England v Australia – Third ODI
Taunton, 18 July
On another tense and exhilarating day England achieved the apparently impossible.
Here are a few stats to swivel the eyes:
- Australia hadn’t lost an ODI series since 2013.
- England beat Australia in the Ashes series of seven matches 4-3.
- Australia retain the Ashes.
- The series ended 8 points all for the second time in six years.
- Nat Sciver-Brunt scored two tons in successive games. She scored two in the World Cup last year, but this is the first time her efforts resulted in a win.
- Australia failed to reach 200 for the first time in seven years – by one run!
England weren’t used to batting first, so they lost two wickets inside four overs. Despite the loss of Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont they still compiled a commanding 285-9.
Australia’s reply was hampered by a rain delay. By the resumption Messrs Duckworth, Lewis and Stern had done their best to make the World Champions’ task look steeper. The equation was: target 269; overs reduced to 44. And they had had no experience of chasing in this series.
England did marvellously well to see them off inside 36 overs. Amy Jones’ contribution was once more decisive in seeing off McGrath, Wareham and King.
Any Downsides?
Yes, one or two, I fear:
England owed their impressive total of 285 largely to three players who have been round the block a few times, Heather Knight (67), Nat Sciver-Brunt (129) and Danni Wyatt (43, off a mere 25 balls!). The HK-NSB partnership of 147 was central to the team’s success. Wyatt’s power-hitting was vital to ensure the innings didn’t dissolve into the disappointment we have known before. It means the other eight batters scraped together 33 runs.
That isn’t a sure recipe for taking over the world.
On the bowling front the great achievement was to take ten wickets (for under 200); so the prime target was reached. But of the five main bowlers employed, Kate Cross, Lauren Bell, NSB and Alice Capsey all went for runs at a worrying 6.23 per over.. Sophie Ecclestone was her usual miserly self.
But that is nitpicking. Prising out such a formidable batting line-up is a mighty task, and they achieved it, led by Cross who removed Alyssa Healy early, then returned to dismiss the two top batters, Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney (quite tricky to make that choice) before they could do irreparable damage.
For once, the drama abated as Australia lost wickets. Though the required run-rate looked possible to English pessimists, the bowlers and fielders found ways of removing batters who might have reversed the trend.
Once more a huge crowd had an uplifting effect on the home team. A photo of queues outside the modest-sized Taunton ground brought the sight of queues winding round Lord’s to mind.
The reverse image was the sight of Aussie players looking far from the triumphant Ashes’ trophy holders they actually were.
The result throws into doubt the wisdom of appointing Healy captain in Meg Lanning’s absence. If she hadn’t been the keeper, all might have been well. But it’s a hard task doing both jobs when every decision takes on great importance. Her own batting, normally destructive, may have suffered in consequence as well.
Scores:
England 285-9 (Nat Sciver-Brunt 129)
Australia 199
England won by 69 runs (DLS in use)
Teams
England:
Knight (captain), Beaumont, Bell, Capsey, Cross, Dunkley, Ecclestone, Dean, Jones, Sciver-Brunt, Wyatt
Australia:
Healy (captain), Gardner, King, McGrath, Jonassen, Litchfield, Mooney, Perry, Schutt, Sutherland, Wareham
Only one change: Sarah Glenn suffered a badly-timed appendicitis, replaced by Charlie Dean.
Umpires: Anna Harris, Mike Burns
Afterthoughts:
The ECB and the various ground authorities deserve congratulation on encouraging the huge crowds that came (100k, and counting). The real challenge will be to continue this surge as other nations visit these shores.
The Ashes, both men’s and women’s, are given overwhelming prominence in cricket’s publicity campaigns; they can all too easily have a dampening effect on other series. Will the same number of enthusiasts turn up to watch future opponents such as Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan? That’s where the publicists will have their work cut out. And how much space will the media devote to events?
Comments on social media dwelt on the ‘unfairness’ of Australia retaining the trophy when, by most calculations, they lost it. But that denies the importance of the test match over the white-ball games. If it is not to be allowed its four points (against two for the others), then we may as well reduce cricket to the knock-about back-garden game that is The Hundred.
There is so much competition for places in the England XI these days. On balance, the promising youngsters allowed admission, above all, Capsey and Bell, couldn’t totally convince in the cauldron of seven Ashes encounters. The selectors will still need to assess who is worth considering for inclusion before the next squad is published. But then, will any new(er) names be really tested as the current incumbents most certainly were?
This was one palpitating series. A wonderful showcase for the game.
