Women’s Ashes: Australia v England, first one-day international

Key events

England looked a little sleepy out there with the bat. Heather Knight the top-scorer with 39, in fact a few players getting starts, but no-one going on to anything substantial. A few dismissals that won’t make the highlights reels. Australia were smart and business like with the ball (though they did let a couple of catches slip through their fingers) with Gardner (3-19) and Alana King (2-35) the pick. England will need something special from their bowlers to pull this one away from Australia’s clutches.

I’m going to head off to bed now so you’re spared any more of my heavy-eyed typing, but the bushy-tailed Jim Wallace will take you through to stumps. Bye!

“You never want to be bowled out,” says Alex Hartley in peach. “It’s not ideal from England at all, being bowled out in 50 overs. “I think England will get some swing with the new ball though.”

A very happy crowd, a very happy Australia as England are bowled out with plenty of runs still out there. Bell and Filer look very perky as they stroll off though, so maybe they think they can do something special on this “two-paced” pitch. 204 does seem more than a little light.

WICKET! Bell b Gardner 1 (England 204 all out)

…But it will have to be with the ball as Lauren Bell goes back to Gardner and loses her off stump! England all out with nearly seven overs unused.

43rd over: England 204-9 (Filer 8, Bell 1) It’s down to the Laurens now.

WICKET! Ecclestone c Gardner b Brown 16 (England 203-9)

Not her best shot. Gets a leading edge to Gardner and the ball billows obediently to Gardner at midwicket. Covers her face with her bat as she trudges off.

42nd over: England 201-8 (Ecclestone 14, Filer 8) Lauren Filer celebrates her Ashes debut by ushering her first two balls, from Sutherland for four, quite spoiling her bowling figures. A top edge and a rather more elegant nudge.

WICKET! Wyatt-Hodge c Brown b Sutherland 38 (England 192-8)

Wyatt pulls round the corner and straight to the marauding Brown at fine leg

41st over: England 189-7 (Wyatt-Hodge 37, Ecclestone 14) Brown with her sixth over of the innings. Nothing fancy from England who are content to pick up singles.

40th over: England 192-7 (Wyatt-Hodge 38, Ecclestone 14) Today is a sell-out at the North Sydney Oval! Four singles from Schutt’s over as I prop my eyelids open and we enter the final ten overs of the innings. My dog sighs with the witching hour.

39th over: England 185-7 (Wyatt-Hodge 34, Ecclestone 11) Ecclestone picks out King and tries to loft her up and away, gets that longed for four. On we go.

38th over: England 176-7 (Wyatt-Hodge 31, Ecclestone 5) Ecclestone survives a thick edge to Healy, but as happens ridiculously often , gets a boundary off the next ball. An edge, but they all count.

37th over: England 170-7 (Wyatt-Hodge 30, Ecclestone 0) DWH breaks the boundary drought by paddle-sweeping King for four, but Kings strikes back with the wicket of Dean. The crowd murmur approvingly.

WICKET! Dean lbw King 1 (England 170-7)

DRS springs back into life King rips one into the pitch and traps Dean on the front pad. Dean reviews, but a glimpse at the big screen soon has her trudging off. Crushed peaches.

36th over: England 165-6 (Wyatt-Hodge 25, Dean 1 ) Schutt breathes deeply at the top of her mark. A no ball has handed DWH a free-hit. After 42 balls without a boundary, DWH swings at a full toss but can’t reach the rope. The number of extras are bemoaned on comms.

35th over: England 158-6 (Wyatt-Hodge 22, Dean 0 ) King, in shades. Huge appeal against Dean for lbw. The umpire says no, Australia look interested but it turns out DRS is currently down. Dean is lucky to escape further scrutiny. Super bowling.

34th over: England 157-6 (Wyatt-Hodge 21, Dean 0 ) England at risk of slipping away here- can Charlie Dean provide some ammunition while Wyatt-Hodge digs in?

WICKET! Capsey c Gardner b Garth 4 (England 157-6)

Straight to backward point! Capsey can resist no longer, goes for the raffish, square drive, only with feet in clay, and delivers the ball with a first-class stamp.

33rd over: England 153-5 (Wyatt-Hodge 19, Capsey 2) Pressure tells as Capsey (after 15 balls to get off the mark) flies at King, gets a leading edge, but the ball falls safely. Wyatt-Hodge, who seems to have settled into thestay-there-till-the-end role paddle sweeps a couple.

32nd over: England 150-5 (Wyatt-Hodge 17, Capsey 1) Garth bustles in. England again struggle to put bat to ball and there is just one from the over.

31st over: England 148-5 (Wyatt-Hodge 17, Capsey 0) Capsey somewhat at sea against King.

30th over: England 147-5 (Wyatt-Hodge 15, Capsey 0) Capsey is watchful through a Garth over.

29th over: England 146-5 (Wyatt-Hodge 15, Capsey 0) King, in long sleeves, plucks at her cuffs. Jones picks up four as McGrath dives over the ball at mid-on, but is undone next ball. Capsey, as they note on the telly, is rather out of position here. A woman who likes to blast holes, is going to have to rebuild.

WICKET! Jones c and b King 31 (England 146-5)

King gets her woman, the ball after being driven for four. Jones tries again but sends the ball towards the bowler who falls backwards in the impact but holds on tight. Gives her a spirited roar of goodbye.

28th over: England 140-4 (Wyatt-Hodge 14, Jones 26) Garth’s over starts with five wides, then Jones, who is looking the most fluent batter out there, gets going. Four down the pitch, four more pulled, with a cheroot between her teeth, over midwicket. When Wyatt-Hodge gets a thick edge for four off the final delivery, there have been , 18 from the over.

27th over: England 122-4 (Wyatt-Hodge 10, Jones 17) A neat way to finish the over as Wyatt-Hodge picks up Sutherland and flicks her, quite without effort, for four. Off the pitch, Heather Knight has been persuaded out of her slough of despond and says the pitch isn’t that easy to bat on – a little two-paced.

26th over: England 116-4 (Wyatt-Hodge 5, Jones 16) At just over the half way stage, England are knocking along at 4.46 an over. If you’re at the ground, do drop me a line and tell me just how delightful it is.

25th over: England 114-4 (Wyatt-Hodge 4, Jones 15) Sutherland replaces Brown. A smart smack for six by Jones is caught by a man in a black shirt with a beer in one hand. He tumbles backwards in the process but doesn’t spill a drop. The kids line up to high five him.

24th over: England 106-4 (Wyatt-Hodge 3, Jones 8) And another chance for Jones who leans back and steers the ball between Healy and Mooney at first slip. I think Mooney must have got a finger on it as the physio runs on with some plasters. Gardner continues, giving it lots of air. Some smart fielding on the rope by King cuts off a boundary.

23rd over: England 100-4 (Wyatt-Hodge 3, Jones 2) Ooof – could have been four but Perry can’t hold on in the deep as she dives and tumbles – tricky chance. Jones had swatted at a bouncer from Brown.

22nd over: England 97-4 (Wyatt-Hodge 2, Jones 1) Feels like England could be in trouble now with NSB and Knight back to chew the fat in the dugout. Shrewd bowling by Gardner, uncharacteristically rash shot by NSB.

WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Perry b Gardner 19 (England 95-4)

A 200th wicket for Gardner and there won’t be many better scalps! Sciver-Brunt too perishes by the sweep. Another top edge and Perry repeats her trick at deep midwicket.

20th over: England 94-3 (Sciver-Brunt 18, Wyatt-Hodge 1) A big blow that for England, Knight had looked busy and on form. In the dugout, Amy Jones fiddles, and fiddles, with her gloves.

WICKET! Knight c Perry b Gardner 39 (England 92-3)

Knight, head bowed, mutters something as she strides off. Slightly off balance she sweeps at Gardner, and Perry just has to lean and catch at deep midwicket.

19th over: England 92-2 (Knight 39, Sciver-Brunt 17) “The trouble with North Sydney,” says one of the commentators, “is it is so fast, short boundaries” And with that, England break the shackles and NSB picks up a boundary with a delicate glance.

18th over: England 86-2 (Knight 38, Sciver-Brunt 12) Gardner whirls through another over.

17th over: England 82-2 (Knight 36, Sciver-Brunt 10) Brown again. NSB kept caged for a few balls until the last hits her on the back pad. The umpire says no, but Healy marches over to her bowler to chat things over – and indeed calls for the review. It looks pretty tasty on replay, and the impact was in line but it is umpire’s call! Australia shake their heads.

16th over: England 78-2 (Knight 33, Sciver-Brunt 9) Just an over for King as it turns out, at this end at least, as Gardner is unleashed. England are watchful as a breeze picks up and blows at shirts and stray hairs.