Key events
16th over: Australia 81-3 (Perry 32, Mooney 6) After conceding three runs off her first 18 balls, Ecclestone goes for four off one. Beth Mooney, so strong on the sweep, has no trouble steering a lap past the fielder on the 45. And that’s drinks, with this game, like the one-day series, in fact the whole Ashes, beautifully poised.
15th over: Australia 76-3 (Perry 32, Mooney 1) Knight takes Sciver-Brunt off and turns to Charlie Dean, who has come in because of Sarah Glenn’s appendix (get well Sarah, in case you happen to be reading this from your hospital bed). Ellyse Perry sees the chance to lord it over Dean, playing a cover-drive for four and a square drive for two. Her 32 runs have come, ominously for England, off only 34 balls.
14th over: Australia 68-3 (Perry 25, Mooney 0) So after three overs, Sophie Ecclestone has one for three. And it turns out that those wides from Sciver-Brunt were a cunning plan, designed to get Amy Jones up to full sharpness.
WICKET! McGrath st Jones b Ecclestone 26 (Australia 68-3)
Excellence pays off! Tahlia McGrath gets frustrated, gives Ecclestone the charge, tries a big drive, misses, and sportingly walks as Amy Jones whips off the bails.
13th over: Australia 67-2 (Perry 24, McGrath 26) After playing second fiddle for a while, Perry suddenly picks up her guitar. She plays a powerful cut off Sciver-Brunt, who rather loses her way in this over, bowling two big wides down the leg side that Amy Jones does well to gather in. Ten off the over, Australia back on top.
12th over: Australia 57-2 (Perry 18, McGrath 25) More excellence from Ecclestone, who thinks about a review for LBW as McGrath is struck in front of leg stump, but it was going down. Another one-run over, so these two have got the plug in.
11th over: Australia 56-2 (Perry 17, McGrath 25) With senior bowlers at both ends, the batters seem happy to be more circumspect. This over from Sciver-Brunt goes for three with McGrath stroking a two into the covers. She’s done well at finding the gaps from the start, whereas England didn’t really do that until Danni Wyatt came in.
10th over: Australia 53-2 (Perry 16, McGrath 23) It’s a double change as Bell gives way to Sophie Ecclestone, who may well hold the key to this game. She starts almost immaculately with five dots and a single.
9th over: Australia 52-2 (Perry 15, McGrath 23) A change of bowling as Cross is replaced by Nat Sciver-Brunt. There’s no rest for the gifted: she was out there for 43 overs with the bat, and now she’s expected to chip in with the ball. She starts well, conceding only three singles and almost getting through McGrath’s defensive prod with a nice outswinger.
8th over: Australia 49-2 (Perry 13, McGrath 22) Another cracking shot from McGrath, who gets a perfectly decent ball from Bell and cover-drives it on the up for four more. England need to get her out sharpish.
7th over: Australia 40-2 (Perry 11, McGrath 17) If you didn’t know that Perry was an all-time great, you might think McGrath was the senior partner. She has about one-eighth as many ODI runs in her locker as Perry, but she’s outscoring her two to one so far. She plays two cuts off Cross in this over that make you wonder if, in a former life, she operated the guillotine.
6th over: Australia 32-2 (Perry 11, McGrath 9) Bell, still swinging it in, goes more fourth-stumpish, which is surely the place to be. Perry cuts one that comes in to cramp her and very nearly chops on! Next ball she plays a better shot, a crisp on-drive, which goes straight to the woman at mid-on … and straight through her. It’s Kate Cross, so maybe she was switching off between overs.
5th over: Australia 27-2 (Perry 7, McGrath 8) McGrath continues to look composed, facing Cross and playing a back-foot push into the covers with lovely timing.
“G’day, Tim!” G’day to you, Sarah Bacon. “Pre-match punditry from the on-field experts predicted a 280-300 score would be desirable from Ingerland, based on conditions/desire/all that palaver. One thing I do know is: the Aussies will want to finish this series with a bang not a whimper. I think they just need to get piling on runs ASAP … while losing as few wickets as possible.” The eternal trade-off.
4th over: Australia 23-2 (Perry 7, McGrath 5) Bell is swinging it in to the right-hander, which is fine by Perry. As Sky show with a mini-montage, she scores twice as fast when the ball is on middle or leg than when it’s on or outside off. She plays a lofted clip for two now, but otherwise shows a bit of respect to Bell’s pace – and Australia’s predicament.
3rd over: Australia 21-2 (Perry 5, McGrath 5) England, who started with two slips, could have four now, but they opt to stick rather than twist. Cross bowls one bad ball in the over, a freebie on leg stump, and Tahlia McGrath is calm enough to clip it for four.
WICKET! Healy b Cross 7 (Australia 15-2)
Clean bowled! Kate Cross goes full too, wobble seam I suspect, and bursts through the gate. So these two teams that are so hard to separate have both started the same way today – with not much for two.
2nd over: Australia 15-1 (Healy 7, Perry 4) Great stuff from Lauren Bell, who went full and reaped the reward. That was from round the wicket. She goes back to the umpire’s left for Ellyse Perry, strays onto leg stump, and gets clipped for four, but she won’t mind that too much.
WICKET! Litchfield c Ecclestone b Bell 1 (Australia 10-1)
Instant breakthrough for Lauren Bell! She goes full, gets some swing, draws the nick and sees Sophie Ecclestone make a difficult low catch look easy at first slip.
1st over: Australia 7-0 (Healy 6, Litchfield 0) Cross starts off with two slips … and three dots. But then Alyssa Healy spots a juicy half-volley and plays a cover-drive for four, with some authority. Cross sorts out her length but oversteps and hands Healy a free hit, which she slogs for two.
The players are in the middle, Jerusalem is ringing out and the shiny white ball is in the hands of Kate Cross.
Thanks Geoff and hello everyone. What a series we have here. In fact, what a pair of series. This ODI best-of-three, the first women’s series ever to sell out in England, is poised at 1-1 and should still be in the balance as the sun sets on Taunton tonight. Then there’s the 2023 Ashes as a whole, which, with its three formats, can still end in a draw (8-8!) or an Australian win.
To manage it, the Aussies will have to all-but-surpass themselves: even with all their ODI victories, they have only once chased as many as 286. After consulting TimViz – just like WinViz, but unencumbered by data – I’d say they were favourites, if only just. Back in a few minutes to see how they go.
Well @GeoffLemonSport, as much as I’m gutted we couldn’t quite squeak it in Sunday, this has been a vintage Ashes. You just want England to nick yr final win. A few chances another way and they could have won the series. They know they can beat this side though, huge for 2025.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) July 18, 2023
Australia must chase 286 to win
Geoff Lemon
So it’s a tall target. England fell just short of 283 in Southampton, now Australia need 286 here. Their three biggest chases historically are 275, 280 and 289. So it has been done, but only once.
On the other hand, maybe England’s score is a bit short of where it should have been. Sciver-Brunt was outstanding again, but the Australians got through a few too many low-scoring overs near the end, taking regular wickets to keep the runs down. Setting Australia 300 would have been a statement.
Much to do here at Taunton, and much to come. Your companion for all of that will be Tim de Lisle.
WICKET! Cross b Jonassen 4, England 285-9
50th over: England 285-9 (Ecclestone 10) Total free hit for Cross from the last ball of the match, and she misses it while two metres out of her ground, swinging for the fences, would have stumped if she wasn’t bowled first. She had already whacked two to midwicket the previous ball, after three singles.
49th over: England 280-8 (Ecclestone 8, Cross 1) Australia have put the clamps on at the end. Two runs from the bat and a wicket from the 49th, though four byes help England along.
WICKET! Dean lbw Gardner 2, England 274-8
Can’t keep Gardner out of the action. Straight break from over the wicket, nice loop beats Dean’s sweep shot in the air, plays over it and is hit in front. Umpire Harris thinks there is an under edge, and there is a sound burble on the soundwave graph when the Australian’s review, but there’s also a big gap between bat and pad from side on. Hitting right in front.
48th over: England 274-7 (Ecclestone 7, Dean 2) Time for someone else to step up, and Ecclestone clobbers one! Slog sweep, six into the stands. Tries again, top edge this time, and Gardner rushing in dives full length forward, leaving drag marks in the turf like a plane without landing gear, and can’t quite fingertip it! Ecclestone gets a run.
WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Gardner b Jonassen 129, England 265-7
Finally she falls! Huge ovation from the Taunton crowd as she walks off. Incredible innings, in an incredible run of them. Sciver-Brunt takes on Jonassen, hits it hard and flat but the pockets of the ground are sizeable and out there is the best deep midwicket in the business, Ash Gardner. Takes it easy as switching off a light. Goodnight.
47th over: England 261-6 (Sciver-Brunt 125, Ecclestone 0) Another Gardner over without much damage, only five from it, plus the run out.
WICKET! Jones run out 6, England 258-6
Nasty one for Alana King, fielding at short third. Jones plays a reverse sweep and it takes an awkward bounce, hits King’s hands and deflects into her face. I think she’s largely ok but she goes off with the physio for a concussion check. But it works out for Australia: Darcie Brown comes on fresh as the substitute, and produces a direct hit at the non-striker’s end.
Team play from Jones, in the end. She hits it towards cover point, and there’s not really a run there but Sciver-Brunt sets off immediately. Jones doesn’t, and then realises that one of them is going to be dismissed. So she sacrifices her wicket to leave the powerhouse out there. Could have been more alert to start with, not sure if she called audibly, but it was her call to make if she did.
46th over: England 256-5 (Sciver-Brunt 122, Jones 4) England’s keeper Amy Jones is out there now, gets a single first ball which is her job for the time being. Sciver-Brunt baseballs Jonassen for a fast-run two to deep midwicket, then can’t beat the fielder at deep backward square. Jones skews away a sweep shot in that direction but gets away with it, landing just short of the attempted catch. Jonassen yorks the unrushing Sciver-Brunt, twice, who digs out the ball but can’t score.
45th over: England 251-5 (Sciver-Brunt 119, Jones 2) Now that Sciver-Brunt has had seven overs for a relative breather, she resumes command. Backs away from Gardner’s line, scorches a cover drive past the diving infielder for four!
WICKET! Wyatt b Gardner 43, England 244-5
How often, when Australia need something, is it Gardner? If Wyatt can square drive a spinner for six, then she can be yorked by one. She is, trying a late cut to a ball hitting the base of middle stump. Unorthodox, and it doesn’t work. But with 43 from 25 balls she has already done her job.
44th over: England 244-4 (Sciver-Brunt 114, Wyatt 43) And Danni Wyatt just keeps on going! King the bowler, Wyatt goes a big sweep and nails it over square leg for six more! Next ball, the line has shifted outside off, so she slashes it between the two fielders behind point for four. Cuts two more, then a single. This all looks life fun, says Natalie, who sweeps four for herself. Eighteen from the over!
43rd over: England 226-4 (Sciver-Brunt 109, Wyatt 30) Strap yourself in! What a shot that is from Danni Wyatt! Sees width from Gardner, flings her hands at it like she’s in a boxing simulator, and slashes a square drive for six. Serious elevation over backward point and it still carries the distance. That is an extraordinary shot, the physics alone seem impossible. Incredible performance already – when the other player has a century and is starting to tire, this is exactly what a team needs.
42nd over: England 219-4 (Sciver-Brunt 108, Wyatt 24) Flight from Wareham, Sciver-Brunt comes down the track, gets a bit nervous, chips a drive over cover for two. Wide of Perry who is running around from long of. Aims a sweep, misses, but it’s going down leg side when it htis pad. Charges again, drives one along the ground. Wyatt isn’t here to nudge though: cuts two, drives four inside out over cover! The vintage Wyatt shot there, though usually to pace rather than spin. She’s playing the perfect hand.
41st over: England 210-4 (Sciver-Brunt 105, Wyatt 18) Clean timing from Wyatt. That’s the shot she got out to in the Test match, opening the face to width and slicing it behind point. That time the fielder was further around and caught it easily, this time the fielder is squarer and Wayatt gets four from McGrath. A double of doubles too, with a square drive and a pull. She’s busy.
40th over: England 198-4 (Sciver-Brunt 105, Wyatt 6) Four more for Sciver-Brunt from Wareham, down low and sweeping hard, beats the boundary rider into the fence behind square. The century-maker looks to be enjoying herself, big smiles out there.
There have been 27 centuries – total – made against Australia in women’s ODIs.
Nat Sciver-Brunt has made four of those in her last five innings.
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) July 18, 2023
Century! Nat Sciver-Brunt 100 from 126 balls
39th over: England 192-4 (Sciver-Brunt 100, Wyatt 5) Gets the century! Back to back in the series! Nobody has done that to Australia before except… Nat Sciver-Brunt in the World Cup last year. Leg glances four to reach 99, then takes a run off the pads for the triple figs.
38th over: England 186-4 (Sciver-Brunt 94, Wyatt 4) Here’s Danni Wyatt, immediately playing the scoop to King, getting a couple of runs there, racing singles. This should be fun.
WICKET! Capsey c Sutherland b Jonassen 5, England 178-4
37th over: England 178-4 (Sciver-Brunt 91) Has a mandate to go for it, and she does. But that’s the difficulty in hitting someone with Jonassen’s trajectory. Capsey hits it hard and straight, gets some elevation, but not enough. You need such power to clear long on. Instead it lands in the fielder’s hands.
That’s the last ball of the over, one that started with Sciver playing a much better shot, a straight-arm lift over wide long on that skipped over one bounce for four.
36th over: England 173-3 (Sciver-Brunt 86, Capsey 5) The break ends, and Sciver-Brunt is still not comfortable against King’s leg spin. Plays straight for none, three balls in a row, then hits a single to deep midwicket. Capsey by contrast shuffles and drives a run first ball she faces.
35th over: England 170-3 (Sciver-Brunt 84, Capsey 4) Here’s Jonassen, belatedly. Bowled the matchwinning, Ashes-clinching 50th over in Southampton. Will if plans go as intended bowl through to the end of this innings, presumably. Two runs from this over. Drinks.
34th over: England 168-3 (Sciver-Brunt 83, Capsey 3) Harder to time the leggies! First it’s a big under edge facing King, hard into the ground. Then it’s the ball going over the top edge. Two cut shots, two times close to losing her wicket. Sciver-Brunt resets, gets on the front foot, pats the ball away. King bowls a maiden.
33rd over: England 168-3 (Sciver-Brunt 83, Capsey 3) Spanked! Not exactly short from Schutt, just back of a length, but Sciver-Brunt hits it sweetly through wide long on, beating the boundary rider to the straight side. Keeps churning the singles, keeps building that score.
32nd over: England 160-3 (Sciver-Brunt 77, Capsey 1) Alice Capsey to the middle, gets off the mark, then Sciver-Brunt gets a full toss looping into her pad on the line of leg stump but can’t hit it, beaten in the air. It hasn’t been easy for her today, she’s 77 from 100 balls faced.
WICKET! Knight b King 67, England 159-3
It’s a chess move! Knight falls to King. Comes down the track, eyeing off that midwicket rope again, but King has skidded this through, gaining help from the surface. Knight is not to the pitch and plays over the top of it, and the trajectory is flat at middle stump.
31st over: England 158-2 (Knight 67, Sciver-Brunt 76) England’s batters trading boundaries! Schutt comes back on, Sciver_Brunt threads a drive through long on, then night produces equally precise placement to go through backward point! They’re right on top here.
30th over: England 149-2 (Knight 63, Sciver-Brunt 71) No Perry with the ball at all today, and no Jonassen. The former choice less strange than the latter. Jonassen the best containing bowler more often than not, and whatever happens from here she won’t be bowling all ten of her overs. King returns for Sutherland, driven for a couple of singles to long off, then Sciver-Brunt sweeps hard for four!
29th over: England 141-2 (Knight 61, Sciver-Brunt 65) Gardner is doing a fine job again. Sciver-Brunt is very careful, hesitant in working out where to work the ball. Even a low full toss, she sweeps but finds short fine leg. Knight is more proactive with her feet, making room to drive from the stumps to the off side, but finds cover. Two from the over, one of them a bye, and Garder has 1 for 18 after six.
28th over: England 139-2 (Knight 61, Sciver-Brunt 64) There’s the old wisdom about taking the singles: keep doing it and the boundary balls will come along. Sutherland bowls a bad one, short and down leg side, allowing Sciver-Brunt to pump the pull shot behind square for four, and retake the lead from Knight.
That’s first ball of the over. A wide to follow and Sutherland is under pressure, and under pressure she oversteps! Another free hit. Sutherland is chatting with Perry at the top of her mark. The free hit is wide of off. Knight swings her hardest, top edge to short third, caught but conceding a run rather than sparking celebrations.
That’s the third Sutherland over today that has gone for 9 runs.
27th over: England 130-2 (Knight 60, Sciver-Brunt 58) Gardner returns. We’re in the holding pattern overs, but Australia need a wicket. This score is already a hell of a lunch pad. England play the percentages, knocking into gaps for five singles.
Knight still in front on the scoreboard.
26th over: England 125-2 (Knight 58, Sciver-Brunt 55) Back in the present now. Ash Gardner: gun. Past, present, future. Comes flying across fromd eep midwicket to dive and save a pull at deep square leg, denying Knight two runs. Keeps the Sutherland over to four, with a couple of singles. England going at 4.81, just past halfway.
Half century! Knight 53 from 50 balls
25th over: England 121-2 (Knight 55, Sciver-Brunt 54) Matching half-centuries for England’s captain and vice-captain, as Knight gets a leg glance from McGrath away for four. Then to compound Australia’s problems, Sciver-Brunt is dropped. Heaves across the line, mistimed back at McGrath, and straight out of her hands. Not a difficult caught and bowled chance, it wasn’t middled at her.
Half century! Sciver-Brunt 50 from 73 balls
24th over: England 113-2 (Knight 49, Sciver-Brunt 52) There she goes! Something has to give, and Sciver-Brunt comes down to Wareham and drags four runs over midwicket. Not her most fluent but it’ll do, raises her fifty. Much better timing when Knight comes on strike though, and spanks the ball over midwicket for six!
23rd over: England 100-2 (Knight 42, Sciver-Brunt 46) Tahlia McGrath doing a fine job, four overs for a dozen runs after this one. The hundred up for England.
22nd over: England 97-2 (Knight 41, Sciver-Brunt 44) Nat Sciver-Brunt can’t get the hang of Wareham yet. Comes on strike after one ball, and takes five of them to find a run. That’s 11 balls for a single from the one bowler.
21st over: England 95-2 (Knight 40, Sciver-Brunt 43) McGrath keeps the scoring slow with three singles, including one that yields a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Sciver-Brunt is safe.