England vs Australia LIVE: Cricket scorecard and Women’s Ashes updates from day one at Trent Bridge
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Fresh off the back of Australia cricket team’s nail-biting two wicket win in the first Ashes Test of the men’s series comes another contest of high quality cricket as the multi-format Women’s Ashes kicks off with a five day test.
Being played concurrently with the men’s series for the first time, the Women’s Ashes is slightly different. Instead of five test matches to decide a winner, the series is a mix of tests, one-day internationals and T20s with points being awarded for the winners in each game – four for a test win, two for wins in ODIs and T20s – with the overall winners being the team with the most points at the end of all the fixtures.
Heather Knight takes charge of England who are hoping to win back the Ashes for the first time in a decade after Australia have either won or drawn each of the last four series. The previous two Ashes series have ended 12-4 to the Aussies and England will be hoping to improve this time around.
Follow all the action from the Women’s Ashes:
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Australia 19-0 (4), Beth Mooney 4, Phoebe Litchfield 13, Lauren Bell 0-6 (2)
That’s lovely from Phoebe Litchfield. She leans into yet another drive but guides this one square of the wicket. The ball flies through the gap at point and fizzes down to the boundary for four.
Litchfield then gets off strike and leaves Beth Mooney to handle the rest of the over.
Australia 14-0 (3), Beth Mooney 4, Phoebe Litchfield 8, Kate Cross 0-13 (2)
Mooney scampers off strike with another single as Kate Cross tightens her line. She’s bowling over the wicket and wants to bring the ball back into the left-handers.
Phoebe Litchfield, at just 20-years-old, is keen to feel bat on ball. She’s always looking to drive and finds the fielder at cover on a couple of occasions.
Cross flings down a full toss and Litchfield takes advantage. She nails one through the covers and leaves Sophia Dunkley a chase to cut the runs down to three.
Australia 10-0 (2), Beth Mooney 3, Phoebe Litchfield 5, Lauren Bell 0-1 (1)
Mooney turns her wrists over a straight one and pushes the ball into the legside before scrambling through for one. Litchfield confidently sees out the rest of the over.
Just the one from it.
Australia 9-0 (1.3), Beth Mooney 2, Phoebe Litchfield 5, Lauren Bell 0-0 (0.3)
Lauren Bell will take the new ball alongside Cross. She’s tall, gets bounce and has a good deal of pace for a seamer.
Bell starts round the wicket and angles the first ball into the pads of Beth Mooney. There’s a hint of away swing but the Aussie opener is nicel in behind to block.
Bell has found her line immediately and hangs the ball just outside the off stump trying to tempt Mooney into a drive.
Australia 9-0 (1), Beth Mooney 2, Phoebe Litchfield 5, Kate Cross 0-9 (1)
Cross is just struggling with her landing and twice steps over the crease for no balls. It’s a nice bit of brand synergy as she also presents the No Balls podcast with Lancashire teammate Alex Hartley.
After a couple of singles for the openers a loosener from Cross is too full and wide allowing Litchfield to lean into a lovely drive and pick up the first boundary of the innings.
Nine runs from the over.
Australia 1-0 (0.1), Beth Mooney 1, Phoebe Litchfield 0, Kate Cross 0-1 (0.1)
And we’re away! Cross angles the ball across the left-handed Mooney who blocks one into the offside and calls Litchfield through for a single.
Australia are off the mark.
Start of play: Australia 0-0 (0), Beth Mooney 0, Phoebe Litchfield 0, Kate Cross 0-0 (0)
Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield stride out to the crease for Australia with smiles on their faces and an air of confidence about them.
Despite this Ashes series being played in England, Australia – commonly known as the best team in the world – are red hot favourites to triumph.
Can England set the tone on this first morning’s play?
Kate Cross is opening the bowling. She has 21 test match wickets.
Lauren Bell says ‘test cricket is really special’
“When I made my debut last year it was memorable for so many reasons but the thing that really stood out was just how special Test match cricket felt,” she said,
“I don’t think I had ever fully appreciated it before, but I could see just how special it was to be part of and felt so lucky to be part of it.
“From the outside, I never realised quite how much fun it could be, how much went into it, how much planning. I feel I learned as much in the space of a week as I ever had done before.
“It’s exciting to be playing at Trent Bridge this year, a big Test ground with lots of history, and we need to appreciate women’s cricket heading in the right direction and show how far we’ve come.”
England vs Australia line-ups
England: Tammy Beaumont, Emma Lamb, Heather Knight (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Wyatt, Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell.
Australia: Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Jess Jonassen, Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Alanna King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown.
Alyssa Healy relishing prospect of ‘trench warfare’ in Ashes battle with England
Australia captain Alyssa Healy is relishing the “trench warfare” that could ensue over a five-day Test which marks the start of the multi-format Women’s Ashes.
Women’s Tests have customarily spanned four days but the last six matches worldwide dating back to 2017 have all been draws, prompting England and Australia to agree to an extension for this series opener.
Healy – skippering Australia in the absence of Meg Lanning, who is out of the tour for medical reasons – was adamant tacking on an extra day at Trent Bridge is no guarantee of bringing a positive result.
Alyssa Healy relishing prospect of ‘trench warfare’ in Ashes battle with England
The skipper is adamant tacking on an extra day at Trent Bridge is no guarantee of bringing a positive result.
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