- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The difference ended being the starts of each team. Following the topsy-turvy Test at the WACA, again there was not very much between the English women and the Southern Stars at the MCG yesterday.
The winning start was Charlotte Edwards’, as captain and batter, who hit 41 from 57 balls, plundering the offside during the initial ten over ‘power play’ fielding restrictions.
In fact, her dismissal in the England’s 18th over, chasing 210, lay at the centre of the first of two almost perfectly coincidental statistics in the first one day international.
The first, in its imperfection in fact, is most revealing of the nature of England’s victory. The second, given opportunity by the first, was the means to it.
Firstly, both teams lost their third wicket after scoring 68 runs. In England’s case this was due to the departure of Edwards herself.
But whereas Australia took 25 overs – half their innings – to accumulate this number, England did so in 18.
Secondly, both teams had unbroken partnerships of 141 and 142, which were the core of both innings by far. The next highest partnership was of 50, the first of England’s innings, further emphasising the impact Edwards had.
But even though Lydia Greenway and Arran Brindle’s 142 ended as the winning partnership, the three overs grace they enjoyed at the end of the game was a comfort zone afforded by the England skipper’s faster start.
The first ten overs of England’s innings set a worrying tone for Australia, who were trying to protect their 209 for 3.
By the end of them, Edwards had plundered the offside for 27 off 33 balls, Heather Knight was 5 off 27, Ellyse Perry has been blunted with 0 for 25 and Rene Farrell looked manageable with 0 for 13.
19 for none from the first three is a flyer in a game of 210 runs and it established a roughly ten-run advantage that lasted for the innings.
Knight went for 9 off 37 balls once the fifty had been posted in the 14th over, caught by Jess Cameron at gully off Julie Hunter, but the two overs after drinks – the 18th and 19th – saw Australia’s greatest opportunity.
Firstly, Erin Osborne had Sarah Taylor hole out to Meg Lanning at mid on for 9, and then Holly Ferling trapped Edwards lbw.
With both Greenway and Brindle newly at the crease (at 68 for 3), England effectively had to start again. And though precipitation never threatened proceedings, this was the first time England fell behind the Duckworth-Lewis par score. They surmounted it again in the 33rd over at 115 for 3.
The story of the rest of England’s innings was that the tourists needed a partnership and they got it. The hosts sought to break it but could not.
There were some unsure moments of mid-field mix-ups, hard-hit caught and bowled chances and lbw appeals, but the left-hand (Greenway)-right-hand (Brindle) partnership weathered them.
Greenway’s eventual 69 came from 94 balls, Brindle’s 64 from 79. Both hit six boundaries.
Australia were neither tight nor threatening enough. Perry was not able to strike, going for 48 runs in nine overs, nor was her opening partner Farrell, whose 39 runs included Brindle’s winning stroke in her tenth over.
Ferling (1 wicket for 29 runs from seven overs), Hunter (1 for 31 from 6), Jonassen (0 for 29 from 8) and Osborne (1 for 29 from 7) tried but had no pressure to multiply.
Winning the toss and batting first, Australia had begun their innings slowly.
“It was not good enough to chew up the balls we did early,” Australian top-scorer Alex Blackwell ruminated after the loss, but, “Credit to England’s bowlers. Up front they bowled very well.”
After three overs Australia had been four for none and had only gotten into double figures in the fifth. After 14, by which time England had their 50 (for 1), the Southern Stars had been 39 for 2.
Australia were not able to take advantage of the fielding restrictions and 68 runs from half of one’s innings does not lend to thoughts of many runs in the end. It was only thanks to 88 runs in the last 11 overs from Blackwell and Perry that the Southern Stars were able to post more than 200.
“I think we were about thirty-forty runs short,” Blackwell admitted afterwards, which the winning margins stand testament to.
Their stand of 141 was unbroken, with Blackwell ending 82 not out from 121 balls and Perry 65 from 78 (not having scored from her first 15 balls).
But it was not enough to recover amid the tight England bowling, led by Anya Shrubsole (1 for 55, 25 of which came in the late charge) and Jenny Gunn (1 for 30).
Danni Wyatt picked up Jess Cameron in her first over but was expensive (1 for 22) from two overs. Otherwise, Cross (32 runs from eight overs), Sciver (20 from 5), Hazell (30 from 10, including two maidens), and Brindle (17 from 5) were able to maintain the early pressure.
“Credit to our opening bowlers, Anya Shrubsole and Kate Cross, who real did a job today,” England’s top scorer Lydia Greenway agreed afterwards, “and Danni Hazell, backing us up in the middle phase, keeping it really tight.”
In the seven wicket victory, Charlotte Edwards’ innings “was the start that we wanted. It was hard work out there, the wicket was a bit slower than we first thought, but [Edwards] set us that platform which allowed Arran [Brindle] and I to get ourselves in.”
Following victory in Perth, England have now moved to within two points – one more victory in the remaining five limited-overs matches – of winning the women’s Ashes. Already Australia can no longer afford to lose.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.