England throw away early advantage in Women's Ashes Test

England lost four wickets in the final session
AFP/Getty Images
Adam Collins9 November 2017

England surrendered a powerful position under lights here at North Sydney Oval, leaving the door open for Australia in the only Test match of the Women’s Ashes series.

The tourists lost Natalie Sciver, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Taylor and Katherine Brunt to the pink ball in the final session, to move from 177 for three to 235 for seven by stumps.

The key moment was Ellyse Perry’s reflex caught-and-bowled off Taylor for 29. Perry stuck out her left hand to deflect the ball into her own shoulder, then snared it one-handed on the rebound to get rid of England’s trump card.

England could still press for advantage on day two, with a first-innings score anywhere near 300 likely to be competitive in a format as unfamiliar to Australia’s players as to England. Fran Wilson remains at the crease on 11, with Anya Shrubsole yet to score. It will be up to them to push out the lead in a match that England cannot afford to lose. Australia lead by four points to two in the multi-format series, with the Test worth four points, and the three subsequent Twenty20s two each.

England captain Heather Knight won the toss but her openers did not make full use of the day’s best conditions with a cautious first session, making 61 for one.

Knight and Tammy Beaumont got the momentum going in the second session, cracking 16 boundaries between them as Beaumont made 70 and Knight to 62.

But both fell just as the daylight began to fade in the historic day-night Test and the lights took over.

The evening session with the pink ball is known as the most dangerous in this format and so it proved to England. Sciver and Elwiss made it to the break but came undone thereafter.

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