19th over: Australia 172-5 (McGrath 48, Harris 23) Australia have become so good at the death. McGrath hits Ecclestone’s first three balls for four, the last with the aid of a misfield from Wyatt-Hodge in the covers, to bring up the fifty partnership from only 26 balls.
England’s fielding continues to falter. McGrath cracks Ecclestone to long off, where Dean puts down a slightly awkward running catch. It should still have been taken. McGrath cuts another boundary to make it 18 from the over and 35 from the last two.
18th over: Australia 154-5 (McGrath 30, Harris 23) Grace Harris shows her devastating power, driving and slog-sweeping Glenn for successive sixes. Three singles and two wides make it 17 from the over; Glenn ends with figures of 4-0-39-0. Australia have played her brilliantly in this T20 series.
17th over: Australia 137-5 (McGrath 28, Harris 10) McGrath rocks back to pull-sweep Ecclestone through square leg for four. England appeal for another stumping when Ecclestone deliberately spears one wide of off stump. It was another glorious piece of wicketkeeping from Amy Jones but McGrath did really well to drag her back foot behind the line.
This is a beautiful over from Ecclestone, who has an LBW appeal turned down when McGrath jams a curving yorker onto her toe. McGrath tries to ramp the last ball and ends up mishitting a single to short third.
16th over: Australia 132-5 (McGrath 23, Harris 10) Charlie Dean ends a good evening’s work with figures of 4-0-28-2.
Four overs to go, two of which will be bowled by Sophie Ecclestone.
Harris is not out It’s umpire’s call on the point of contact with leg stump so Harris survives.
15.3 overs: Australia 129-5 (McGrath 22, Harris 2) Dean makes the mistake of tossing one up to Grace Harris, who clouts a slog-sweep for six. That made the sweetest sound off the bat.
The next ball leads to both an LBW appeal and then a run-out chance. Heather Knight decides to risk the last review; this looks close.
15th over: Australia 122-5 (McGrath 22, Harris 2) A loose delivery from Kemp flies down the leg side for five wides; not even Amy Jones could stop that. That’s a shame because apart from that it was an excellent over.
Lauren Bell was “feeling unwell”, apparently. I’m slightly surprised she’s back on the field so soon but I’m not a qualified medical professional.
WICKET! Australia 114-5 (Sutherland c Dunkley b Kemp 14)
Lauren Bell returns to the field just in time to see the wicket of Annabel Sutherland. She picked Freya Kemp’s first ball up towards deep square leg, where Sophia Dunkley steadied herself to take the catch. For a split-second it looked like the ball might slip out of her grasp; it didn’t.
14th over: Australia 114-4 (Sutherland 18, McGrath 21) McGrath belts back-to-back boundaries off Glenn, a mow to cow corner and a thump to the left of mid-on. Even with the loss of four wickets, Australia are on course for an imposing total.
13th over: Australia 104-4 (Sutherland 17, McGrath 12) Sutherland smashes Sciver-Brunt over her head for four, then wallops six over midwicket. The ball landed on the outside of the boundary rope. Australia’s depth allows them to just keep on swinging; Sutherland has 17 not out from nine balls.
12th over: Australia 89-4 (Sutherland 4, McGrath 11) Ecclestone ends the over with three dot balls.
Bell is leaving the field. She’s walking unaided, which is a good sign, but it’s still concerning.
11.3 overs: Australia 89-4 (Sutherland 4, McGrath 11) Ecclestone returns for her second over. McGrath, whose poor form with the bat feels a long time ago, gets her first boundary with a superb late cut for four.
Hang on, this isn’t good. Bell is on her knees, with her hands on her head, and looks very distressed. She chased that ball to the boundary, turned and then seemed to suffer a dizzy spell. This is all rather worrying.
11th over: Australia 83-4 (Sutherland 3, McGrath 6) Sutherland is dropped by Freya Kemp! She drove Glenn to long on, where Kemp misjudged the flight of the ball and put it down as she swooped forward. England’s fielding has let them down all series and that was another relatively straightorward chance.
It’s a decent over nonetheless from Glenn, a dot ball and five singles.
10th over: Australia 78-4 (Sutherland 1, McGrath 3)
McGrath is not out She tried to flick a straight delivery to leg and was hit on the pad. Replays confirm a thick inside edge so that’s the end of that.
England review for LBW against McGrath This could be three in four balls for Charlie Dean.
WICKET! Australia 75-4 (Litchfield b Dean 17)
Two wickets in three balls for Charlie Dean! This is a really important wicket. Litchfield premeditates a lap, misses and is bowled behind her legs. “Come on!” shouts Dean, who is having her best day of the series so far.
Charlie Dean gets another as Phoebe Litchfield is out for 17! Photograph: Brendon Thorne/CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images
WICKET! Australia 74-3 (Perry c Bouchier b Dean 2)
Elysse Perry tries to slog sweep Dean but mishits the ball miles in the air onthe off side. Bouchier backpedals to take a comfortable catch.
These are useful wickets for England. Mind you, Australia have such power in the lower middle-order that they can feel like a mixed blessing.
Oooh, that’s out. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
9th over: Australia 74-2 (Litchfield 17, Perry 2) The legspinner Sarah Glenn, who was taken apart on Monday, rushes through her first over. It starts well, with three singles from five balls, but Litchfield skips down the pitch to drive the last delivery over mid-off for a one-bounce four. Lovely shot.
8th over: Australia 67-2 (Litchfield 12, Perry 0) In theory that wicket could have been a happy accident. But, as Alex Hartley says on commentary, Sophie Ecclestone just doesn’t bowl rank bad balls like that; it must have been a plan.
WICKET! Australia 66-2 (Mooney st Jones b Ecclestone 44)
Beth Mooney is stumped off a wide. It was really clever bowling from Ecclestone, who sensed that Mooney was coming and floated the ball well wide of leg stump. Jones, who would have been unsighted, made an awkward stumping look easy. We take Jones for granted but she is a genius behind the stumps.
A big wicket for England as Beth Mooney is out for 44! Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
7th over: Australia 62-1 (Mooney 43, Litchfield 10) Nat Sciver-Brunt into the attack.She sees Litchfield coming and spears the ball wide outside off stump; Litchfield manages to not only reach the ball but also guide it past point for four. That’s such a good shot.
6th over: Australia 54-1 (Mooney 41, Litchfield 4) That didn’t take long. Litchfield gets off the mark by reverse sweeping her third ball over backward point for four. Dean has figures of 2-0-15-0.
5th over: Australia 45-1 (Mooney 38, Litchfield 0) That was the last ball of the over.
WICKET! Australia 47-1 (Voll run out 5)
Bell changes ends to replace Kemp. Voll gets off the mark by muscling a good-length delivery over midwicket for four; that’s a ferocious shot.
It’s also her last boundary. She tried to steal a third run and was well short when Bouchier’s excellent throw from deep point was taken smoothly by Amy Jones.
England players celebrate after running out Georgia Voll. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
4th over: Australia 36-0 (Mooney 32, Voll 0) Beth Mooney is flying. She comes down the track to drive the new bowler Charlie Dean over mid-off for her sixth four. Dean moves over the wicket, so Mooney skips down to crash a drive between the two cover fielders. That’s a glorious stroke.
Mooney has 32 from 23 balls, Voll 0 from 2.
3rd over: Australia 28-0 (Mooney 24, Voll 0) Freya Kemp has already been through so much in her career that it’s easy to forget she’s still a teenager. Injury permitting she will surely get a good run in England’s white-ball team.
After a good start to her second over, Kemp is lifted for two boundaries by Mooney – one over extra cover, one over midwicket. Mooney averages 104 in T20 internationals on this ground, including an unbeaten 117 against England in 2017-18.
2nd over: Australia 18-0 (Mooney 15, Voll 0) Bell’s first ball is a hooping full toss that Mooney tickles down the leg side for four. The line wasn’t quite right but England will be encouraged by the swing that Kemp and Bell are getting.
Oof, that’s not good. Bell sends down a high full toss that is carted through midwicket for four by Mooney. It’s a no-ball on height, which means a free hit; Mooney slugs it over Bell’s head for four more.
Voll, slow to react to the chance of a quick single, survives a run-out chance when Wyatt-Hodge’s underarm throw just misses the stumps. An eventful and expensive over, 14 from it, ends with Voll almost offering a return catch.
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Mooney 2, Voll 0) A pretty good first over from Kemp includes a gorgeous outswinger that beats Beth Mooney. England have an interesting field for Mooney, with a kind of deep fourth slip just a very fine short third.
“Good morning,” says John Starbuck. “As we sit around awaiting the deluge, it’s good to be reminded of summer, even on the other side of the world. Not that England’s prospects are encouraging. The batting shot selection has been puerile; the bowling inaccurate; and the fielding lamentable. Let’s face it, this series is going to be a whitewash. While there’s no shame in losing to a better team, it needs at least to happen gracefully. Something Must Be Done.”
I know what you mean by ‘puerile’ but that word feels too strong. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to keep a cool head when you are batting under such relentless pressure.
Time for the action. Freya Kemp will open the bowling to Beth Mooney.
Read Andy Bull on England’s struggles
Forget the gap between England and the opposition. The bigger problem is the gap between the way England have been playing since they arrived in Australia and the team they are supposed to be. If Heather Knight, her players, and their head coach, Jon Lewis, are honest with themselves they will know they’ve fallen well short of their own standards, let alone Australia’s. It is one thing to be second best to a better team, but another again if the side you are falling behind is the one you were yourselves this time last year.
The weather forecast isn’t great for the second half of the game, which is another reason for England to bowl first. Tahlia McGrath says she was 50/50 all day about what to do at the toss.
Team news
Both teams are unchanged. Heather Graham has been added to Australia’s T20 squad as cover for the injured Ash Gardner and Alyssa Healy.
England Bouchier, Wyatt-Hodge, Dunkley, Sciver-Brunt, Knight (c), Jones (wk), Kemp, Dean, Ecclestone, Glenn, Bell.
England win the toss and bowl
That means they’ll be chasing for the fourth game in a row.
Preamble
Good evening, good morning, good afternoon. When the Women’s Ashes schedule was announced there was understandable criticism that it was far too short, with the whole thing squashed into 24 days between 11 January and 2 February. Now it’s in danger of outstaying its welcome. Australia retained the Ashes after 10 of those 24 days, and the rest of the series – containing the last two T20s and the Test in Melbourne – could be one big anti-climax.
Still, this is the Ashes, and there’s always something to play for. Marsellus Wallace can say what he likes about pride but he clearly wasn’t a cricket fan. A number of the England players, and the coach Jon Lewis, are fighting for their futures. Australia’s future looks almost as bright as their coruscating recent past. The present looks pretty good too. The Class of 25 have the chance to achieve something extraordinary: the first whitewash in Women’s Ashes history.
Tonight’s match starts at 7.15pm AEDT, 8.15am GMT.
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