Sarah Glenn said there was still room for improvement after England defeated Australia by three runs in a thrilling finale at the Kia Oval to keep alive their hopes of regaining the Ashes.

Danni Wyatt hit 76 with the bat as the hosts racked up a first-innings lead of 186 to leave the tourists with a target that proved just our of reach, despite a brilliant late flourish from Ellyse Perry who hit sixes off the final two balls.

Both sides suffered from collapses midway through their innings with England losing four wickets in 13 balls before Sophie Ecclestone smashed 22 from 12 balls to ensure a strong finish.

Australia’s middle order fared little better as they found themselves requiring 112 from their final 10 overs to secure the victory that would have sealed the series.

Glenn admitted that emotions were running high after her side inflicted Australia’s first loss in any format since 2021, but said improvement was still required if they are to find the four wins still needed to reclaim the Ashes.

“So many emotions, really happy, some of us are a bit emotional as it’s been a long time coming,” said Glenn. “We’ve had lots of really close calls and we’ve always known we can beat them as well.

“It’s just actually getting over the line against a top line-up who have had momentum for a long time, so we’re really proud.

“We’ve taken out that frustration and little things we could work on and implement it into this game which I thought we did really well.

“There’s still room for improvement as always, but we were really clear in the pressure moments.”

England still need to win the final T20 international at Lord’s on Saturday before attentions turn to the three ODIs that will conclude the series.

Defeat in the Test at Trent Bridge plus last Saturday’s four-wicket T20 loss at Edgbaston means nothing short of a perfect record will do in spite of the heroics at the Oval.

“We’re just really humble as a team,” said Glenn. “We really enjoy that victory for each wicket but we really switch on quickly to what we need to do next. That’s what we’ve done really well as a unit with the bat and the ball.

“We’re really confident. It’s super exciting, we really improved from the last game but there’s still a lot to come form us as well.

“We’ll celebrate the win definitely, but they’re a top-class side and they’ll come back just as hard or harder. We need to try and get over the line again and keep that momentum with us.”

Australia’s Alyssa Healy reflected on a success for women’s cricket after a crowd of 20,000 packed into the Oval for the occasion, but said her side had only themselves to blame for allowing England back into the game.

“It was a great game of cricket at one of the most iconic grounds in England, which a great showcase for women’s sport,” said Healy. “You see what you can do when you play on a good ground with a good wicket, people want to turn up and watch.

“We were slightly off in every facet of the game. We mentioned it after the last game and we were probably a little bit worse again tonight.

“We didn’t quite execute with the ball and probably let them back in at the back end. With the bat we probably had a little bit of a handbrake on at times and and couldn’t get ourselves going.”

England kept alive their hopes of regaining the Ashes with a three-run victory in the second T20 international at the Kia Oval.

After falling 6-0 behind on points in the multi-format series following Saturday’s loss at Edgbaston, the hosts looked on the ropes when they suffered a collapse midway through the first innings, losing four wickets in 13 balls and handing the tourists the initiative as they sought the win that would ensure they kept hold of the Ashes.

But Danni Wyatt’s brilliant 76 from just 46 balls saw England roar back and set Australia a target of 187 which, despite a fast start with the bat and a spirited finish, proved beyond them.

Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry hit 37 and 51 respectively as the holders gave England a scare and Georgia Wareham put up a brave fight at the death with a flurry of big hits to offer hope.

But she was bowled superbly by Lauren Bell to dent Australia’s late charge and, despite two sixes from Perry in the final over, England won out to keep the series alive ahead of the final T20 at Lord’s on Saturday.

England had begun confidently, losing only Sophia Dunkley in the first 11 overs to rack up a commanding score midway through the innings.

But they capitulated fast, going from 100 for one in the 12th over to 112 for five in the 14th as Australia hit them with a flurry of quick wickets.

First, Nat Sciver-Brunt was caught by Annabel Sutherland at long-on, the England vice-captain gone for 23, before Sutherland took over with the ball and dismissed Alice Capsey for five and Heather Knight for a duck off consecutive balls.

From a position of strength, England suddenly looked vulnerable and soon Amy Jones had joined her captain back in the pavilion after she sought to chip Tahlia McGrath’s delivery to mid-wicket and was caught by Sutherland.

Late call-up Danielle Gibson fared little better as she was out for one but Wyatt marched on undeterred by the tumble of wickets around her as she led the revival late in the innings, as England took 25 off the 16th over to reach 150 for seven.

Wyatt’s innings was ended by Sutherland but Sarah Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone ensured England finished with a flourish – with Ecclestone smashing 22 from just 12 balls to help the hosts reach 186 for nine.

Australia set about their business with purpose, needing just over five overs to move onto 50 without loss with Healy and Beth Mooney putting up a strong opening partnership.

Healy’s departure for 37, bowled by Glen, triggered a flurry of wickets as Charlie Dean recovered brilliantly from a dropped catch to run out McGrath.

Gibson took a first international wicket when Wyatt caught Mooney for 22, followed quickly by another as Ecclestone caught and bowled Ashleigh Gardner to leave Australia needing 112 off just over 10 overs.

The tourists had a required run rate of over 11 and their task was made harder still when Grace Harris was bowled by Dean to make it 96 for five.

Sutherland was next to go, caught by Knight at mid-off to leave Australia on the brink.

Perry ensured the tourists went down fighting with back-to-back sixes to finish, but England saw the win out to keep the series alive.

Ben Stokes is on a mission to “keep the Ashes alive” in the third Test and the England captain could not imagine a better place to do it than Headingley.

After the tension of Edgbaston and the controversy of Lord’s, Stokes’ side find themselves in do-or-die territory as they seek to regain the urn for the first time since 2015.

The odds are stacked against them, needing a hat-trick of victories against the recently crowned Test world champions, but when they step out on the field in Leeds they will not need reminding that sporting miracles can happen.

It was here four years ago that Stokes scored a sensational 135 not out to salvage a seemingly lost cause, putting on an improbable 76 for the last wicket with Jack Leach. Rewind to 1981 and it was Sir Ian Botham and Bob Willis dragging England over the line from odds of 500-1.

With the crowd likely to be whipped into a frenzy from ball one due to the resentment over local hero Jonny Bairstow’s stumping last Sunday, the stage is already set for another memorable week.

“I don’t know what it is about Headingley. We’ve had some pretty special memories here and you’re always thinking it’d be great to make another one,” Stokes said.

“I think the magical thing that would happen this week is for us to win the game and keep the Ashes alive, to be honest.

“We’ve got some very fond memories here as an England team and I’m sure supporters have got some fond memories as spectators as well.

“The game four years ago was probably the highlight for the guys who were there, but even going back before we were born there was Beefy (Botham) and Bob as well. I think 1981 and 2019 will probably come up at some point around the ground.

“The crowd here is amazing, the atmosphere always is too. When we’re on top they get going even more, but even when things are slow and maybe we’re not having the success that we want to in any given situation, they’re still going wild.

“I think they might be a little bit ramped up this week, for some reason.”

While Stokes left the last part of that sentence unresolved, it does not take an expert to read between the lines.

Alex Carey’s divisive removal of Bairstow during a pivotal moment of England’s fourth-innings chase sparked fury at the time and has led to four solid days of reprisals, with Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese even wading in to the ‘spirit of cricket’ of debate.

Stokes has made his disappointment plain and, with the series on the line, is now happy to leave it behind.

“I think there’s obviously been a lot of noise around the incident last week at Lord’s but, from me as a captain, I think the best thing that everyone needs to do is just move on from it,” he urged.

The perilous nature of England’s situation is not lost on Stokes, who would become the first captain since 2001 to lose to Australia on home soil, but he refuses to believe defeat would be a terminal moment for the ‘Bazball’ experiment.

In fact, he feels the simplicity of the equation ahead – win, win and win again – will appeal to his team.

“The Ashes is obviously over if things don’t go well, but the team isn’t over if it doesn’t go well,” he said.

“We will have two games after that and then we’ll have other series after that to keep going. But we understand where we’re at in the series and we know what we need to do.

“It may sound daft but the situation we find ourselves in is sort of perfect for what we have been speaking about as a group in the dressing room, about what we want to do and how we want to go about it.

“This is that moment, it starts here at Headingley and we’ve got to win this game.”

England have freshened up their team by changing both the personnel and the balance. Harry Brook steps up from number five to number three, the spot vacated by injured vice-captain Ollie Pope, while Moeen Ali, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes all return as James Anderson and Josh Tongue step down.

Potentially the most intriguing aspect of those changes is the belated introduction of Wood. He is comfortably the fastest bowler currently available, capable of clearing 96mph, and in the continued absence of Jofra Archer and Olly Stone his return to could not have come at a better time.

Wood was the only England player whose reputation was enhanced during the last Ashes tour in 2021-22 and Stokes is pleased have a new weapon at his disposal.

“It’s great to have Woody back in this game,” he said. “I’m excited that we’ve got him in a place where he’s able to walk onto the field and play a part in the summer.

“Tonguey was bowling high 80s last week, and I think he performed fantastically well, so to have someone who can bowl high 90s is pretty exciting. Woody’s not just an out-and-out bloke who runs in and tries to hit people – he is a very skilful bowler as well.”

Player of the Match Brandon King scored his second ODI century as the West Indies defeated Oman by seven wickets with 62 balls to spare in the 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

Chasing 222 for victory the West Indies reached their target in the 40^th over. King scored an even 100 and Captain Shai Hope, an unbeaten 63 to secure their first win in the Super Six stage of the tournament.

With both teams already eliminated from contention from qualifying for the ICC World Cup in India later this year, the match was of academic interest.

However, the West Indies were looking to save face after losing to the Netherlands and Scotland in consecutive matches. After winning the toss, Hope asked Oman to take first strike.

The bulk of the scoring came from Suraj Kumar, whose unbeaten 53 and Shaoib Khan, an even 50, helped Oman to 221-9. Opener Kashyap Prajapati got 31 and Aayan Khan, 30, in the face of accurate bowling from Romario Shepherd who took 3-44 and Kyle Mayers 2-31 from seven overs.

Kevin Sinclair, who replaced the injured Yannic Cariah in the West Indies squad finished with 1-42.

With the West Indies looking for their first points of the Super Six stage, they Caribbean side lost Johnson Charles for four with only seven runs on the board.

However, Keacy Carty and King settled nerves with an 80-run second wicket partnership before the latter was run out for 29. From there the West Indies were cruising as King and Hope steered the West Indies to the brink of victory with a third-wicket partnership of 96 that was broken when King feathered a catch through to wicketkeeper Kumar off the bowling of Bilal Khan for 100.

His second ODI century came off 104 deliveries and included 15 sublime boundaries.

Hope and Nicholas Pooran scored the remaining runs without much bother with Hope scoring his 23^rd ODI 50 along the way. Pooran was unbeaten on 19 at the end.

The West Indies will play their final match of their failed campaign against Sri Lanka on Friday. Sri Lanka has already qualified for the ICC World Cup.

England and Australia will renew their Ashes battle at Headingley on Thursday, four days after Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal sparked a controversy that escalated far enough to draw in the Prime Ministers of both nations.

The hosts are 2-0 behind and need to win to keep the series alive, while their opponents have the chance to become the first Australia team to win in England since 2001.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues heading into the game.

What impact will the Bairstow row have?

Alex Carey’s decision to throw down Bairstow’s stumps when the Englishman felt the ball was dead may well have changed the whole tone of the series. Relations between the teams are sure to be frostier, while Ben Stokes’ furious century in the immediate aftermath of the incident suggested something had been awoken in the home team. Can England harness that righteous anger in the right way and can others follow Stokes’ lead? Will Bairstow continue his career-long habit of turning in big performances when he feels most under pressure? Will Carey dare try it again? Finding out the answers to these questions should prove entertaining.

Headingley hostility

If Australia were taken aback by the vitriol they attracted at Lord’s, where even the usually serene environment of the Long Room took a turn, then they can expect the volume to be turned up again in Leeds. It would be no surprise if the touring side had to draw straws to find out who takes up fielding duty in front of the Western Terrace, a notoriously raucous stand that will be eager to make its collective voice heard. Measures are being taken to ensure things do not cross a line, but England will hope the partisan atmosphere serves them well.

A new-look England attack

The congested schedule meant England always planned to rotate their bowlers they have chosen this week to roll the dice, with record wicket-taker James Anderson making way alongside rookie Josh Tongue. Most striking is the return of Mark Wood, whose ability to bowl at speeds of more than 96mph mark him out as a major point of difference. Australia struggled with his pace at times in the last Ashes series and Stokes will be delighted to have his Durham colleague back. Moeen Ali is also ready after missing Lord’s, meaning a specialist spin option and some headaches for Australia’s left-handers. Finally there is a first appearance of the ‘Bazball’ era for the ultra-reliable Chris Woakes, whose record in England is outstanding.

Brook on the up

Harry Brook enjoyed a remarkable first winter in Test cricket, scoring four centuries in Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi and Wellington, but has yet to make a major mark on his first Ashes campaign. He has played some thrilling strokes but has also found unusual ways to get out and has a top score of 50. With that backdrop, England’s decision to promote him to number three in place of the injured Ollie Pope is a bold call. He has batted there before in his early days for Yorkshire, with limited success, but he enjoys the full trust of a dressing room that believes he can be a match-winner from any position. If the switch pays off, it could set the game up for England.

Another Smith century

Former Australia skipper Steve Smith is no stranger to reaching three figures on English soil, having scored centuries in 16 Ashes Tests here. His latest landmark is guaranteed, as he earns his 100th cap. Ten players have marked that occasion with a century in the past, with two of those on the field this week – Joe Root and David Warner. Smith will be going all out to join them on that list and an average of 61.82 in these conditions suggest he has all the pedigree to do so.

A strong all-round performance from Captain Hayley Matthews helped the West Indies Women pull off a thrilling two-wicket victory over Ireland in the first T20 International at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Tuesday.

The win means the Caribbean women take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Batting first, Ireland were restricted to 112-7 in their 20 overs, thanks to economical and accurate bowling by Matthews, who took 3-22 from her four overs and Cherry-Ann Fraser, who returned figures of 2-22.  Debutant Ashmini Munisar took 1-16.

Ireland captain Laura Delany top-scored with 34 and got support from Eimear Richardson with 22.

In pursuit of 113, the West Indies lost wickets regularly which slowed their scoring and forced it down to the last ball for a result.

Matthews led from the front with a top score of 37. Afy Fletcher added a valuable 19 when the game looked like it was slipping away from the home team but Vice-Captain Shemaine Campbelle guided the team to a final ball single and take victory.A

Speaking after the match, Matthews said, "A lot of nerves coming down to the end but still a lot of positives we can take from today’s game. We did a good job restricting Ireland to 112 on a really good batting wicket. Personally, I was happy to contribute to the win. Ashmini Munisar, making her debut, how economical she bowled and taking her first wicket was one of the positives and it’s a good sign for the future.”

The West Indies Women will be looking to go 2-0 up in the series when the teams meet again at the same venue on Thursday, July 6.

England have rung the changes as they seek to keep the Ashes alive in this week’s third Test at Headingley, with three alterations to the XI and a promotion for Harry Brook.

Brook is slated to step up to number three in place of Ollie Pope, whose summer is over due to a dislocated shoulder, while Moeen Ali, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes all return to the bowling attack.

With just three days between games, record wicket-taker James Anderson is rested after two modest performances, with Josh Tongue also stood down after an encouraging outing at Lord’s.

At 2-0 down with three to play, England are in now-or-never territory and have opted to overhaul not just the personnel, but the balance of their side.

While they are effectively one specialist batter down in Pope’s absence, the addition of Moeen and Woakes strengthens the lower order in response.

Wood’s belated introduction into the series – he was considered for last week’s second Test but there were some concerns over his workload – also gives England skipper Ben Stokes the express pace option he has been craving.

Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson top the wicket charts with 11 and 10 respectively, but England have been outmatched for air speed so far and Wood’s ability to hit up to 96mph gives Stokes a new weapon to unsettle the tourists.

Woakes makes his first appearance of the ‘Bazball’ era and Moeen is back in action after a badly-blistered right index finger saw him miss out at Lord’s.

England have rung the changes as they seek to keep the Ashes alive in this week’s third Test at Headingley, with three alterations to the XI and a promotion for Harry Brook.

Brook is slated to step up to number three in place of Ollie Pope, whose summer is over due to a dislocated shoulder, while Moeen Ali, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes all return to the bowling attack.

With just three days between games, record wicket-taker James Anderson is rested after two modest performances, with Josh Tongue also stood down after an encouraging outing at Lord’s.

At 2-0 down with three to play, England are in now-or-never territory and have opted to overhaul not just the personnel, but the balance of their side.

While they are effectively one specialist batter down in Pope’s absence, the addition of Moeen and Woakes strengthens the lower order in response.

Wood’s belated introduction into the series – he was considered for last week’s second Test but there were some concerns over his workload – also gives England skipper Ben Stokes the express pace option he has been craving.

Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson top the wicket charts with 11 and 10 respectively, but England have been outmatched for air speed so far and Wood’s ability to hit up to 96mph gives Stokes a new weapon to unsettle the tourists.

Woakes makes his first appearance of the ‘Bazball’ era and Moeen is back in action after a badly-blistered right index finger saw him miss out at Lord’s.

Jamaica, Barbados and the Windward Islands all got wins in round one of the 2023 CWI Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 50-over Championship in St. Vincent on Tuesday.

Jamaica were the most dominant team on the day, securing an eight-wicket win over Guyana at the Cumberland Playing Field.

In a game reduced to 30 overs-per side after a rain delay, the Guyanese were first skittled out for just 78 in 23.4 overs.

Michael Clarke led the Jamaicans with the ball with 3-13 from four overs while Reon Edwards took 3-18 from 4.4 overs. Deshawn James and Tamarie Redwood also took a pair of wickets, each.

Jamaica, then, needed just 14.5 overs to reach their target. Jordan Johnson finished 28* while Adrian Weir earlier made 19.

At the Sion Hill playing field, a match reduced to 39-overs per side saw defending champions Barbados beat Trinidad & Tobago by 37 runs.

Barbados posted 152 all out from their 39 overs batting first thanks to a top score of 35 from Nathan Sealy and solid contributions from Isaiah Folkes (25*) and Joshua Dorne (24).

Andrew Rambaran took 3-20 from his eight overs for T&T while Jacen Agard took 3-41 from seven.

Barbados then produced an excellent bowling display to reduce their opponents to 115 all out from 34 overs.

Rajeev Ramnath made a fighting 35 for T&T as pacers Renecio Smith and Dre Springer took seven wickets from 10 overs between them. Smith took 4-24 while Springer took 3-36.

The Windward Islands secured a 42-run win over the Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale in the day’s other game.

The Windwards posted 200-8 from their 50 overs batting first thanks to 35 from Tarrique Edward and 32 from Ackeem Auguste. Kimani Nisbett took 3-27 from six overs for the Leewards.

Then, despite contributions from Michael Palmer (31), Jewel Andrew (31) and Michael Greaves (28), the Leewards were dismissed for 158 in 45.4 overs.

Tarrique Edward completed a fine all-round effort with 3-23 from 10 overs for the Windwards.

West Indies Men will tour England in the summer of 2024 where they will play three Test matches. The series will bowl off at Lord’s on 10-14 July, followed by the second Test at Trent Bridge on 18-22 July and final contest at Edgbaston on 26-30 July.

The tour will mark the second occasion that the two teams will compete for the Richards-Botham Trophy – named in honor of cricket icons Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham. West Indies are the current holders having won the inaugural series which was played in the Caribbean in March 2022. The series will also form part of the ICC’s World Test Championship 2023 to 2025.

Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies said: “West Indies and England have had many enthralling duels on the field over the last 95 years and we expect another great series in 2024– which will mark the 40^th anniversary of the famous tour of 1984, when West Indies won 5-0. This series next year will see us defending the Richards-Botham Trophy, as we continue to celebrate the relationship of the teams and honor the legacy of two of the game’s greatest players.”

West Indies played their first Test matches against England at Lord’s in June 1928. Since them the two teams have met on 163 occasions – West Indies won 59, England won 51 with 53 drawn.

MATCH SCHEDULE

10-14 July: 1^st Test at Lord’s, London 

18-22 July: 2^nd Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

26-30: July 3^rd Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham

Joe Root is confident Jonny Bairstow “has the bit between his teeth” following his controversial stumping at Lord’s and expects him to be in the mood in front of a home crowd at Headingley this week.

Bairstow found himself at the eye of the storm during England’s unsuccessful run chase on Sunday, dismissed by fellow wicketkeeper Alex Carey after he believed the ball to be dead at the end of a Cameron Green over.

The incident sparked furious scenes at the home of cricket, with boos raining down on the tourists and three MCC members suspended for abusing Australia as they passed through the Long Room, and the row has barely died down since.

The furore has even broken into the political discourse, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese trading very different interpretations on the matter.

But there has been no word yet from the man England believe is the wronged party and he could be waiting to make it with bat in hand.

Bairstow has a long history of turning in memorable innings when he has had a point to prove – to pundits, selectors or opponents – and Root believes his fellow Yorkshireman is ready to produce another big performance.

“Jonny does thrive off things like this. You can bet your bottom dollar he will have the bit between his teeth,” he said.

“I don’t think he took it great, but I don’t think anyone would, would they? From his perspective he was not gaining any advantage. So, yeah, he felt a bit hard done by.

“I think it is set up nicely for him. He’s playing at his home ground and I’m sure he will want to entertain the local crowd. You’ll be able to spot it a mile off.

“You want to be watching every ball this week. There is always something in these big series and this is it, I guess. And it would have to involve Jonny.”

There have been countless instances of Bairstow taking his grievances out on opposition bowlers, including during the 2019 World Cup when he responded to a Twitter spat with Michael Vaughan by reeling off back-to-back hundreds that powered England to the final.

But Root most readily recalls last summer’s record fourth-innings chase of 378 against India, when he and his Yorkshire team-mate both hit unbeaten centuries following some needle in the middle.

“He’s done it previously. Go back to Edgbaston last year, someone said something to him – I think it was Virat Kohli – and brought the best out of him,” he said.

“Let’s hope it happens again.”

Root knows all about leadership in the heat of Ashes cricket, having overseen three campaigns against the old enemy during his five-and-a-half years in charge. He echoed the post-match verdict of his successor, Ben Stokes, confirming he would have withdrawn the appeal in matching circumstances.

And while Stokes invited Australia to think about “the spirit of cricket”, Root warned that the moment may harm their future standing in the game.

“As a team, we want to play our cricket in a certain way and leave a certain legacy,” he said.

“If I try to put myself in that situation, I think I would have dealt with it very differently. I care about England cricket and this team and what we’re about as a team. We all know how we want to play our cricket and we’ll continue to do it that way.

“There’s always going to be respect there. You’re allowed to disagree on certain things and see the game differently and clearly that is the case on this topic.”

Yorkshire have said they will be paying particular attention to security arrangements for the match following the angry scenes at Lord’s, working alongside the England and Wales Cricket Board and West Yorkshire Police, and while the famously lively atmosphere in the Western Terrace is likely to be in evidence, Root called for supporters to stay on the right side of the line.

“Support England, that’s the most important thing. You come to support your nations and it doesn’t need to go beyond that,” he said.

“It should never go beyond that. Everyone should be here to enjoy the cricket on the field. It shouldn’t be about anything other than that. Come here and support your team to the best of your ability, we’ll play to the best of ours.”

Spinner Sophie Ecclestone says England remain confident they can regain the Ashes despite falling six points behind in the series following defeat in Saturday’s first T20 international at Edgbaston.

The four-wicket loss in Birmingham means England must win all five remaining games if they are to wrest the title back from Australia, beginning with Wednesday’s meeting at the Oval.

Ecclestone took 10 wickets as the hosts lost June’s Test at Trent Bridge and followed up with 2-24 in the T20 opener, but neither were enough to prevent the tourists opening up a six-point series lead.

Lose at the Oval and that gap will become unassailable with four games still to play for Heather Knight’s side, but Ecclestone insisted that, despite the odds, there remains the belief inside the camp of winning a first Ashes series since 2019.

“We’ve seen weirder things happen than that in cricket,” she said. “We’re up for the challenge, we know exactly what we need to do. We’re really not far away from them and that makes us confident going into the rest of the series.

“It’s obviously going to be a really hard task to beat the Aussies, five out of five as we go along, but we’re really confident going into tomorrow. We had the crowd behind us I think on Saturday.

“We’ve had conversations and a few meetings about how we want to go about our cricket tomorrow. We’re really confident going into it and hopefully we can pull it off.”

Around 20,000 were in attendance to see Australia pip England at Edgbaston on Saturday, following a women’s Test record crowd of 23,117 for day five at Trent Bridge.

The ECB has promised a Women’s Test will be held at Lord’s for the first time in 2026, while on Tuesday it was announced that England will face New Zealand at the home of cricket in a T20 international next July.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” said Ecclestone. “It’s so exciting to play in front of all these crowds. Playing at the grounds we are at the minute on Saturday nights,  I think it’s amazing to look ahead to what we’ve got going on.

“It makes me really excited to play cricket. Having these crowds at these grounds, I think we’re just really excited to get there and entertain them and hopefully inspire the next generation to play cricket.”

Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner echoed the same spirit that hosting women’s fixtures at major Test venues marks a welcome step forward.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I’ve never played an Ashes game at either of those grounds (the Oval and Lord’s), so we haven’t played at top-tier venues.

“It’s something we all love to do. It’s something I’m looking forward to, hopefully we can come away with a win.”

Scotland bolstered their chances of reaching the Cricket World Cup with a 31-run victory over Zimbabwe.

Scotland looked in control of proceedings with Christopher McBride and Matthew Cross at the crease but a flurry of wickets slowed Scotland down and they looked well short of a par score before a late Michael Leask burst got them to 234.

Home side Zimbabwe got their chase off to a terrible start, losing four wickets in their opening powerplay, but a stabilising partnership between Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl ensured a total collapse was not about to happen.

But Scotland began to take regular wickets and Zimbabwe fell short, ending their qualification hopes.

Scotland lost the toss and were thrown in to bat first – and a solid 50 partnership between McBride and Cross was put on the board before the former had his stumps rearranged by Tendai Chatara.

But Scotland went again with another partnership when Brandon McMullen came to the crease as they passed 100 with the loss of just one wicket but Sean Williams produced a stunning three wickets in six overs to remove Cross and McMullen before Richie Berrington spooned one to Innocent Kaia at long off as they slumped to 118 for four.

The visitors’ run rate seemingly came to a standstill as the Zimbabwean attack ate further into the wickets column. Firstly Tomas Mackintosh was caught out of his crease when Blessing Muzarabani deflected George Munsey’s effort onto the stumps before he was bowled by Richard Ngarava and a mix-up in the middle led to Chris Greaves being run out.

Scotland looked like they would fall short but Leask’s burst of 48 from 34 balls ushered them to a respectable total of 234.

After the changeover, Joylord Gumbie edged Chris Sole with the very first ball of the innings to instantly put them on the backfoot and the Scottish seamer had his tail up when he castled both Craig Ervine and the in-form Williams with just 29 on the board.

Kaia was next to fall when he was caught leg before wicket and after Raza was dropped by Greaves, he made amends when he got his wicket with the hosts 140 runs away from the total.

Wesley Madhevere was next to fall and Zimbabwe’s only hope rested on the shoulders of Burl but he hit one big shot too many off Leask and their dreams of reaching the World Cup in India came crashing down.

England batter Joe Root suggested the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow in last week’s Lord’s Test could harm Australia’s “legacy” in the game.

The fallout from Alex Carey’s dismissal of his fellow wicketkeeper at Lord’s is showing no signs of slowing down and the issue has even reached Prime Ministerial level with both Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese wading into the debate.

England captain Ben Stokes made it clear at the end of the game that he would not have pursued the appeal, with Bairstow clearly treating the ball as dead after he ducked the final ball of a Cameron Green over, and his predecessor has backed up those words.

Root, who captained his country for five and a half years and knows plenty about the heat of the Ashes moment, expressed surprise at how much oxygen the issue was getting but made his own position clear ahead of Thursday’s third Test.

“There has been a lot said… I can’t believe how much has been covered on it. But if I try to put myself in that situation, I think I would have dealt with it very differently,” he said.

“I think Ben spoke very well on it. As a team we want to play our cricket in a certain way and leave a certain legacy. Clearly, it has been very different how we have gone about Test cricket in the past 18 months in terms of how we play our cricket physically, if you like. I also think we play our cricket in a slightly different way in that respect as well.”

Asked if Australia’s conduct had tarnished their attempts to rebuild reputations following the ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal five years ago, Root added: “I don’t think it’s really for me to say to be honest. I care about England cricket and this team and what we’re about as a team. We all know how we want to play our cricket and we’ll continue to do it that way.

“There’s always going to be respect there. You’re allowed to disagree on certain things and see the game differently and clearly that is the case on this topic.”

Yorkshire have said they will be paying particular attention to security arrangements for the match following angry scenes at Lord’s, both in the stands and in the MCC Long Room. Three members were suspended pending an investigation and Root called for his hometown ground to keep their support on the right side of the line.

“Support England, that’s the most important thing. You come to support your nations and it doesn’t need to go beyond that,” he said.

“It should never go beyond that. Everyone should be here to enjoy the cricket on the field. It shouldn’t be about anything other than that. Come here and support your team to the best of your ability, we’ll play to the best of ours.”

England vice-captain Ollie Pope has been ruled out for the rest of the summer with a dislocated shoulder in another blow to his side’s Ashes hopes.

Pope suffered the injury while fielding early in the second Test at Lord’s, and later aggravated the problem after a miscommunication with match officials led England to believe they were not permitted to use a substitute fielder in the second innings.

Scans on Monday revealed that he would require surgery and he will now be out for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. In the short term England are likely to draft in Dan Lawrence, the spare batter in their 15-man squad, for Thursday’s third Test at Headingley.

He won the last of his 11 Test caps last March and has not played since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge of the side. England have decided not to call up any additional batting cover.

A statement from the ECB read: “England and Surrey batter Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the rest of the LV= Insurance men’s Ashes series after dislocating his right shoulder during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last week.

“Scans in London on Monday revealed the full extent of the injury and he will miss the rest of the summer campaign and will require surgery. He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation.”