England Women threatened to chase 257 in 48 overs on the fourth day of the only Women’s Ashes Test at Canberra.
Amidst several rain interruptions and calls for the women’s Test to extend in a five-day affair, Australia and England women put on a show that will be remembered for a long time. The Lionesses gave it their all to chase down the target on the fourth day of the Canberra Test but eventually had to settle after Australia were closing in on a victory.
Not enough time was left in the Test as a couple of sessions were washed off due to the weather. England were given a target of 257 in 48 overs on the last day after Meg Lanning’s highly debated declaration. England openers scored at a very good rate, adding 52 runs for the first wicket in 14.1 overs. Tammy Beaumont scored 36 off 42 while Lauren Winfield-Hill added 33 off 65.
Heather Knight and Nat Sciver batted with sheer dominance, scoring 70 runs for the third wicket from just 69 balls. When Knight was dismissed for 48 off 54, England were 166/3 and needed 89 runs to win at run-a-ball.
Captain’s wicket did not alter England’s attacking approach as the next batter in Sophia Dunkley blasted 30 off her first 15 balls, including two consecutive sixes to turn the game in their favour.
Sciver and Dunkley added 52 runs for the fourth wicket in 7.2 overs before Sciver was caught at square leg off Sutherland for an excellent 58 off 62.
Sciver’s dismissal proved to be a huge turning point as the visitors lost six wickets for 26 runs in six overs. England needed 13 off 15 balls with three wickets in hand. But the leg-spinner Alana King’s double strike put Australia one wicket away from the victory. England’s no. 11 Kate Cross saw off the next two overs to end the match in a thrilling draw.
Earlier, Australia Women posted 337/9 in their first innings, with Lanning scoring 93 and Rachael Haynes adding 86. England, in response, were in a precarious situation, but Heather Knight played one of the all-time great knocks of 168* to drag England out of danger. Having taken a 40-run lead, Australia then declared at 216/7 in the third innings, with Beth Mooney top-scoring with 63.
The Test match saw plenty of quality performances throughout four days. Katherine Brunt was the best bowler on show, picking five for 60 in the first innings and three for 24 in the second. Knight was named the ‘Player of the match’ for her 168* and 48 in two innings.
Both the teams shared two points each from this draw, with Australia leading the multi-format Ashes series by 6-4. The caravan will move to the ODI leg with six points for the taking. England will need to win two matches, in Australia’s most dominant format, to at least draw the series.
The ODI leg will kick off with the first match at Adelaide on February 3, while the remaining two games are scheduled to take place on February 6 and 8 in Melbourne.
Brief scores
Australia 1st innings – 337/7d in 104.1 overs (Lanning 93, Haynes 86; Brunt 5/60, Sciver 3/41)
England 1st innings – 297 in 105.5 overs (Knight 168*, Ecclestone 34; Perry 3/57, Sutherland 2/62)
Australia 2nd innings – 216/7d in 64 overs (Mooney 63, Perry 41; Brunt 3/24, Dean 2/24)
England 2nd innings – 245/9 in 48 overs (Sciver 58, Knight 48; Sutherland 3/69, King 2/39)
