Women's Ashes - 1st T20I

There was a sense of confusion at the North Sydney Oval when on the second ball, Heather Knight, the England captain, was given out twice. It took a little sheen off an Australia performance that was accomplished from start to finish, albeit with a couple of dropped catches from Jess Jonassen for good measure.

 

In truth, it has been a series where England have been unlucky with certain decisions that didn’t go their way. When Knight was called back it looked as if this luck had changed. Alyssa Healy’s gloves were in front of the stumps as Knight edged behind.

 

With the off-stump bail also being dislodged, there was a bizarre moment where no-one was sure if it was out caught, stumped or bowled. The umpires seemed the most unsure of the lot. It was another occasion where England could have felt hard done by; when they found themselves 16 for 4, it could have been easy for England to capitulate.

 

Australia was on top, as Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Taylor and Katherine Brunt all fell quickly. It left Nat Sciver and Danni Wyatt the almost impossible task of keeping England in the Ashes. It was a task that Wyatt seemed to be up for. In her first match of the series, and playing straighter than her teammates, Wyatt started to find runs easy to come by.

 

Wyatt also pulled Sciver through a slow start and the two gave England a platform to kick on. Their fifth-wicket partnership of 64 was the highest for England against Australia in international T20s. It was Delissa Kimmince who broke the partnership, when she had Sciver lbw, trying to sweep one too many.

 

Fran Wilson was as busy as ever, and with the tail ensured that England finished with a respectable 132 for 9. There was even time for Sophie Ecclestone to hit her first ball in international T20s for six, before being stumped off the second.

 

With a modest total to chance, Australia was in a mood that suggested that they wanted to retain the Ashes as soon as possible. A loss here would have squared the series and put pressure on the team to perform for the remaining two fixtures.

 

It was Beth Mooney who attacked from the very start; Healy, by contrast, found it more difficult. It took a good diving catch from Wyatt to dismiss the Australian wicketkeeper. The intent from Australia didn’t diminish, as Mooney kept going, and there were small cameos from Elyse Villani, Ashleigh Gardner, and Rachael Haynes; and with all scoring at over a run a ball it was only a matter of time before the Southern Stars won.

 

It was a comfortable win for Australia, with Mooney finishing at 86 not out, which was a continuation of her form in the WBBL. In truth, England never recovered from their poor start with the bat, and it didn’t help that Anya Shrubsole was unable to play due to injury. There will be questions raised in the England management about the way that the team goes forward from here, but that will have to wait until the final two T20 games. England will battle hard to win the mini-series within the bigger one.

 

Australia had similar questions after the World Cup, and it seems like they have come up with solutions. They had elements of luck on occasion, and England can feel hard done by a couple of them, but in truth, Australia won the important moments with clear thought-out plans and the players to carry them out.