Women’s Ashes: Australia v England only cricket Test, day three

Key events

England took 5/18 in just 50 minutes this afternoon.

Australia 440 all out (lead by 270 runs)

The honours board artist at the MCG is going to be busy. Annabel Sutherland’s century yesterday set the tone for Australia, and her name will be accompanied by that of Beth Mooney, who racked up her milestone in the first over of play today. And to those names will be added Sophie Ecclestone, with England’s star spinner wrapping up the innings with her fifth wicket.

England require at least 270 runs to make Australia bat again, but on a turning pitch they may do well just to take this match into a fourth day.

WICKET! Perry c&b Ecclestone 2 (Australia 440)

Ecclestone ends with a deserved fifth wicket in her 45th over. Perry, clearly unfit, tries to deal in boundaries, and after driving handsomely for two cannot repeat the trick, chipping a straightforward return catch to the England spinner.

130th over: Australia 438-9 (Perry 0, Brown 0) Almost two for Filer but Brown’s defensive jab into the offside lobs just out of reach of the diving gully. This has been a far better display form England, unfortunately too little too late.

WICKET! Mooney b Filer 106 (Australia 438-9)

England’s superb afternoon continues apace! Line and length from Filer at good speed and the centurion plays inside the line and watches her off stump get a solid thumping.

Everyone inside the MCG – including England’s players – stands to applaud Mooney as he leaves the field.

129th over: Australia 437-8 (Mooney 106, Perry 0) Another wicket-maiden for Ecclestone, and she could have had two with Perry pushing forward with hard hands and offering a very tough chance to the right of the diving silly point.

Allow content provided by a third party?

This article includes content hosted on embed.bsky.app. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.

WICKET! King LBW b Ecclestone 3 (Australia 437-8)

Textbook left-arm orthodox dismissal, pinning the right-hand batter bang in front, beating the attempted forward defence. Plumb. Ecclestone has four… and here comes Ellyse Perry!

Alana King departs for three, lbw to Sophie Ecclestone as Australia lose quick wickets on day three. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

127th over: Australia 437-7 (Mooney 106, King 3) An eventful over!

England go upstairs for an LBW against Mooney. It looked hopeful in real time with Mooney moving towards the offside and seemingly struck well outside the line, but replays reveal a much closer call, with DRS determining the impact point was umpire’s call. Review retained.

King is then extremely fortunate to survive a wild pull shot that ricochets off the splice and loops just beyond short leg. That was an excellent bouncer.

Finally, Mooney appears to glance down the legside to the tumbling Jones. England appeal, but without much conviction, so we go to DRS. Replays quickly determine Mooney gloves the ball, now, does it carry into the gloves of the diving keeper? Almost inevitably, with TV replays as they are and no soft signal on-field to provide guidance, it is determined the catch was not completed.

Top level cricket needs to get a hold of this problem. They’ve painted themselves into a corner and no longer have a suitable solution.

127th over: Australia 435-7 (Mooney 105, King 2) Mooney works a single before King drops anchor against Ecclestone, aside from a cut shot that floats at catchable height through point for a couple. The England spinner completes her over by turning one beautifully past the attempted forward defensive.

126th over: Australia 432-7 (Mooney 104, King 0) Australia lead by 262. Ellyse Perry has still not come out to bat.

WICKET! Garth c Jones b Filer 0 (Australia 432-7)

Filer is happy to gift Mooney a single so England can target the new batter, and she only needs one delivery at Kim Garth! Full outside off stump, Garth can’t resist the big drive but manages only to edge behind. England’s impressive afternoon continues.

125th over: Australia 431-6 (Mooney 103, Garth 0) Wicket-maiden for the superb Ecclestone who now has three wickets from her 42 overs. Of course, her form this morning does not bode well for England later on with King and Gardner to face on a turning deck.

WICKET! McGrath c Bell b Ecclestone 12 (Australia 431-6)

Maybe the declaration won’t be required after all. Ecclestone beats McGrath in flight but the allrounder follows through with the shot, only to chip a *simple* catch to mid-on. Thankfully, Lauren Bell does make it look simple, and Australia are six down.

Tahlia McGrath walks off after being dismissed by Sophie Ecclestone in the Women’s Ashes Test. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

124th over: Australia 431-5 (Mooney 103, McGrath 12) Now that Mooney has ticked off her century, attention turns to Australia’s declaration. For the time being batting is circumspect with this pair happy to see of Filer from the crease. The England seamer has started promisingly, but erring slightly on the short side.

123rd over: Australia 428-5 (Mooney 103, McGrath 10) Plenty of turn out there early for Ecclestone. England’s selection means she’s the only player at Heather Knight’s disposal to take advantage of the surface. She already bowled 39 overs yesterday.

122nd over: Australia 426-5 (Mooney 101, McGrath 10) It’s the right-arm pace of Lauren Filer from the other end. She hits decent areas, worked away for a couple of singles.

Jane Evans has emailed in: “Jonathan, I think the saddest thing about the lacklustre performance of the English side, and the comments about tiredness on field yesterday as excuses for the poor fielding, is it pretty much puts to bed any arguments for more women’s test matches in coming seasons. It’s such a shame.”

I fear you’re right Jane. But hopefully it acts as a signal to increase investment in strength and conditioning and scheduling more Tests to improve future performance.

100 to Beth Mooney (155 balls)

121st over: Australia 424-5 (Mooney 100, McGrath 9) Sophie Ecclestone begins the day’s play with her left-arm orthodox over the wicket to the left-handed Mooney. There’s decent turn and bounce and Mooney does not look comfortable at all. The second ball of the over turned a long way from off to leg, putting doubt into the batter’s mind, but then balls three and five don’t move, beating Mooney on her outside edge. On 98, Mooney is desperate to get off strike, and is fortunate to be sent back after clipping to point.

But then, on the final ball of the over, she gets some length and width to attack and cuts safely square to bring up her first test century! Mooney becomes the first Australian to register tons in all international formats. Relief for Mooney and the Australian dressing room.

Beth Mooney celebrates her maiden Test century with batting partner Tahlia McGrath on day three. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Out walks Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath into the middle of the sunkissed MCG. England are in a huddle on the boundary, revving themselves up for one final effort in the field at the end of a long and challenging tour.

It is a glorious day in Melbourne. The sky is cloudless, temperatures are nudging 30C, and there’s a whiff of southerly breeze to stop everything getting too oppressive.

Speaking of experts, here’s Geoff Lemon who was at the MCG yesterday.

How to describe England’s fielding? Let’s say that while walking through the Betty Cuthbert Bar in the third session, witnessing a small, tired girl abruptly coat both her parents and the floor with a sluice of vomit formed from chips and lemonade, that was only the second-most noxious display at the MCG that day.

“Good morning from chilly Yorkshire,” emails John Starbuck. (John, I hope you’re up this early by choice.) “Whoever is the best fielding coach in England is going to have a long career by the looks of it. I don’t think I’ve ever known such a sorry state of affairs. Something Must Be Done, if women’s cricket is to thrive.”

It has been a disastrous tour for England, showcased most spectacularly in their fielding. I’ll leave it for experts better qualified than me to determine whether this is an aberration or a trend, and to workshop necessary solutions.

My overwhelming feeling is just one of sadness. With the men’s summer ending early, this Ashes series getting excellent broadcast coverage here in Australia, and both teams at the top of the game, this could have been a seismic moment for women’s cricket, but England’s displays have never allowed that to happen.

Preamble

Jonathan Howcroft

Hello everybody and welcome to live OBO coverage of Australia v England in the women’s Ashes. Day three of the only Test match begins at 2:30pm local time (3:30am GMT).

It is scheduled to be the penultimate day of the series, but considering England’s wretched form it may yet turn out to be the curtain call. Australia will resume at 422/5, a lead of 252, already 30 runs greater than England’s highest total this lopsided summer.

Let’s begin with the positives: Australia’s appetite and conviction; Annabel Sutherland’s ton; Beth Mooney’s likely century; and the record aggregate crowd for a women’s Test. Ordinarily each would be cause for glowing headlines. But England have barely provided any opposition to the challenge offered by their hosts: the two big knocks benefited from multiple dropped catches, and the crowd would doubtless have been greater had this Test carried any jeopardy, instead of the Ashes been done and dusted with only white balls.

Raf Nicholson’s report from day two is superb, if at times harrowing reading, encapsulating England’s collective ineptitude.

Ecclestone, Filer and Ryana MacDonald-Gay beginning a competitive game of “who can produce the most tired misfield?” MacDonald-Gay put down a catch at cover off Ecclestone’s bowling; Ecclestone returned the favour by letting one slide through her hands at slip; Filer reached down to pick up the ball, let it through her legs, and back-kicked it halfway across the field. The winner of the competition? A late entrant, Maia Bouchier, who put down an absolute sitter at gully.