Sports
ASH Gardner’s fine all-round performance proved the difference as England were beaten by four wickets in the first one-day international of the Women’s Ashes in Sydney.Gardner took 3-19 as England were bowled out for 203, and then scored an unbeaten 42 to lead Australia to victory with 11.1 overs to spare.
England showed glimpses of promise, and Australia signs of fragility in losing their six wickets, but Heather Knight’s side paid the price for a wasteful batting performance alongside sloppiness in the field which included Sophie Ecclestone dropping Gardner on 31.
The visitors fought admirably with the ball, with fine economical efforts from Lauren Bell and Ecclestone, but Australia were rarely under scoreboard pressure after a batting innings that was littered with soft dismissals.
England were all out in 43.1 overs as captain Knight top-scored with 39, Danni Wyatt-Hodge made a gritty 38 and Amy Jones 31, but all three failed to capitalise on their promising starts.
Having been asked to bat first, England were building a decent position at 91-2, before Australia struck the hammer blow of removing Knight and star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt in consecutive Gardner overs, both caught slog-sweeping by Ellyse Perry.
Jones looked in fine form in her rebuilding stand of 51 with Wyatt-Hodge, whose knock was an outlier in a tame middle-to-lower order effort with the last five wickets falling for 47 runs.
It was not a faultless bowling performance from the hosts, who conceded 24 extras including a no-ball which gave Maia Bouchier a reprieve when she was bowled in the first over, but England lacked the ruthlessness to punish them.
Similarly in the second innings, Annabel Sutherland’s dismissal for 10 in the 24th over offered another opening at 124-4, but Gardner showed the steel and discipline which England’s batters lacked.
The relentless schedule of the series gives England little time to turn their fortunes around, with the second ODI taking place at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on 13 January (23:05 GMT).
The win gives Australia a 2-0 lead on points in the multi-format series, which England need to win outright in order to regain the Ashes.
Soft dismissals cost England in tense opener
Australia delivered a decent bowling effort, with Gardner’s spell and Kim Garth’s economical opening burst the highlights, but the frustration for England was that they softly handed them their wickets.
It looked like a nightmare start when Bouchier was bowled first ball by Megan Schutt, only for the seamer to have overstepped, but the blemish did not faze the world champions as the opener was caught behind at the end of the fourth over.
Tammy Beaumont was then caught at mid-on for a stuttering 13 from 31 balls, and Knight and Sciver-Brunt’s inexplicable lapses in concentration gifted Australia the upper hand just as they were looking settled.
Jones struck four fours and a whopping six in her knock before chipping one back to leg-spinner Alana King, and Alice Capsey’s four from 20 balls marked the beginning of a tough day as she later dropped a sitter with Perry on seven.
Wyatt-Hodge countered her usual aggression as the wickets tumbled regularly but while they all looked in good nick, starts are never going to be enough against a side as clinical as Australia.
The innings also served a reminder of Australia’s class in the field as they gave nothing away – the pressure that they apply in saving boundaries and their athleticism contributed to much of the frustration that resulted in England’s wickets.
England cope without Cross but fielding concerns remain
England were dealt a big blow before the match with experienced seamer Kate Cross ruled out by a back injury, but Bell stepped up admirably in her absence with final figures of 1-25, including the key scalp of Perry for 14, and an opening spell of 1-6 from her first five overs.
Her new-ball partner Lauren Filer bowled with lively pace and troubled the Australian top order – she had Phoebe Litchfield caught behind with a beautiful lifting delivery in the second over – but at times lacked the control which England could not afford early on when defending a below-par total.
England’s fielding and catching woes which haunted them in the autumn’s T20 World Cup remain a concern and those mistakes were even more glaring when compared with Australia’s brilliance.
Capsey’s drop of Perry, which was straight to her at deep square leg, was not costly in terms of runs but it contributed to a rather flat feel among the fielders and smaller errors such as overthrows started to creep in more regularly.
Australia only needed a further 22 runs when Gardner was dropped so the result may have been inevitable, but against a team who offer so few chances, they must be taken.
Healy looked in ominous touch with 11 fours in her 78-ball knock which set up the victory, but the regular wickets that fell in the middle order should give England hope that they may not be too far away from victory if they can tighten up their discipline.
‘We need to sharpen up a few things’ – what they said
England captain Heather Knight: “I was pleased with the performance. We felt like we were in the game, we just needed to grab a few more wickets at the end. It was a bad toss to lose.
“I was pleased with how the bowlers went about it. Lauren Bell was outstanding. It’s the best I have seen her bowl. It felt like we were really close – we just need to sharpen up a few things before the next game.”
Australia captain Alyssa Healy: “I’m pretty happy. I think always some areas to work on but to take the two points into the Junction Oval is pleasing. I thought we could have been more clinical with the bat at the end, but having said that it was the kind of wicket where you never felt in so we did well to chase that down.”
Ex-England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent on TNT Sports: “Alice Capsey dropping Ellyse Perry was not that costly in runs but it set the tone. If you have Lauren Filer getting Phoebe Litchfield then Capsey holds that catch a few balls later you think ‘hey, we are on top in the game and driving it forward’.
“But instead you lose that momentum. England just have to be sharper because there is no room for weakness, especially over in Australia. There’s enough to work with but they’ll have to sharpen up.” – BBCSport
A.I
Jan. 12, 2025
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