Women's Ashes. Only Test, Nottingham, 22 - 26 June, 2023

A post simply because it's actually a Test again! Rara avis in terra, and all that.

The wind has pretty much gone out of the sails of the Women's Ashes in the last 5, 6 years.

Despite attempts in England to spruce up the boat & create a following wind, only the shorter forms seem to create a serious stir of contest, parallel to and off the back of the men's game. Australia have forged so far ahead, it's not been competitive. And EnglandW lost some of its hardiest stars.

Ecclestone, probably Sciver(-Brunt) and maybe as a backup Knight are the only England players who look as if they'd make a combined XI.


But to get AusW 7 down for 320 is not a shabby effort by the Poms, so far.

The question is, can they come anywhere near it when they get to bat?

Decent effort from England to get back into it after the rain break.

They might have a Healy and a McGrath, but we’ve got a Lamb, a Knight and a Bell… no contest

Shame for Perry. She'll just have to be content that the only person in mens and women's Test cricket with a higher Test average and more runs than her is Bradman.

Oz forging on ahead now.

Only one wicket today, and up to 415 and counting. Sutherland ton.

Yeah, will be tough to get close to that, or perhaps even make them bat again…

Impressive effort from Bill and Natmeg to get England back in the game. Think this will need the full five days, even if the weather holds up…

Yep. Reflects great credit on them. Also on the skipper.

Facing what esp still in Women's cricket is a massive total, after chasing leather for more than four sessions, I admit I half-expected a fold, as of old. Morale as much as anything, looking up the mountain (or at least a high hill).

It didn't happen. Good application and determination, as well as stamina and technique.

The batting skills in womens cricket are far superior to the bowling skills (especially pace)

Front foot batting skills in particular. Some wonderful driving by Sutherland in the d1 highlights.

As per the men’s first Test, a flat pitch will have helped in making batters look good and bowlers less so.

I guess there’s no reason why female batters can’t have reactions and technique similar to those of the men, but the pace bowlers will always be 10mph short, so surprising it’s not more of a bat-dominated game on the whole.

True about the pitch. And the weather too.

If not a road in the subtropics, then certainly not the traditional "English conditions".

That's not to detract from praise for the batters, though - as Marty and Lardy observe.

All cricket ideally has a fair balance of opportunities between bat and ball - and a good chance of going the distance with (nevertheless) an equally good chance of a result - and these conditions so far at least are friendlier to the willow, ...

but it's good for batwarriors* to have a fair go to show what they can do at the furthest extent of the game. (Did I pick up this is only the second women's game ever to be scheduled for five days?)

And in this match, five or six of them have taken up that offer.

Would be good if the track wears a bit ...


To beamer's other point: Yes indeed. And yet.

The players over the last few years follow a trajectory not dissimilar to physiological evolution in women's tennis. Where female cricketers were once Mo Connolly, Maria Bueno and Francoise Durr body types - elegant but not exactly embodiments of powerful upper body strength - nowadays they have taken their lead from BJK, Chris Evert, Martina, Seles and Co.

Professionalisation definitely helps. Including body building, muscle conditioning and psychological hardening for peak competitiveness.

Beamer implies women might never take that process further. I'm not so sure. While a Serena body form might not be ideal for offspin bowling or cheeky sweeps and pulls, I'm not sure women can't take it a bit further, and their quicks take it up another few kms.

And then, while women are certainly nowhere near threatening the 190km** pace of a mighty Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar, already there is no reason they can't tweak and twirl with all the guile and variation of any man. And some do. But they could do with a track.


*ironic
** sarcastic

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Separate issue. I really like Mel Jones as a commentator. Experiences, a good reader of the game, relaxed manner and delivery, fair in assessment, recognises her own fallibility, too.

For me, there's no problem with commentators who have a bit of a preference for one or other team - it's not about squashing e.g. patriotism, however tribal all patriotism is; I much prefer affinities admitted to a small-minded bias held and supposedly concealed, but f888ing blatantly shown. Mel comes across very fair-minded, generous. And reads the game well as she sees it.

So Beaumont goes on.

Dismissing the Nat also had the net effect of more than halving the scoring rate. So a double win for Oz there.

But EW continue to chip away with their crampons at the mountain.


Maybe they should have scheduled a sixth day!

Hmmm. The England opening bowlers let Aussie race away, and so it is the visitors back in charge.

Add 230-240, decalre and give the bowlers about an hour to prise three or four Englanders out, finish off the job on the 5th day?

Decent effort by the Beaumont lassie.

Was looking good, 10-fer from Duchess Sophie/the Eccles Cake, but now a top order collapse after a promising start…

There was a drinks break that seemed to go on for ever (15 mins?), it seemed to zone Beaumont out, and the old rot set in.

PeterCS wrote:Hmmm. The England opening bowlers let Aussie race away, and so it is the visitors back in charge.

Add 230-240, decalre and give the bowlers about an hour to prise three or four Englanders out, finish off the job on the 5th day?

England in the field did well to get Aussie all out 60 runs short of the estimate, leaving more than an hour for the visitors to bowl.

Hence, despite the very promising start by the home openers, one further wicket along the route than that worst estimate above!

Not quite game, set and match Australia… but we’re a couple of breaks down in the decider on the Serena Williams serve, so to speak.

The draw looked on the cards if we’d let them bat out the day…

Not the modern way to let the match meander, though.

And there's a general consensus that they want to put in a case for a 5-day Test for women, too. If they'd just drawn out an increasingly tedious game to fill 5 days, case would have been poor.

I am not saying you made the point entirely earnestly.

Game stands at probably 95%/5% to the visitors (not bookies' odds - just a considered assessment).

Looks another cracking Test Match.

Could be a tense finish.

England need 101, Aus need 3 wickets.

Ash Gardner has 5.

Wyatt provided some resistance, but a damp squib of a finish, the damage was done yesterday.

Yikes - Ash Gardner 8-66. Well done her.

Congrats to the Aus girls.

Very good advertisement for the longer game for women, and (as has been noted) for Test cricket generally.

Basically because for 8, 9, maybe 10 sessions, England were more competitive than I (and I suppose most) feared.

Never really ahead - by no means the cliffbiting nailhanging seesaw tussle of last week's men's Test - but making a very good game of it, and not letting the Aussies settle into an easy dominant groove.

As beamer says, the damage was done on the 4th evening - 2 or 3 wickets too many lost by the home team .... and I'd add the 3rd evening - 30 runs too many conceded, and a wicket or two too few taken (i.e. Aus 0 down for 85, a lead of 95).

While Wyatt and Jones remained today, there were last hopes (Ecclestone can also bat a bit, but not to make a 100+ partnership). But the keeper-batsman lost her wicket in one of those comedy accident moments that seem a bit too frequent with England Women in the last half-decade! Get your foot back, Amy!

Congrats to the winners. But also Ecclestone (predictably), Beaumont, Wyatt and to an extent Knight, who made it interesting. Will Filer be a flyer? We'll see. She's not very fast. England could have done with Wong whanging it down from the other end.

And boy (girl?), could they have done with a K Brunt or Shrubsole!