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Australia retained the urn after claiming a decisive victory over England in the first T20I of the Women’s Ashes.
However, their thoughts now turn to the possibility of a whitewash over the visitors. England can still win both the T20I series and Test, but they are now playing for pride as much as anything else.
Knight and McGrath shake hands. Australia officially win the match and with it, The Ashes.
The valiant effort from Knight and her team is in vain. England’s performance generally was better but they were yet again let down by a few sloppy errors in the field.
Australia take a 10-0 lead in the series, edging closer to the whitewash.
Heather Knight drops her bat on the floor in despair as the umpires call the players off the field for what will probably be the last time.
Australia will win by six runs on DLS.
The all-rounder throws everything at a cover drive but can only inside edge it onto her stumps.
Sciver-Brunt falls for 22, leaving England needing 22 from the final over.
Knight on 32 off 15. Sciver-Brunt on 19 off 17.
The rate has climbed from under 12.5 to over 15 in three overs but England continue to tick along under their experienced captain and vice.
Knight chips two lovely drives for four over mid-off before Sciver-Brunt powers one through midwicket.
44 required off 18.
The opener looks to go over the top on the off-side again but doesn’t connect and only finds the Australia captain at mid-off. She makes a useful 52 from 40.
Only three balls later, Dunkley follows her back to the changing room as Schutt picks up her second. She gets one to nip back in and it hits the top of off.
England need 87 from 42 with their two old heads in the middle: Sciver-Brunt and Knight.
An over of singles brings up 50 for the duo, coming off 35 balls. Dunkley has been the aggressor, making 31 of the total.
England 98-1 off 12 overs.
The England opener moves on 49 with two glorious boundaries.
Georgia Wareham goes for two off the first four balls, slowing England down.
Wyatt-Hodge then shuffles across her stumps and sweeps the leggie into a vacant fine-leg region before carving one over the covers.
She brings up her fifty the following over with a missed caught and bowled opportunity for McGrath.
While looking to sweep, Wyatt-Hodge top-edged King towards short fine leg but a full-length dive from Tahlia McGrath wasn’t enough to take the wicket as the ball dropped to the floor.
Play will resume at 10.05 local time with England on 69-1.
A lovely straight drive from England’s inform batter pushes them onto 62-1 at the end of the 8th over.
The rain is really coming down now. England’s batters asking questions of the umpires
Bouchier departs for 13 just before the end of the powerplay, sending a simple catch back to the bowler, Sutherland.
The wicket leaves England on par with DLS, 48-1, at the end of the sixth over.
"There is absolutely no need for Maia Bouchier to play this shot."
Alex Hartley, as Sutherland makes the breakthrough #Ashes pic.twitter.com/yzQuE2MShb
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 23, 2025
A flash of lightning illuminates the sky after 4.5 balls – one more ball needed before we can have a result.
The ball is bowled – England are ahead on DLS so Wyatt-Hodge and Bouchier, happily, charge off the field. Unfortunately, the umpires call them back and the crowd half cheers, half laughs as the batters trudge begrudgingly back to the crease.
Back-to-back fours against both Alana King and Megan Schutt means Wyatt-Hodge moves onto 30 from 18.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Maia Bouchier take 15 from the first two overs, including Wyatt-Hodge carting Kim Garth for two gorgeous fours through point.
A brilliant partnership between Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath lead Australia to a much better total than they would have hoped for when they found themselves at 114-5.
This was Australia’s highest 6th wicket partnership in WT20I cricket. Harris made 35* off 17, while McGrath contributed 27* from 18 balls.
Three moments of poor fielding at the back end of this innings could cost England.
A dive from Bouchier on the ropes seems to stop a boundary but she is unable to claw it back from the rope – four.
This is followed by another two boundaries, the second of which Danni Wyatt-Hodge let slip past her in the covers.
Finally, Dean drops a tricky chance at long-on. She dives forward and gets a solid pair of hands to it, but it doesn’t stick.
Harris launches two massive sixes over the leg side to push Australia over 150 with two overs remaining.
Her first is high over the head of Kemp at long-on, while the following ball soars over mid-wicket, teasing Dunkley.
Grace Harris smashes her first boundary of the day, launching Dean for a monstrous six over cow corner.
However, next ball she looks to sweep and is struck on the pad. England appeal and in the confusion, Harris has to scamper to the non-striker’s end and narrowly avoids being run out.
England then send the LBW appeal upstairs: pitching in line, hitting in line, impact… umpire’s call.
Heather Knight's expression indicative here…
An umpire's call verdict means Grace Harris just survives England's review #Ashes pic.twitter.com/EzLgIca6bg
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 23, 2025
Sutherland picks out Dunkley at deep square leg. The England batter almost makes a meal of it but manages to cling on.
Australia 114-5.
England have fought back well after Mooney got Australia off to a flyer as the rate dips below 7.5 runs per over.
But disaster has struck for the visitors. McGrath carves Ecclestone for four through third man and seemingly out of nowhere, Bell goes down clutching her head.
No sign of a physical issue. Must be illness?
After a more than questionable performance in the field during the first T20I, England make their first major mistake of the match as Freya Kemp misjudged the dip at long-on and lets a Sutherland slog slip through her fingers.
Australia 83-4 after 11 overs.
Glenn concedes seven from her first over before Dean returns to the attack.
The off-spinner catches the leading edge of Ellyse Perry, who looks to whip it to the leg side, and it spoons up into the air. A simple take for Bouchier.
Annabel Sutherland gets off-strike first ball.
Litchfield then looks to scoop Dean but she fails to make connection and loses her middle stump in the process.
Sophie Ecclestone fires one down the leg-side as Mooney approaches down the wicket to gift a simple stumping to Amy Jones. Genius from England’s star spinner.
A half-appeal for LBW brings the over to a close but the run rate still sits at almost 8.5.
Fired down the leg side by Ecclestone, Mooney misses it, and is out stumped 😮 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/IfpqmjPAAQ
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 23, 2025
A signature reverse sweep from Pheobe Litchfield gets her off the mark at the end of the powerplay.
Australia 54-1 off 6 overs.