charlie Dean was omitted with leg-spinner Sarah Glenn only playing her 10th ODI, her first
since July 2021. Issy Wong couldn’t get a look in either with Kate Cross and Lauren Bell being preferred. There were also changes in the Australia camp as Alana King and Kim Garth – who featured against Pakistan – made way for Georgia Wareham and Darcie Brown.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat, opening with a boundary from the first ball through the covers. England headed upstairs early on as Kate Cross was convinced that she had trapped Aussie opener Healy, LBW. The full and straight delivery from Cross was going on to hit the stumps, England making a very quick breakthrough.
Australia were able to accumulate runs quickly as England’s bowlers lost some rhythm, Lauren Bell bowling wide of off stump and being punished with boundaries. The partnership between Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield was broken as Sophie Ecclestone took what can only be described as a true “specie” catch – Litchfield attempting to strike the ball from Sciver-Brunt over the head of the fielder.
Glenn – coming back into the ODI side – removed the crucial wicket of Perry for 41 (after she had previously been dropped twice) with a simple catch for Nat Sciver-Brunt to take. Dropped catches dominated the narrative as England’s fielding was poor and generous to Australia. Off-spinner, Alice Capsey came into the attack, providing consistent line and length. That line deceived Tahlia McGrath as it was a flatter delivery which collided with the off-stump, giving Capsey her first ODI wicket.
The Aussies were handed chances by the English as catches continued to be dropped and a potential stumping was fumbled. Australia looked to capitalise from this with Ash Gardner demonstrating her intent, scoring three quick boundaries off Ecclestone.
The momentum shifted once again as Sciver-Brunt kept hold of an exceptional catch to dismiss Gardner for only 21. There was a second wicket in the over for Bell as she got swing on the ball to take out Annabel Sutherland’s off stump for a duck.
There were minimal boundaries in the final few overs and Ecclestone recovered to build pressure. Jonassen was bowled as Ecclestone continued to target the stumps. The final over was productive as the sleepy crowd erupted with Danni Wyatt taking the catch off the bowling of Nat Sciver-Brunt to send the Aussies to 260/8. Beth Mooney remained, anchoring the innings and ending on 81*. Australia ended on 263/8.
Australia started very poorly with the ball and England soared with the bat. Although Sophia Dunkley went for 8, Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey found rhythm, holding a 74-run partnership from 56 balls.
Georgia Wareham into the attack, mesmerising Beaumont with her leg-spin, the opener falling short of her half-century. Similarly, Capsey was dismissed for 40 off the bowling of Gardner who piled on the pressure with her doggedly accurate leg spin.
Sciver-Brunt’s half-an-hour innings saw her score 31 runs but it was Heather Knight and Danni Wyatt who had to steady the ship. The boundaries continued to flow as although Wyatt went for 14, Knight kept the run rate ticking over.
The momentum did start to shift as Amy Jones fell to a soft dismissal, placing England in some danger. But, Knight reached her half century and with a low required run-rate, it was a case of surviving rather than big run-scoring.
Matters worsened as England fell seven down, requiring 35 from 53 balls, well into England’s notoriously fragile tail. Glenn was also dismissed quickly in a disappointing shot, directly to extra cover.
Cross scored back-to-back boundaries to aid England to only require 20 runs from the final five overs. The skipper led from the front as she pounded the ball into the stands, England requiring 12 runs to win. Knight hit a boundary to guide her side to victory to keep the Ashes alive. Kate Cross was heroic in her batting performance and there were scenes of ecstasy as England were victorious.
What the players and the media said
Syd Egan, writing for crickether.com, was quick to point out the significance of this victory: “A river has been crossed, and though they still need to win both of the remaining matches to win back the Ashes, they might just be looking like favourites for the first time in a long time against the self-proclaimed (and… to be fair… quite a lot of other people proclaimed) greatest team in history."
Vithushan Ehantharajah writing for ESPNCricinfo, focussed on the reaction of the England skipper, “You only needed to look at the reaction of a usually calm Heather Knight, tossing her bat away after punching the final boundary through cover point and embracing her partner Kate Cross, to understand just how much this meant, and how much England have achieved to keep the Ashes alive.”
Sky Sports’ unnamed writer was effusive in reacting to the win, “England's epic triumph in Bristol is their third-straight in white-ball cricket against the visitors, coming off the back of winning the final two T20 internationals for a first series win over Australia since 2017. It's also the first time in 137 matches that Australia have lost three in a row.”
Fiona Tomas writing for the Telegraph said, “They did it in scintillating style, posting their highest ever ODI run chase of 264 with 11 balls remaining and now they can surely dare to dream. After inflicting three consecutive defeats over Australia across all formats for the first time in six years, why can’t they win this thing?”
Heather Knight (on throwing her bat away at the end) “I was trying to keep calm, stay in my little bubble, so it was just pure ecstasy at the end. I’m glad I was out there. I would not have enjoyed watching that game.”
Alyssa Healy on the unusual situation Australia find themselves in, “We were probably 20 runs short with the bat, and then we conceded 20 extras, so that’s 40 runs. The Ashes is properly on the line now, and if that doesn’t galvanise the group then I don’t know what will. We haven’t been in this position a lot, so we either see it as an opportunity to learn and grow or an opportunity to throw out some excuses.”
2nd ODI - Southampton
England XI: Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight ©, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Kate Cross, Lauren Bell
Australia XI: Alyssa Healy © (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Alana King
Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an unbeaten 111 but England fell short, losing the game by three runs costing them the Ashes. England can hope to secure the ODI series with a win in Taunton on Tuesday but the dream of winning back the Ashes proved impossible for the underdogs.
Australia made one change with leg spinner Alana King coming in for pacer Darcie Brown who was expensive and wicketless in the 1st ODI at Bristol. England won the toss, opting to bowl, desiring to restrict Australia and enjoy another successful chase.
On home territory, Lauren Bell had an early impact with the ball in her first over. Trapping Phoebe Litchfield LBW for 4, the opener didn’t consider a review, bringing Ellyse Perry to the crease. Bell took her second as Healy
edged the ball, carrying to Alice Capsey at gully. Bell’s swing was wildly unpredictable to both herself and the batter. Perhaps an asset today but also the cause of some gifted extras to Australia.
The Aussies looked to rebuild but Bell couldn’t stay out of the game and took the catch off the bowling of the inevitable Sophie Ecclestone to send Mooney back for 33. In response, the visitors accelerated to 102/4 within three overs – losing the wicket of Tahlia McGrath to Sarah Glenn but increasing their run-rate.
Two became three for Bell as she struck one again at her home ground with the diving Ecclestone moving to her right and sealing the catch to remove Ash Gardner for 33. Crucially, Kate Cross missed a chance to catch Perry on 63 – the Aussie icon going on to make 91. Sub fielder Charlie Dean caught Perry in the nervy 90s after missing a chance a few overs previously.
The momentum continued to swing back in England’s favour as Sutherland was dismissed for 50 as Ecclestone registered her third wicket of the day.
It wasn’t all linear as England were punished heading into the final over with Georgia Wareham hitting five consecutive boundaries [6,6,4,6,4] rocketing Australia to finish on 282/7. Australia opted to open with spin, Ash Gardner only conceding the one run from the first over, immediately putting pressure on the England batters who were once again attempting their highest ever ODI chase.
66/1 was the score as Sophia Dunkley eventually departed after a sluggish and painful 13 from 30 balls. Only 20 runs were added in the next six overs before another England batter fell victim to an Aussie bowler. A furious Heather Knight trudged off the field as the skipper was convinced that she had made contact, but ball tracking and ultra edge was in favour of Alana King, taking Knight out LBW.
An on-field decision of out was reviewed immediately by Nat Sciver-Brunt, understanding the value of her wicket, ultimately a wise decision and the review gave her a lifeline. A flow of boundaries boosted the crowd but Beaumont soon made an error, being bowled by King for 60.
King spun her way to a third wicket as she silenced a potential destructive threat in Alice Capsey – Gardner taking the catch at deep mid-wicket. 123/4 turned into 144/5 as England’s Ashes hopes started to fade. With 139 still required, Amy Jones joined Sciver-Brunt knowing that this partnership was effectively England’s last hope.
Jones soon found rhythm, scoring 37 from 33 balls before departing, undone by the wily bowling of Ash Gardner. Ecclestone had a brief appearance only scoring a single but Sciver-Brunt continued to anchor the innings, Sarah Glenn at the other end.
There were 21 runs necessary from the final two overs – a big ask for Sciver-Brunt and Glenn. Bringing up her sixth ODI century from 93 balls, there were muted celebrations as she didn’t take her helmet off or raise her bat, aware of the bigger task at hand.
With five needed from the final ball, it proved too much for England. Sciver Brunt’s unbeaten 111 was a valiant effort but England’s Ashes journey was brought to an end at the Ageas Bowl. England have the opportunity to draw the Ashes and win the ODI series with the final game in Taunton.
What the players and the media said:
ABC.net.au reported: “Australia's gap at the top of women's cricket has narrowed but their trophy cabinet will remain full, after holding on to retain the Ashes with a three-run ODI win over England. In the first final-ball finish of what has been a thrilling series, Australia denied Nat Sciver-Brunt's bid to pull off a chase of 283 at Southampton.”
Nic Savage of Fox sports wrote: “England fell agonisingly short of pulling off a record run chase in Southampton, with Australia taking an unassailable 8-6 lead in the multi-format series to keep possession of the coveted trophy for a fifth consecutive time.”
Henry Clark in the Mail online wrote: “With 15 required from the final over, Sciver-Brunt was only able to find the boundary once off the bowling of Jess Jonassen, leaving England narrowly short of Australia’s imposing target of 282.”
Alyssa Healy reflected on the tension of the final over: “It was stressful in the end but I really enjoyed it! We pride ourselves on winning key moments. The bowlers were set in their plan in the end for which I’m grateful. We still haven’t played our best cricket. We came here to win the Ashes and we’ve done that, it’s exciting and congratulations to the group for getting it done.”
Heather Knight experienced pride and disappointment in equal measure: “We’re really disappointed with the series loss. We had the momentum and thought we’d win. Ultimately, we can draw the series and win the ODIs which will be a big achievement. We’ve played outstanding cricket, Australia have played really well and we are equal. It’s a hugely positive effort.”
Raf Nicholson in the Guardian pinpointed England’s fielding as one of the crucial factors in the defeat : “England were left ruing their earlier efforts in the field, having allowed Ellyse Perry to reach 91 after a series of let-offs, before Wareham smashed 26 runs off Lauren Bell’s final over to elevate Australia’s final total to 282 for seven.”
Cricket.com also focussed on the significance of the contributions of Perry and Wareham with the bat: “Key to their success at Hampshire's headquarters on Sunday was the last over of their innings when Georgia Wareham smashed 26 runs off England quick Lauren Bell. Prior to that, however, it was a champion-esque knock from the all-rounder Ellyse Perry (91) which really allowed Australia to recover from such a precarious position.”
This theme was also picked up by Syd Egan on crickether.com “Perry top-scored with 91, but despite how close she came to the big 1-0-0 it somehow didn’t feel like a “match-winning” innings. That was left to Georgia Wareham, whose 37 off 14 balls turned the par score Australia were headed for into a decent one – one that England couldn’t quite overhaul.”
3rd ODI - Taunton
England XI: Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight ©, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones (wk), Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Lauren Bell
Australia XI: Alyssa Healy © (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Alana King
England drew the Ashes series 8-8, securing an ODI series win over Australia in Taunton. Nat Sciver-Brunt, once again, reached a century as England set 286 to win. The rain affected the Aussies’ innings but the dominant side failed to chase the DLS revised target of 269 from 44 overs. Australia may retain the 2023 Ashes but England not only have won games but have won two series – a task which seemed beyond reach just a few weeks ago.
With the Ashes decided, England faced Australia for the final time in the 3rd ODI at Taunton. Australia left their successful XI unchanged, continuing with a heavy spin department while England were forced to swap in
Charlie Dean for Sarah Glenn who is suffering from appendicitis.
The Aussies had an early impact as England opener Sophia Dunkley struggled to get off the mark. The out of form batter departed for 2 from 13 as a running Phoebe Litchfield made the ground to take the catch off Ash Gardner’s bowling. Megan Schutt was keen to continue Australia’s momentum as she clean bowled Tammy Beaumont for 4 who fell spectacularly into the splits as she messed up her footing.
After their hesitant start, England rebuilt the innings with Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt at the crease. Sciver-Brunt continued how she’d left off at Southampton, bringing up her half-century with a boundary – poetically off the bowling of Australia’s batting hero in the 2nd ODI – Georgia Wareham.
A crucial moment caused disappointment for Australia as Sciver-Brunt was dropped on 54 in what was quite a regulation caught and bowled for Tahlia McGrath. Knight’s half century shortly followed, the partnership easily surpassing 100.
Reaching an 147 run partnership, it was the highest 3rd wicket stand that England have held against Australia. But, the momentum paused as Knight came down the track and was bowled by Alana King who had been previously expensive in this innings.
Sciver-Brunt continued to look comfortable at the crease but the new batter, Alice Capsey never really settled and was dismissed for a mere five runs from her 12 balls. This took England to 178/4 with 13 overs remaining.
Consecutive ODI centuries for Sciver-Brunt brought the sold-out ground to their feet. Unlike in Southampton, the all-rounder took her helmet off and raised her bat, perhaps enjoying this moment for her current and her previous innings. The records continued to be re-written as this made Sciver-Brunt the first woman to hit four ODI centuries against Australia.
Danni Wyatt entertained the spectators with her rapid-fire 43 from 24 deliveries, putting on a 66-run partnership with Sciver-Brunt. Amy Jones and Sciver-Brunt went in quick succession, the latter, England’s hero, finishing on 129. England wrapped up on 285/9 as Kate Cross was bowled by Jess Jonassen on the final ball of the innings.
The pressure from the hosts did not relent in Australia’s innings as Lauren Bell saw off Phoebe Litchfield for 1 with a remarkable, low catch by Sophie Ecclestone. It only took a few balls for England to once again find a breakthrough. Alyssa Healy was bowled through the gate by Kate Cross for 7 to see the Aussies slip 15/2.
It started to mirror England’s innings as Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath started to develop a threatening partnership. Just ahead of the rain, McGrath was stumped by Jones off the bowling of Ecclestone to prevent more damage being done. With heavy rain coming down over the County Ground, the covers came on and a revised target of 269 in 44 overs was set.
Australia came out firing after the rain, with a challenging total to chase. A much-needed wicket was taken for England as Perry skied the ball from Cross’s bowling, falling into the safe hands of Alice Capsey.
Cross’s 3-fer was well deserved as Beth Mooney attempted to find the boundary but Ecclestone comfortably took the catch at mid-off, Australia slipping to 120/5, with still 149 required from 21 overs. The Aussies continued to be far below the DLS par, but a positive few overs from Gardner saw them edge closer to the total.
Vitally, it was Gardner who was dismissed by a poor decision to take a second run. Danni Wyatt zipped the ball into Cross who whipped the bails off. A dangerous pair, Georgia Wareham and Annabel Sutherland were at the crease with the potential to take back the game. However, Amy Jones’ rapid stumping off Nat Sciver-Brunt’s delivery was enough to see Wareham trudge off with her head bowed for 14.
The wickets continued to tumble with Charlie Dean – making her first ODI appearance of the series – coming into the attack and bowling Sutherland for 18. It became apparent that the momentum was fully with England, Lauren Bell finding rhythm and forcing Alana King to depart without scoring.
There were scenes of jubilation in Taunton from both players as fans as Charlie Dean took the final wicket of Jess Jonassen in the 36th over to dismiss Australia for 199 and to end what has been a thrilling Ashes series. England enjoyed an emphatic 69-run victory over an extremely dominant white ball side to end the Ashes with their heads held high.
What the players and the media said
Ffion Wynne for BBC Sport wrote: “The result concludes the most closely-fought Ashes since 2017, when it was last drawn, but England's decade-long wait to hold the urn continues despite ultimately winning more games in the series, reflecting the significance of the four points from Australia's Test victory in June."
Alex Blackwell on BBC TMS spoke of the influence the huge crowds had in helping England’s cause: “We've spoken about the way England have played, let's not underestimate the value of home crowds. How England have marketed the Ashes, it sets the bar for Australia in the next series. It makes the difference. You heard how they responded to Danni Wyatt and back-to-back wickets for Kate Cross. It makes a difference.”
Alyssa Healy on losing two white ball series but still retaining the Ashes: "It's a grimace, not a smile. It is what it is. We just didn't play our best at the back end, some inexperience and decision making. We've got the trophy but we're not happy about not winning this series."
Heather Knight on the achievement of winning both white ball series: “Super chuffed, we've won two white-ball series against the double world champions. The Ashes is a draw, but if you look at the context, being 6-0 down is great."
Henry Moeran on BBC TMS summed up the achievement in his commentary as the match ended: “England win the ODI series, the Women's Ashes is drawn. It's an extraordinary achievement. Australia have the Ashes, but England will celebrate, Australia don't lose series, they hardly lose games.”
Tim de Lisle on the guardian.com summed up the series: “What a month it has been. Australia won the first two games, the Test and the first T20, and even wise heads thought “Here we go again”. But then England won, and won, and won again. Australia, on the ropes, pulled off a fabulous close win, thanks to Georgia Wareham’s fearless hitting. And then England, who could easily have folded, bounced back too to seal their second series win in a row, with Nat Sciver-Brunt making a second hundred in a row. And all this in front of the first full series sell-out in the history of English women’s cricket. Magic.”
Laura Jolly on cricket.com.au compared this England team with their predecessors: “Australia ensured they will retain the trophy when they held on for a nail-biting three-run victory at The Rose Bowl, taking an 8-6 lead with one ODI to play. It was the fifth thrilling finish in as many white-ball matches, continuing a series that has been on a knife's edge since Australia's 89-run Test victory, and where the smallest of margins could have instead seen England reclaim the Ashes. It has stood in stark contrast to England's last two Ashes campaigns, which saw them claim a sole T20 victory across 12 completed matches.”
Syd Egan of crickether.com summed up the strange emotions during the post-match awards ceremonies at Taunton: “As I am writing this, the players are milling around on the boundary ahead of the ceremonies, and to be fair neither side look too chuffed – Australia have lost 4 out of 6 white ball games; England have “lost” the Ashes – the faces on both sides say it all.”
After the event. Some of our thoughts now on the Ashes series
Richard writes:
We knew from the start that the Test Match would be crucial. And so it proved. Australia produced exactly the same performance as England did in 2014 in Australia, the last time England won the Ashes. They won the test and lost both white ball series. And that was enough to retain the Ashes.
Many have questioned the fairness of weighting the points system in favour of the Test Match, however, it would also seem unfair that a 20 over thrash (which may have been reduced to an even shorter form because of weather), would count the same as five days of toil at Trent Bridge.
The other question that many people have raised is the unfairness of the holders of the Ashes effectively starting the series with a half point lead. There has never been a concept of the Ashes being “shared”, so it seems reasonable that one should win the series in order to be declared the holder of the Ashes. Another question is whether the points system should be calibrated in a way that a drawn series becomes impossible. This could be done. However, I would argue that a drawn series in 2023 was actually about right.
England have made significant progress over the last 18 months, but they have not become a superior team to Australia yet. The most significant moment of the series was the loss of Meg Lanning. Had she played, I believe Australia would have easily won the series because of her runs and because of her captaincy.
Polly writes:
The feeling at Taunton was strange. From an English perspective it felt like victory but on paper it was defeat overall. Perhaps one of the strangest moments was England lining up to receive their ODI series winner medals, some pyrotechnics being set off as they celebrated. Then, moments after, a much more forlorn Australia holding the Ashes trophy, not particularly expressing the joy and celebration that you would if you had just retained the Ashes.
It wasn't a success for the Aussies. Throughout the Ashes it had been very small margins which had made the difference but England opened that gap in Taunton. Australia had been thrashed for the first time in years, thrashed by their biggest rivals.
At the same time, England couldn’t really celebrate. They had almost done the unimaginable, it was all so close. Yet, at the same time, they had surpassed expectations. Bitter sweet is probably the best way to describe it.
Chapter 5 - The W-Ashes have indeed crowned the year
So neither team ends the series feeling triumphant, but that’s actually OK. This series has done so much for the women’s game. Some of the performances have been outstanding. Beaumont’s double hundred in the Test Match was faultless. Nat Sciver-Brunt’s batting performances throughout the series, but particularly in the ODIs, showed her to be arguably the best player in the world at the moment. Sophie Ecclestone was brilliant in the way she broke partnerships throughout the series and her two 5 wicket hauls in the Test match gave England a real hope of winning.
For Australia, Ash Gardner was a constant threat to the England team. Her 12 wickets in the Test Match was the key difference between the two teams and ultimately the reason Australia retained the Ashes. Ellyse Perry was Australia’s leading run scorer in the series and consistently got her team into winning positions, often for other people to finish the job and steal the limelight. Beth Mooney did just what Beth Mooney does. She was consistent throughout the summer, never failing, whilst scoring three half centuries, including a match winning contribution to the first T20 at Edgbaston
The bar has been raised by the ECB with their marketing of the game. The crowd figures are nothing short of staggering, leaving the Australians, who have been so dominant in the game for so long marvelling at the crowds attracted by their supposedly inferior rivals to major test venues. 110,000 people attended the 11 days of cricket that made up the series. All three ODIs (Southampton, Bristol & Taunton) were sold out, meaning that in all probability, had larger grounds been chosen for these matches, even more tickets would have been sold. This compares with 25,000 tickets sold for the entire women’s Ashes series in 2019.
What’s more, over a third of ticket buyers were women and the crowds were younger, with a high proportion of children and young people. This mirrors the demographic of people who attend the Hundred games.
And so the Women’s Ashes, sometimes known as the W-Ashes, proved to be a wonderful highlight of the cricketing summer of 2023, a summer when women’s sport reached new heights of quality and popularity. So even though the Ashes themselves remain elusive to England, we can joyfully acknowledge that the W-Ashes have indeed crowned the year.
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