After a thoroughly frustrating warm-up match that lasted less than 29 overs – it rains in Australia too – England faced the first of three ODIs at Sydney North Oval.
The two teams:
Australia
Alyssa Healy (captain & w-k), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
England
Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight (captain), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones (w-k), Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell
Long queues straggled outside the ground, an excellent portent. Both captains wanted to bowl first; Healy won the toss.
Beaumont took a single off Schutt’s second ball; Bouchier was bowled off the third and English heads drooped.Then the drama we should expect these days. It was a no-ball! Bouchier tonked the free hit back over mid-on for four. Boring game, cricket.
Two maidens ensured quiet progess after that, but Bouchier didn’t last long. Healy hung on to an edge off a Garth outswinger. Knight scored two early fours, the second flying between slip and gully. Aussie fielders yelped at almost every delivery.
Beaumont and Knight restored some order, TTB surviving a wild head-high no-ball from Sutherland. Knight hit the free ball for four.
The pair saw the 50 up in the eleventh over. Just after the 50-stand was reached, Beaumont fell to an attempted lofted drive, caught by Garth off Sutherland. With only 13 to her credit, she hadn’t really done her job. The fragility of England’s top order remains.
There had been plenty of lateral movement for the quicks, so Healy saved her spinners for later.
It’s a sign of England’s uncertainties that Knight’s dismissal to Gardner raised such concern. Perry took a great diving catch at deep mid-wicket, but, with the ball starting well wide of off-stump, we had to wonder why a slog-sweep was attempted. 92-3
Then, blow me down, NSB aimed to the same catcher off the same bowler! Had the batting coach spent hours in the nets commending those shots?
With Wyatt-Hodge and Jones at the crease the 100 came up, but through another faulty shot; Perry couldn’t reach a hook by Jones off a Brown lifter. When Garth returned, she was less accurate. Jones hit her for two consecutive fours, but the moment King took the ball, Jones spooned the ball back to her. 146-5
England reached base-camp of 200 in the 42nd over. They knew they needed plenty more. Filer played the way the late order ought to – fast. But with Ecclestone going to a soft dismissal, they added only four more. 204 was roughly 100 short of what was needed. Gardner bowled superbly (6.1-0-19-3).
From here England were swimming against the tide. Filer had an early success, a fast lifter finding the edge of Litchfield’s bat. But even when Dean trapped the dangerous Perry in front, it came after Capsey had put her down off Filer, and Healy was motoring.
Of course England went on fighting, Bell helping the cause with some unexpectedly tight bowling (9-1-25-1). But Aussie batting power remains in a different class. While no-one exceeded Knight’s 39 in the first innings (DWH 38, Jones 31), two knocks after the interval (Healy 70, Gardner 42*) ensured a win inside 39 overs. The difference in scoring-rates is telling: 4.72 (England); 5,30 (Australia).
We now await Jon Lewis’ reaction. He can say either: “Better luck next time”, and keep the same XI, or be ruthless and give others a chance before the series runs away downhill.
Both captains saw an opening win as essential. Given the points on offer through the series, England’s chances of regaining the Ashes have already diminished.
Scores
England 204
Australia 206-6
Australia won by 4 wickets
Afterthoughts
Kate Cross’ back remains a central area of concern; she hasn’t recovered as quickly as hoped. Quite apart from her own health, which is her and our first concern, it exposes the frailty of England’s pace attack. Sciver-Brunt returned an analysis of 2.5-0-24-0. However many runs she scores (19 today), her captain needs more from her as the only quick bowling option after the two Laurens.
As we can see from the XI chosen, the selectors omitted the younger generation of pace-bowlers, like Freya Kemp and Ryana Macdonald-Gay, from the ODI squad. Crucially, Lewis gave Capsey another chance to prove herself. Batting No 7, she scored 4 off twenty balls, dropped that chance off Perry and didn’t bowl.
So fundamental questions about the balance of the team remain unanswered. In the field the captain wasn’t given the resources she needed.
