GONE! Gardner goes downtown, and Beaumont, diving forward, takes a brilliant catch at deep midwicket. What a way to throw away an average-boosting red-inker...
AUS Women vs ENG Women, Only Test at Taunton, Ashes, Jul 18 2019 - Match Result
RESULT
Only Test, Taunton, July 18 - 21, 2019, Australia Women tour of England
Match centre
Comms: Matt RollerScorecard summary
Australia Women • 420/8(154.4 overs)
1st INNINGS116 (281)
2/48 (22)
87 (246)
2/90 (34.2)
England Women • 275/9(107.1 overs)
1st INNINGS88 (180)
4/95 (37)
64 (140)
2/50 (21.1)
Australia Women • 230/7(64 overs)
2nd INNINGS76* (144)
2/25 (8)
41 (55)
2/42 (13)
end of over 643 runs • 1 wicket
AUS-W: 230/7CRR: 3.59
Ellyse Perry76 (144b 9x4)
Heather Knight 8-0-25-2
Kirstie Gordon 10-1-50-2
England captain Heather Knight: Obviously disappointed. They've outplayed us, so congratulations to them, but we're disappointed. We've got to treat this T20 series as a series in itself. We've not played up to the standards we know we can. We wanted to be positive, last night the ball was quite soft and it was hard to score. We wanted to give Nat a chance to score quickly, she was unlucky, that innings deserved a hundred. We've got a lot of character and resilience in that team. The game was probably gone today, but we've got to move onto the T20s now, and treat that as an opportunity for players.
Meg Lanning, Australia captain: It's certainly a good position to be in. We had a hard four-day battle and it was a real good challenge for our group. Unfortunately, couldn't get a result here, but it was a great Test. We came today hoping to be in a position to enforce the follow-on. once that wasn't able to happen and we lost those early wickets it didn't happen. We've got a really even group, a lot of different contributors - different people stepping up at different times. It's been a lot closer than what the scoreboard suggests, and we're really looking forward to the T20s. I don't think Perry gave a chance over the two innings, she loves playing Test cricket. To have those young girls come in and play an important role is something we're really proud of as a group. We've got a few days off, but have a bit to achieve still on this tour, and we know England are going to come back really hard.
Ellyse Perry is Player of the Match: We all jump at the opportunity to play the longer form, put on the whites and the baggy green. The records we've been able to achieve in the last 12 months have been really fun. The last four days, the way we acquitted ourselves was absolutely brilliant. We couldn't get the result, but we dominated for long periods. Really enjoy being out there, enjoy the challenge. It's awesome [seeing players coming through]. They've brought so much to our group. The baggy green presentation was a bit spine-tingling, really. It's super exciting, and a big challenge for the older girls.
Mark Robinson, England coachWe lost the toss, which was the start of things going wrong. Can't fault the girls, they've given absolutely everything. Brunty was outstanding on the first morning but everyone else took a while [to settle]. The ball did a bit, we beat the bat, but we missed a trick. As the game developed we bowled well but didn't get the breaks that we needed. It wasn't about this game, it was about losing those first two ODIs. We had a great chance to win that first game. Sometimes you come up short, and that's how it is. We had six crazy days which cost us as a team.
17.40 And that's it! Time for handshakes. Match drawn, which means Australia have retained the Ashes before the T20 leg of the series has even started. They were ruthless throughout the ODI series, particularly in that third ODI, and haven't offered England as much as a sniff in this Test. Perry was immense, with a ton in the first dig and an unbeaten 76 in the second, while Sophie Molineux on debut impressed with both bat and ball.
For England, there is a lot of hard work to be done: Amy Jones and Nat Sciver fought hard with the bat, but their attack looked undercooked throughout, and their lack of intent last night was like asking the final nail to be hammered into their coffin. Those two sessions lost to rain on day two really hurt the spectacle, but such is life with a four-day game on a painfully slow pitch. A T20 whitewash would mean a series draw, but Australia's win in 2017 means that they retain the trophy.
Thanks for joining us over the course of this Test. Stick around for the report, but until then, from Andrew, Alan, Valkerie and me, it's goodbye!
63.6
W
Knight to Gardner, OUT
Ashleigh Gardner c Beaumont b Knight 7 (5b 0x4 1x6 6m) SR: 140
63.5
•
Knight to Gardner, no run
blimey, that one has ripped! Gardner goes back, is hit high on the pad and the umpire turns down the appeal
63.4
1
Knight to Perry, 1 run
punched away off the back foot through the off side, not even a hint of intensity left
63.3
•
Knight to Perry, no run
hint of drift, and blocked out into the covers
63.2
1
Knight to Gardner, 1 run
down the pitch again, but finds the fielder at cow corner on the bounce
Jack: "Player of match is Molineux in my books. Had a terrific game" Got to be Perry, no?
63.1
1
Knight to Perry, 1 run
spinning in from around the wicket, dribbles to the sweeper as they amble through for one
One more needed before the handshakes...
end of over 6312 runs • 1 wicket
AUS-W: 227/6CRR: 3.60
Ashleigh Gardner6 (2b 1x6)
Ellyse Perry74 (141b 9x4)
Kirstie Gordon 10-1-50-2
Heather Knight 7-0-22-1
62.6
6
Gordon to Gardner, SIX runs
BOOM! Gardner whacks the first six of the Test! Floated up, a ball that said 'hit me', and she duly obliges, thumping this on the half-volley over long-off. Shot!
62.5
•
Gordon to Gardner, no run
leaves it alone outside off stump with a big Cheshire cat grin on her face
Here comes Ash Gardner, who didn't get much of a bat in the first innings
62.4
W
Gordon to Molineux, OUT
Got her! Would you believe it?! Full and straight, flicks the pad on the way through as she tries to work through midwicket again, and Molineux is bowled. A wicket from nowhere, with the tempo gone from this game
Sophie Molineux b Gordon 41 (55b 7x4 0x6 38m) SR: 74.54
Abhijato: "Since there's still a few minutes left, here's the Crystal Ball *one last time* in this mostly engaging Ashes Test: Perry will end her career as the GSOAT (Garfield Sobers Of All time), no worries ..."
62.3
•
Gordon to Molineux, no run
looks to play expansively over midwicket but no timing, and well fielded
62.2
2
Gordon to Molineux, 2 runs
back of a length, rocks back and punches out into the off side. Not quite enough legs on it to reach the boundary
62.1
4
Gordon to Molineux, FOUR runs
down the pitch, and mows this over long-on for four. Not timed, but enough power to reach the boundary, and bring up the fifty partnership
Gordon continues
end of over 628 runs
AUS-W: 215/5CRR: 3.46
Sophie Molineux35 (51b 6x4)
Ellyse Perry74 (141b 9x4)
Heather Knight 7-0-22-1
Kirstie Gordon 9-1-38-1
This game is meandering very, very slowly, and the spectacle has long gone. This could be the last over coming up
61.6
1
Knight to Molineux, 1 run
yorker length, bunted out towards long-off
Sandeep Mathew: "Match is a reflection of the difference in quality of two teams.. no point cribbing about Aussies not forcing the issue here"
61.5
•
Knight to Molineux, no run
driven into the covers
61.4
•
Knight to Molineux, no run
prodded away
Adrian: "Australia have earned the right to approach the test like this by winning all 3 ODIs. If we hadn't been whitewashed they more than likely would have gone for a win today."
61.3
4
Knight to Molineux, FOUR runs
thwack! Frees the arm, uses the feet to come down the pitch and wallop this over long-off
61.2
2
Knight to Molineux, 2 runs
sweeps hard and finally beats square leg, but Elwiss is at full stretch at deep midwicket and saves the boundary
Michael Freeman: "This would have been a brilliant Test if like the men (and that's what it should be) if this was heading into the 5th day"
61.1
1
Knight to Perry, 1 run
length, fired in on the pads and worked through midwicket for one
An over or two left until the option to shake hands on the draw is there, and you'd have to assume that will be taken...
end of over 617 runs
AUS-W: 207/5CRR: 3.39
Sophie Molineux28 (46b 5x4)
Ellyse Perry73 (140b 9x4)
Kirstie Gordon 9-1-38-1
Heather Knight 6-0-14-1
OB Jato: "But then, Jeremy, aren't we *all* in the Perry fan club?" Ha!
60.6
•
Gordon to Molineux, no run
tossed up, driven to wide mid-off on the half-volley
60.5
4
Gordon to Molineux, FOUR runs
length, rocks back and punches through the covers for a boundary
Match details
| The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton | |
| Toss | Australia Women, elected to bat first |
| Series | |
| Season | 2019 |
| Player Of The Match | |
| Series result | One-off match drawn |
| Match number | WTest no. 140 |
| Match days | 18,19,20,21 July 2019 - day (4-day match) |
| WTest debut | |
| Umpires | |
| TV Umpire | |
| Reserve Umpire | |
| Match Referee | |
| Points | Australia Women 2, England Women 2 |
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