England have been left with a mountain to climb to regain the Women’s Ashes after Australia seized the upper hand in the multi-format series by triumphing in the lone Test.
Resuming on 116 for five in pursuit of 268 on a final day where Trent Bridge threw open its gates free of charge, England subsided to 178 all out inside 90 minutes despite a defiant 54 from Danni Wyatt.
Wily off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner’s eight for 66 saw her walk away with a 12-wicket match haul as Australia claimed an 89-run victory to collect four all-important points ahead of the ODIs and T20s.
If England are to retrieve the urn for the first time since 2015 they will have to prevail in five of the six white-ball contests against the ODI and T20 world champions, with two points per win on offer.
Sophie Ecclestone fervently believes England can still win the lone Women’s Ashes Test, insisting she would have “bitten your hand off” for the difficult position they find themselves in.
England took to the field on the penultimate day at Trent Bridge with a telling-off from head coach Jon Lewis still ringing in their ears after Australia had racked up 82 in 19 overs late on Saturday.
But Ecclestone showed why she is widely regarded as the world’s best women’s spinner with another five-wicket haul to finish with 10 for the match as Australia collapsed from 149 for one to 257 all out.
England’s openers put on 55 in their pursuit of 268 to draw first blood in this multi-format series but Ashleigh Gardner snared Tammy Beaumont, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight as the hosts wobbled.
They closed on 116 for five and need another 152 but their fightback with the ball has convinced Ecclestone the Test remains in the balance.
“We’ll always believe in that dressing room,” she said. “We’re definitely going into it ready to win that Test match. I’m absolutely backing our team to do that.
“We’d have bitten your hand off for this situation (on Saturday) after our disappointment. We had a bit of a rocket so we had to go at them early, put a lot of pressure on them, put it all back on them.
“We definitely showed that. I’m really proud of this team. We’re just going to go away and we’ve got to figure out how we’re going to win the Test match.”
Ecclestone was selected as England’s lone frontline spinner and has been one of the Test’s standout performers with remarkable figures of 77.1-16-192-10 on a pitch that is becoming increasingly tired.
The odd delivery has kept low while Gardner extracted prodigious turn to trap Knight on the crease late on in Sunday’s evening session. Gardner is one of three Australia spinners although Alana King did not bowl in England’s second innings after sustaining a painful blow to her elbow when batting.
While Ecclestone conceded she did not anticipate bowling as many overs as she has, she is appreciative of doing so after becoming just the fourth English woman to take a 10-wicket match haul.
“I’m absolutely buzzing,” she said. “There’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of overs put in up until this point. I really wanted a five-for and to get two I’m absolutely made up.
“I knew I was going to bowl a lot of overs, I didn’t think it would be this many but I’m grateful that I was bowling a lot as I’ve come out with 10 wickets and I’m made up with that.”
As for how she prepared for the enormous workload she took on, Ecclestone said: “Not much, just made sure I played as much golf as I could to get out and about and take my mind off cricket.
“I think you can’t really prepare for that, you’ve just got to go with it and be tough in the mind.”
Ecclestone was similarly phlegmatic when asked to explain England losing four wickets in 29 deliveries before Test debutant Danni Wyatt and nightwatcher Kate Cross got them to stumps.
“It just shows that Test cricket changes so fast,” she added. “Dan and Crossy played really well to get us through to the end of the day. We’ll have to come back and put them back under pressure.”
Half-centuries from Beth Mooney, out for 85, and captain Alyssa Healy, who ended a run of three Test ducks in a row with a crucial 50 after demoting herself to number eight, buttressed Australia’s total.
That they are in pole position to claim a first Ashes Test win since 2015 – there have been three successive draws – owes much to extending this contest from the customary four days into a fifth.
The notion was proposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board and accepted by Cricket Australia last year, and there is a prospect of a thrilling finish – with four points available for a win.
“This is a sign of why it’s important,” Mooney said. “At a really critical point it would be a real shame if it just petered out (into a draw), so credit to the ECB.”
Sophie Ecclestone fervently believes England can still win the lone Women’s Ashes Test, insisting she would have “bitten your hand off” for the difficult position they find themselves in.
England took to the field on the penultimate day at Trent Bridge with a telling-off from head coach Jon Lewis still ringing in their ears after Australia had racked up 82 in 19 overs late on Saturday.
But Ecclestone showed why she is widely regarded as the world’s best women’s spinner with another five-wicket haul to finish with 10 for the match as Australia collapsed from 149 for one to 257 all out.
England’s openers put on 55 in their pursuit of 268 to draw first blood in this multi-format series but Ashleigh Gardner snared Tammy Beaumont, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight as the hosts wobbled.
They closed on 116 for five and need another 152 but their fightback with the ball has convinced Ecclestone the Test remains in the balance.
“We’ll always believe in that dressing room,” she said. “We’re definitely going into it ready to win that Test match. I’m absolutely backing our team to do that.
“We’d have bitten your hand off for this situation (on Saturday) after our disappointment. We had a bit of a rocket so we had to go at them early, put a lot of pressure on them, put it all back on them.
“We definitely showed that. I’m really proud of this team. We’re just going to go away and we’ve got to figure out how we’re going to win the Test match.”
Ecclestone was selected as England’s lone frontline spinner and has been one of the Test’s standout performers with remarkable figures of 77.1-16-192-10 on a pitch that is becoming increasingly tired.
The odd delivery has kept low while Gardner extracted prodigious turn to trap Knight on the crease late on in Sunday’s evening session. Gardner is one of three Australia spinners although Alana King did not bowl in England’s second innings after sustaining a painful blow to her elbow when batting.
While Ecclestone conceded she did not anticipate bowling as many overs as she has, she is appreciative of doing so after becoming just the fourth English woman to take a 10-wicket match haul.
“I’m absolutely buzzing,” she said. “There’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of overs put in up until this point. I really wanted a five-for and to get two I’m absolutely made up.
“I knew I was going to bowl a lot of overs, I didn’t think it would be this many but I’m grateful that I was bowling a lot as I’ve come out with 10 wickets and I’m made up with that.”
As for how she prepared for the enormous workload she took on, Ecclestone said: “Not much, just made sure I played as much golf as I could to get out and about and take my mind off cricket.
“I think you can’t really prepare for that, you’ve just got to go with it and be tough in the mind.”
Ecclestone was similarly phlegmatic when asked to explain England losing four wickets in 29 deliveries before Test debutant Danni Wyatt and nightwatcher Kate Cross got them to stumps.
“It just shows that Test cricket changes so fast,” she added. “Dan and Crossy played really well to get us through to the end of the day. We’ll have to come back and put them back under pressure.”
Half-centuries from Beth Mooney, out for 85, and captain Alyssa Healy, who ended a run of three Test ducks in a row with a crucial 50 after demoting herself to number eight, buttressed Australia’s total.
That they are in pole position to claim a first Ashes Test win since 2015 – there have been three successive draws – owes much to extending this contest from the customary four days into a fifth.
The notion was proposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board and accepted by Cricket Australia last year, and there is a prospect of a thrilling finish – with four points available for a win.
“This is a sign of why it’s important,” Mooney said. “At a really critical point it would be a real shame if it just petered out (into a draw), so credit to the ECB.”
England were left in a spin by Ashleigh Gardner as their hopes of victory in the lone Women’s Ashes Test drastically receded despite the indefatigable Sophie Ecclestone’s 10-wicket match haul.
The slow left-armer claimed back-to-back five-wicket hauls to finish with astonishing figures of 77.1-16-192-10 this week and restrict Australia to 257, which left England requiring 268 for victory.
Despite Emma Lamb and Tammy Beaumont putting on opening stand of 55, Gardner’s introduction to the attack was the catalyst for a top-order collapse as England ended day four on 116 for five.
Gardner’s wily off-spin bagged first-innings double centurion Beaumont, star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt and captain Heather Knight, leaving England needing an improbable 152 to win on the final day on a Trent Bridge pitch that has shown several signs of keeping low and had appreciable turn.
Australia require five wickets to collect a first Ashes Test triumph since 2015 and seal a sizeable four points that would go a long way to helping them retain the urn in this multi-format series.
They had been under the cosh as Lamb (28) and Beaumont (22) started the chase well. But Gardner had bowled Beaumont with her last ball in England’s first innings and struck immediately in the second to remove the same batter, whose attempt to dig out a fuller, flighted delivery ended up at first slip.
Australia got the benefit of the umpire’s raised finger after Tahlia McGrath thudded into Lamb’s front pad as a review showed the ball would have trimmed leg stump.
Knight got off nought with a heave for six but, in attempting something similar later in the over, Sciver-Brunt, who had earlier fallen in a heap at the end of an over while bowling amid concerns about her right knee, got a top-edge off Gardner which looped to short leg.
If that was something of a gift, Gardner found prodigious turn to trap Knight on the crease. While there was some suspicion she might have been outside the line, the impact went with the umpire.
Knight’s downfall meant England had lost four wickets in 29 balls to lurch to 73 for four and they lost another before the close as Kim Garth found the outside edge of Sophia Dunkley.
Test debutant Danni Wyatt made it to stumps unbeaten on 20 with nightwatcher Kate Cross (5no) seeing out 12 deliveries to ensure there were no further alarms.
Earlier, Cross required strapping after injuring her left thumb when shelling a waist-high chance to reprieve Phoebe Litchfield on 42 as Australia resumed on 82 without loss and a lead of 92.
But Cross atoned for a mistake that yielded just four runs with a delivery that jagged back and took out out off-stump as Litchfield was out again offering no shot.
Sciver-Brunt got both hands to a return chance after Beth Mooney had passed 50 but could not cling on before Lauren Filer took the fielders out of the equation as Ellyse Perry chopped on for 25 to fall for the second time to the England debutant, who then beat McGrath for pace by uprooting leg-stump.
The strikes in consecutive wicket maidens gave England a fillip ahead of lunch before the metronomic Ecclestone got into the act upon the resumption as Jess Jonassen had her bails disturbed after missing a full-blooded slog-sweep to a delivery that turned and snaked under her bat.
Annabel Sutherland was promoted two spots to six and the first-innings centurion had a life on nought when Wyatt spilled a difficult chance at square-leg, but Mooney was on her way for 85 after an attempted cut off Ecclestone took the under-edge before dislodging the stumps.
Gardner lasted just three balls as a low edge off Cross was held by a juggling Knight while Sutherland’s streaky innings concluded on 14 after she tamely lobbed to Wyatt.
Australia had stretched their lead to above 200 but they almost lost their fourth wicket in 13 deliveries as Alyssa Healy, who had demoted herself to eight after three successive Test ducks, got a thin edge to her first ball which brushed the glove of Amy Jones before rolling away.
The Australia captain rebuilt alongside Alana King in what may yet be a crucial 59-run stand either side of tea.
Healy was the aggressor but King’s departure after being squared up and edging to slip in Lauren Bell’s first over of the day marked the beginning of the end as Australia lost their final three wickets in seven balls.
Ecclestone grinned sheepishly and had her head in her hands after Healy bunted a rank full toss to Lamb, who took a catch above her head, before whirling away in celebration as Darcie Brown was lbw when she missed a forward prod to finish with second-innings figures of 30.5-7-63-5.
England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed has been backed to relish the big stage if selected to make his Ashes debut in next week’s second Test at Lord’s.
Leicestershire leg-spinner Ahmed has been called up to the England squad after the thrilling curtain-raiser at Edgbaston, which saw Australia win by two wickets to move 1-0 up in the series.
Teenager Ahmed, the youngest man to play Test cricket for England after his December appearance in Pakistan, was drafted into the set-up owing to concerns over Moeen Ali’s injured finger.
Moeen reversed his decision to retire from red-ball cricket to feature in the series opener – after Jack Leach was ruled out of the Ashes with a stress fracture – but a burst blister on his right index finger troubled the off-spinner in Birmingham.
The wound is being monitored by England’s medical staff ahead of Wednesday’s start and while there is optimism Moeen will be passed fit, Leicestershire’s director of cricket Claude Henderson knows the county’s talented prospect will be ready if called upon.
Henderson told the PA news agency: “Rehan is one of those characters: the bigger the game, the more he wants to stand up.
“He loves the big stage so let’s see what happens. I don’t know what the situation is like with him yet regarding the next Test but he joined them today and let’s see where that goes.
“He loves a challenge. He doesn’t play names, he plays the ball. He loves cricket and just wants to compete against the best players in the world, which is a great attitude to have.”
If Moeen does not recover in time, England could still leave Ahmed out of their XI and go with an all-seam attack at Lord’s supplemented by Joe Root’s off breaks.
Ahmed is not short of match practice though, having featured in seven of Leicestershire’s red-ball fixtures in Division Two.
Four half-centuries have followed and the 18-year-old reserved his best display for Headingley, home of the third Ashes Test, where he claimed three for 89 and smashed 85 in a memorable three-wicket win for his county.
“He has played a massive role for us in the County Championship. He came in at number seven, got good runs, got a 90 (against Glamorgan) and got a hundred at the back end of last year, so he is a really promising batter,” Henderson added.
“His bowling has shown a lot of good signs as well. April and May can be tricky in county cricket for leg spin but he stuck at it, has shown progress and is just a wonderful character to have in the changing room.
“It is important from us on Rehan’s development to keep getting him overs, which is great. We’ll keep doing that to try and create opportunities for him to develop as the final cricketer.”
Six wickets at an average of 67.66 and an economy rate of 4.01 in Division Two this season may not strike fear into the Australians, but Ahmed showed on his Test debut with five for 48 in Karachi the difficulty of picking up his leg breaks.
At the age of 11, Ahmed had bowled to future captain Ben Stokes in the nets and two years later left the late Shane Warne in awe of his wrist spin.
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England’s decision to again go bold and call up the teenager to cover Moeen over more experienced options suggests even if there is no Ashes debut at Lord’s, Ahmed could break Brian Close’s record as England’s youngest player in the men’s Ashes later this summer.
And if not, Henderson feels the all-rounder can continue to aid Leicestershire’s promotion charge.
He said: “Look, let’s see what happens. We never know with Lord’s, Lord’s can spin.
“It depends on the weather and what they want to do but he just offers so much in the changing room, with the bat and he is the whole package.
“We’ll see what England say. I know they do send back some players when they are not playing, they ask them to go back and play county cricket.
“I think it would be healthy for Rehan to keep playing cricket, not sit on the bench but there are always opportunities and it is just great for us to see him back in the mix with England.”
Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets to lead England’s fightback on the penultimate afternoon of the Women’s Ashes Test but Australia increased their lead to 264 at Trent Bridge.
Australia were cruising on 149 for one but then lurched to 198 for seven, with Ecclestone to the fore as the tourists lost four wickets in 34 balls at a hectic juncture in the afternoon session.
Lauren Filer bowled Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath in the morning, but there were a few let-offs for Australia’s batters as England dropped six chances of varying degrees of difficulty.
Beth Mooney’s 85 plus 47 from Alyssa Healy underpinned Australia’s teatime 254 for seven on day four in what is effectively a one-innings shootout at the start of this multi-format series.
Mooney put on 99 with fellow opener Phoebe Litchfield (46) and 50 with Perry (25) and was the beneficiary of being dropped on 55 as Nat Sciver-Brunt spilled a difficult return catch with her first delivery in Australia’s second dig.
Sciver-Brunt went off before tea after falling in a heap at the end of her ninth over, having been restricted in Australia’s first innings because of a jarred right knee.
Despite Tammy Beaumont’s historic double century on Saturday, Australia had edged ahead through Mooney and Litchfield, who outlined her intentions on the penultimate morning with an uppish drive at Ecclestone. She was reprieved after Cross spilled a simple waist-high chance at extra cover.
Cross required strapping on her left thumb but was able to continue bowling, and the England seamer’s drop proved not to be too costly as she got a delivery to jag back alarmingly towards Litchfield, who offered no shot and lost her off stump.
There was movement and spin in sunny and blustery conditions but England were largely unable to take advantage. Mooney offered a sharp caught and bowled chance after passing 50 but Sciver-Brunt could not cling on in her follow-through despite getting both hands to the ball.
Heather Knight’s off-spin drew the outside edge of Perry on 21 but the ball flew between wicketkeeper and slip. The talismanic Australia all-rounder’s luck ran out soon after as, leaning back and shaping to cut, she merely inside edged on to her stumps.
Cheered on by the Nottingham crowd, Filer struck in her next over as a fuller, pacy delivery proved too much for McGrath, whose leg stump was flattened, in a second successive wicket maiden.
Australia progressed to 178 for three post-lunch before Jess Jonassen saw her bails dislodged after missing a full-blooded sweep at Ecclestone, with the ball snaking under her bat, while Mooney’s cross batted shot to the slow left-armer ended with her under-edging on to her stumps.
Ashleigh Gardner lasted just three balls as a low edge off Cross was held by a juggling Knight while Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt put down difficult chances off first-innings centurion Annabel Sutherland, who was out for a streaky 14 after lobbing Ecclestone tamely to square-leg.
Healy demoted herself to number eight and might have recorded a fourth successive Test duck after getting a thin edge to her first delivery but the ball brushed the glove of Jones, standing up to the stumps, before rolling away.
Healy (47 not out) and Alana King (9no) steadied Australia following the flurry of wickets with an unbroken 56-run partnership but a few minutes before the end of the session there were England concerns as Sciver-Brunt limped off the field after falling to the ground in her follow-through.
Australian batter Travis Head has laughed off sledging from England during and since the thrilling Ashes opener at Edgbaston – and has sent a word of warning to Ollie Robinson.
Robinson is viewed in some quarters down under as the pantomime villain following his expletive-laden send-off to Usman Khawaja, with Australian greats Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting rounding on the Sussex seamer in the wake of the tourists’ two-wicket win.
It has not deterred Robinson, who – in a column for Wisden.com this week – expressed his surprise at how “defensive” Australia were, and claimed England’s opponents must change their style to come out on top during the five-match series.
England opener Zak Crawley, meanwhile, predicted on Times Radio recently that the hosts would win the upcoming second Test at Lord’s by 150 runs.
“We’re only going for the lunch, apparently,” Head told 9News Sydney. “Yeah, they have got this mantra they’re going at.
“Not just on the field but off the field they are throwing some nice chat out, but this team is truly just worried about what we need to do to win the second Test to go 2-0 up and put some pressure on them.”
Middle-order batter Head hit 50 at Edgbaston and put on 79 for the fourth wicket with Khawaja, who faced plenty of verbals from Robinson in Birmingham.
Robinson ended Khawaja’s marathon knock and claimed five wickets during the first Test, but Head insisted the England bowler will have to improve if he wants to retain his position in Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ team.
Head added: “I find it pretty fun. I had a few quiet words, jovial words, to him out there.
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“It all makes for good fun and we’ll see where the next four Tests go.
“It didn’t go his way in the first one but he’s very competitive and he will want to step up. But if he doesn’t, I think they have got a few people at home that might want to get up his back.”
Head trained with his Australian team-mates at Lord’s on Sunday ahead of the second Test getting under way on Wednesday.
Fellow batters Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were also present, having spent their Saturdays at the Home of Cricket in the nets following their low scores at Edgbaston.
Labuschagne took a painful blow to a finger on his right hand during his Saturday net session, but was fine to carry on after being checked over by team doctor Leigh Golding.
Lauren Filer made a crucial double breakthrough for England but Australia stretched their lead to 167 in the one-off Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.
Cross atoned for dropping Phoebe Litchfield minutes into the fourth morning by uprooting the off-stump of the Australia opener, out leaving for the second time in the match on her Test bow.
England debutant Filer, meanwhile, accounted for the highly-rated Ellyse Perry and then took out the leg stump of Tahlia McGrath, but Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 73 helped to lift Australia to 157 for three.
Mooney put on 99 with Litchfield (46) and 50 with Perry (25) and was the beneficiary of being dropped on 55 as Nat Sciver-Brunt, having only bowled five overs in the first innings before a sore knee, spilled a difficult return catch with her first delivery in Australia’s second dig.
Despite Tammy Beaumont’s historic double century on Saturday, Australia had edged ahead through Mooney and Litchfield, who outlined her intentions on the penultimate morning with an uppish drive at Sophie Ecclestone. She was reprieved after Cross spilled a simple waist-high chance at extra cover.
Cross required strapping on her left thumb but was able to continue bowling, and the England seamer’s drop proved not to be too costly as she got a delivery to jag back alarmingly towards Litchfield, who offered no shot and lost her off stump.
There was movement and spin in sunny and blustery conditions but England were largely unable to take advantage. Mooney offered a sharp caught and bowled chance after passing 50 but Sciver-Brunt could not cling on in her follow-through despite getting both hands to the ball.
Heather Knight’s off-spin drew the outside edge of Perry on 21 but the ball flew between wicketkeeper and slip, but the talismanic Australia all-rounder’s luck ran out soon after as, leaning back and shaping to cut, she merely inside edged on to her stumps.
Cheered on by the Nottingham crowd, Filer struck in her next over as a fuller, pacy delivery proved too much for McGrath, whose leg stump was flattened, in a second successive wicket maiden for the England youngster.
Tammy Beaumont believes her historic 208 in the lone Women’s Ashes Test may have been inadvertently aided by being axed from England’s T20 set-up last year.
After breaking Betty Snowball’s 88-year record for the highest score by an England woman in going past 189, Beaumont became her nation’s first double centurion and just the eighth female overall in Tests.
Her epic knock – which helped England to 463 and a 10-run deficit before Australia got their noses in front by closing on 82 without loss to lead by 92 at Trent Bridge – raised the question as to whether Beaumont can slot back into the T20 side after being dropped ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
While Beaumont was coy at the suggestion, the England opener, who has featured in 99 T20 internationals, admitted being discarded led to her working hard to seek advancements in her batting.
“It’s certainly not been on my mind in the last three or four days, Test match cricket is very different to T20 cricket – even though the England men try to make it look pretty similar,” she joked.
“How I’ve worked this winter on my game, that probably has had an impact on me trying to find that motivation to get better and improve.
“I’ve worked on trying to not get hit on the front pad so much and get out lbw. That came about from trying to be more aggressive in the T20 game and access midwicket and because of that, I’m defending the ball better.
“In an indirect way, it’s definitely played a part but it’s also reminded me that I’ve got a lot of cricket left that I want to play for England. Whether that’s in T20 cricket or not, who knows?”
Beaumont, who batted for more than eight hours across two days and struck 27 fours, revealed she was unaware she had eclipsed Snowball’s innings against New Zealand in Christchurch in February 1935.
“No, not at all,” she said. “I think when I hit the ball, it was announced and Sophie Ecclestone was desperate to give me a hug. But I was like ‘no, no, the job’s not done here’, so I just sent her away.
“I guess I was in the zone and I wasn’t thinking about records. I’d been really calm and tried to not show any emotion for two days but when I hit that run (to get to 200), it all came out.
“If you’re going to score 200 for England, you might as well celebrate it properly.”
England’s seamers were leggy and wayward at the outset of Australia’s second innings, with Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield putting on a 50-stand in just 55 balls as boundaries proved easy to come by.
With an enviable pool of batting talent to come – Annabel Sutherland scored a century from number eight first time around – Australia are already flying in a Test that is effectively a one-innings shootout.
Beaumont, though, feels England will be seeking to disrupt their progress on what remains a flat pitch at the start of the penultimate day.
“We’ve got to come out fighting and knock a few over,” she said. “Whoever comes out and seizes the moment in the morning and early afternoon session will be the one in charge.”
One prospect is Australia trying to bat England out of the game then declare ahead of or early into day five but Beaumont insisted that scenario would not be followed by the hosts just going for a draw, with captain Heather Knight and head coach Jon Lewis having emphasised an attacking approach this summer.
“It’s still a good track to bat on,” she said. “There are plenty of runs out there to get and we want to push ourselves and we want to try and get a result, no one came here for a draw.
“If they set us a target I have a feeling we’ll be giving it a good old crack.”
Off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner, who was the pick of the Australia bowling attack with four for 99, was adamant the tourists do not have a total in mind before declaring.
“I would certainly say there’s probably going to be a result and that’s what we’re going to be pushing for,” she said. “But I don’t think there’s a real target in mind that we’ve spoken about as a group.”
While acknowledging that playing in Australia has assisted in her development as a player to arguably become the best goal shooter in the world, Jamaica's ace Jhaniele Fowler says international players have given the Super Netball competition more flavour and flair.
Fowler, who represents the West Coast Fever shared her views in the midst of a debate about whether Super Netball should have a cap on international players, who currently make up 17.5 per cent of all players in the tournament.
Fowler, a five-time league MVP, believes the competition should remain open.
“International players do come in and make the competition rounded and exciting. We do bring a little bit of different flavour, a bit of flair, but just more talents and more skill set,” Fowler said in a recent interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
Though the Australia Football League (AFL), the Australia Football League Women’s (AFLW) and the A-Leagues don’t have any official caps on international players –with the caveat that salary caps can limit star imports –the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) limits imports to two per team, while the National Basketball League (NBL) is capped at three.
In a global context, the Women’s Super League soccer competition in England has a “home grown players” clause where in a squad of 25 players registered in their squad cap, there must be at least 15 registered home-grown players. A home-grown player is someone who, irrespective of their nationality, has been registered with a club affiliated to the Football Association for three seasons – or 36 months – before their 21st birthday.
In the UK-based Netball Superleague, teams are permitted up to two overseas players, but a team cannot have more than one overseas player in the attacking, midcourt or defensive positions on the court at once.
But, where Super Netball is concerned, Fowler is one of seven Jamaican players in the Australian league, including Thunderbirds defensive duo Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson and Collingwood’s Shimona Nelson.
For Fowler, moving to Australia has made her a more complete player, as she pointed to improvements to her craft under elite coaches and, by extension, playing against the best in the world each week. But in the same breath, she is of the view that it is also a two-way street, as the Jamaican players have made the game more exciting.
“They’re amazing, they’re so athletic,” said Fowler.
“Just week in, week out, when you see the Jamaican players go out there, the commentators, everyone, has to talk about them because they have made such an impact in this league in their teams,” she added.
Former Diamonds head coach, and a current coaching mentor, Lisa Alexander, didn’t think there should be a cap on international players, but her stance was different while she was Australia’s coach.
“As a national coach with a different purpose, I thought differently in the past and did call for restrictions to be two imports per team. If we eventually become the best in the world like the NBA [is to basketball], then we must have a draft and salary cap,” she said.
Alexander explained that, without a cap, the Super Netball competition would continue to provide a world-class competition for Australian athletes to compete in, week in, week out.
Netball legend and Hall of Famer Jill McIntosh praised the strength of the league but pushed for a cap on the number of international players allowed in the competition.
McIntosh, who captained Australia to their 1983 World Cup win, said that while imports have been good for the league, she is worried that without a limit, potential Diamonds players could be benched.
“We’re not in the Olympics, so our World Cup is our pinnacle,” McIntosh said. “I want to see the sport survive and thrive.”
Meanwhile, veteran netballer Ash Brazill said she would like to see more teams added to the competition to give more opportunities to local players, given the spots taken up by international players.
“I can’t wait to see extra teams added to our league because in the end there are only 80 spots, and we have 25 internationals. It’s pretty hard as Australians to get one of those 55 spots that are left. I think we definitely need some more teams for the Australian pool,” said Brazill.
However, Fowler reiterated international players also improve world netball by affording more opportunities for players in countries that don’t have avenues to develop or play.
“I reckon it should just stay open because, if you look, there are still teams in the league that do not really have an international player on their team yet. I reckon I can safely say that, and if anything, some teams just maybe have one international player,” Fowler argued.
She continued: “But I reckon, yeah, bring the international players in, also give them the experience because other countries don’t have the competition back home to develop players.
“So, it would be good for netball on a whole because then you will see that the competition is not just Australia, New Zealand, England or Jamaica in top four – other countries are putting out and delivering as well. And then netball is just going to be even more exciting. You just don’t want to see the same countries winning all the time.”
That international rivalry will be put on show at the upcoming World Cup in Cape Town in next month, but first Fowler has a Super Netball semi-final to win.
Despite West Coast having an inconsistent season with “ups and downs”, the 36-year-old Fowler said they are proud to have finished in third spot, meaning they take on Melbourne Vixens in a knockout grand final rematch in which the Fever will have home-court advantage.
“Definitely, it will be pretty good coming up against the Vixens. They’re going to be a really tough team to beat, but we know that we have what it takes to win,” Fowler declared.
“The green army, they’re really loud, and they also always help to get us over the line, so we’re going to make sure to capitalize on having the home court,” she ended.
Nat Sciver-Brunt fell for 78 but Tammy Beaumont helped England surge past 300 to eat into Australia’s lead on the third morning of the lone Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.
Beaumont advanced her overnight 100 to 144 not out as England went to lunch on 308 for three to trail by 165, although Sciver-Brunt was unable to join her team-mate into three figures as she nicked off.
However, the pair’s stand was worth 137 in just 187 balls as Australia struggled to make inroads on a flat pitch despite rotating their options – having used eight bowlers in this England innings.
They resolutely stuck with seam for more than the first hour of the day before off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner made Australia’s sole breakthrough of the session after drawing a mistake from Sciver-Brunt.
She might have been dismissed without adding to her overnight 41 after missing a flick and being rapped on the front pad by Darcie Brown but England’s star all-rounder reviewed the lbw decision and was vindicated as Hawk-Eye showed the ball would have gone on to drift past leg stump.
It was a chancy start from Sciver-Brunt, who also edged Kim Garth just out of the reach of the slips on 42 after England had added just one run to their overnight 218 for two in the first three overs.
In the next over, Beaumont settled by driving, steering then pulling Brown for three fours in an over while Sciver-Brunt was soon into her stride with three successive fours off Annabel Sutherland.
Beaumont and Sciver-Brunt were rarely troubled by Australia’s seamers so it was a surprise the tourists waited 75 minutes to turn to spin – and their folly was exposed as Gardner struck with her ninth ball.
Backing away for an attempted cut, Sciver-Brunt, who showed no sign of a minor knee injury which restricted her to bowling just fiver overs in Australia’s innings, got a thick edge to a flatter delivery and Alyssa Healy held on.
Seamer Tahlia McGrath offered some control with her tight lines, conceding just 13 runs in seven overs, while in the over before lunch leg-spinner Alana King found prodigious turn with one delivery, which may offer Australia some cheer heading into the next session.
Steve Smith says he felt like he had drunk “a dozen beers” last time he played at Lord’s, as he prepares to return to the venue for the second Ashes Test.
The Australia batsman became the first cricketer to be formally substituted out of a Test match with concussion when he withdrew from the second Test at Lord’s in 2019.
Smith initially passed concussion testing before returning having been struck on the neck by England pace bowler Jofra Archer on day four.
Yet he was ruled out on the final day – with the match drawn – and also missed the following Test at Headingley.
Smith recalled the incident ahead of the second Test, which starts on Wednesday. Australia lead the series following their two-wicket victory in the opener at Edgbaston.
The 34-year-old explained: “It was just a day that I wasn’t quite seeing the ball as well as I would have liked from that end.
“Archer was bowling 93 to 96 miles an hour at stages. And the wicket felt like it was a little bit up and down. So it certainly wasn’t easy.
“It was a very difficult period to get through, and obviously I caught one on the arm, got away with a few pull shots that are top edge and a couple in the gaps. And then I caught one in the back of the head, which hurt a fair bit.
“At that stage, I didn’t realise I was getting concussed. I went off and did all the tests, passed all the tests.
“It wasn’t until I came back out and half an hour after, when the adrenaline sort of went out of my system and I started to feel quite groggy, probably like I’d had a dozen beers to be honest. That lasted for a little bit. It was a difficult period and he bowled really nicely.”
Smith scored 92 in the first innings, which had been delayed due to rain, before he was dismissed lbw by Chris Woakes.
“I remember spending a lot of time in the nets and even the day before the game, I think I had a really long net, I just couldn’t find a rhythm. And then finally, something just clicked and I started to feel good,” he said.
“That was probably after two and a half hours in the net. So I’d say after that I was probably a little bit mentally fatigued from having such a long hit the day before the game, but I also felt like I was prepared and ready to go. And then it was just about going out in the middle and playing.
“We were losing a lot of wickets at the other end throughout that innings. I was just trying to stay in the present as much as possible, probably up until we’re about eight down, which was when I started to probably play a few more shots.”
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England’s bid to wrap up Australia’s innings quickly on the second morning of the lone Women’s Ashes Test was thwarted by Annabel Sutherland’s classy unbeaten century at Trent Bridge.
Sutherland was without a fifty in 33 previous international appearances in all formats but showed the enviable depth of Australia’s batting line-up with a composed innings from number eight to propel the tourists past 400.
The 21-year-old moved to a maiden Test ton, and the quickest by an Australian woman, off 148 balls with a flick off her pads for her 12th four. She was 116 not out at lunch as her side ended the session on 439 for eight.
It was honours even after the opening day of the multi-format series as Australia closed on 328 for seven, with Sutherland on 39, but England were unable to polish off the lower order on Friday morning.
Lauren Bell made the sole breakthrough midway through the session when her delivery hooped back through the gate of Alana King, bowled for 21 after providing capable support for Sutherland.
King had earlier survived a DRS review in Sophie Ecclestone’s first over of the day after the slow left-armer arrowed a delivery into the Australian’s pads.
While Hawk-Eye showed the ball would have brushed leg stump, the initial not out decision stayed with the on-field umpire.
England later burned a review on Ireland-born Australia debutant Kim Garth (14 not out) as Bell’s delivery would have sailed past leg stump on a largely frustrating first session for the hosts.
Their seamers were for the most part innocuous, while even Ecclestone, who bowled 11 overs after sending down a mammoth 31 on Thursday, could not make much of an impact as Sutherland put Australia on top.
Sutherland, who registered a hundred in a warm-up against England A last week, started to cut loose after reaching three figures here in just her third Test, taking a trio of fours in an over off Lauren Filer, although the last of those was via an outside edge.
England have called up 18-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed for the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, with concerns lingering over Moeen Ali’s injured finger.
Ahmed became the youngest man to play Test cricket for England when he was picked to take on Pakistan in December, earning his cap 126 days after his 18th birthday.
He made an eye-catching debut in Karachi, taking seven wickets in the match and five for 48 in the second innings, and will join Ben Stokes’ side this weekend as cover for Moeen.
The decision represents a typically bold gambit from the current England regime, with Ahmed’s raw ability over-riding a quiet start to the season with Leicestershire.
He has taken a modest six wickets in seven in Division Two of the LV= County Championship, with an average of 67.66 and an economy rate of 4.01.
There is every chance he will not be in the side against Australia on Wednesday, with Moeen still hopeful of being passed fit and the possibility of England playing a four-man seam attack augmented by Joe Root’s off-breaks. But his promotion to the squad represents a further reminder of England’s fearlessness.
Moeen, who is twice Ahmed’s age at 36, struggled throughout the two-wicket defeat at Edgbaston due to a burst blister on his right index figure.
The wound will continue to be monitored over the coming days as England’s medical staff attempt to get him ready to go again but, after two years away from first-class cricket, a recurrence cannot be ruled out.
That left the selectors seeking a potential stand-in, with Ahmed edging out the likes of Surrey’s Will Jacks, and Hampshire’s Liam Dawson to get the nod.
Jacks, who also made his debut in the Pakistan series, showed off his ‘Bazball’ credentials with the bat in Thursday’s Vitality Blast clash against Middlesex as he hammered five sixes in an over to make 96 in 45 balls, but his off-spin remains a work in progress. He went for 30 off three overs in the same game and has just two first-class wickets this season.
Slow left-armer Dawson is arguably the most reliable available option but played the last of his three Tests in 2017.
In the end, the allure of Ahmed’s wrist-spin won the day and he will link up with the squad in London over the weekend.
Broadcaster Mark Nicholas has likened Joe Root to rock stars such as David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen for his ability to continually reinvent himself.
Root has been England’s most dependable batter for several years but since handing over captaincy duties to Ben Stokes, the Yorkshireman has adapted his approach to be in keeping with the ultra-attacking philosophy under his successor and head coach Brendon McCullum.
His strike-rate has skyrocketed in the last 14 Tests, up to 76.35 from a career mark of 54.65 before Stokes took the reins, while Root’s output remains excellent with 1,279 runs at 67.31 in the Bazball era, again a significant improvement from a stellar career average of 50.76 in 131 Tests.
Nicholas, the former Hampshire captain who will serve as the next MCC president from October, believes relinquishing the captaincy last year played a role in unlocking Root 2.0.
Nicholas told the PA news agency: “He’s an amazing man and cricketer actually and I think the ability to keep reinventing himself as a batsman. It’s almost like rock stars do it.
“David Bowie kept reinventing himself, Bruce Springsteen to a degree. There’s a number of them. It’s amazing actually.
“It’s incredible to think that he averages more under Stokes than before Stokes and in itself that tells you that he’s freed up his mind. I think that as a captain, he felt the responsibility heavily.
“By freeing his mind up, he’s a little looser in the shoulders, (has) a looser grip on the bat and therefore everything is more ready to go in the attacking sense.”
Root has risen to the top of the Test batting rankings after swashbuckling innings of 118 not out and 46 in England’s agonising two-wicket defeat in the first LV= Insurance Ashes Test.
His second dig typified his outlook as he outlined his intent on the first ball of the penultimate day by attempting to reverse ramp Pat Cummins.
While he made no contact on that occasion, Root was undeterred and unleashed the same shot off back-to-back deliveries in Scott Boland’s next over, bringing a six then a four.
Root’s blitz came to a premature end after he charged down the pitch to Nathan Lyon and was stumped.
While Nicholas disagreed with the bullish approach, he accepts the England camp may not share the same view.
Nicholas added: “The choice of the reverse scoop first ball of the day, I think that is overdoing the bravado because if you get out, you’re going to feel you’ve let a lot of people down quite unnecessarily.
“If you’re in and you’re seeing it bigger, completely fine, but first ball of the morning against the best fast bowler in the world, there’s no obvious necessity for it.
“(Former England captain) Tony Greig once said ‘it’s a greater crime to get out for 30 or 40 than for nought’. In other words, once you’re in, don’t give it away.
“Does this England team take any reference in that sort of principle at all? Maybe not.
“I noticed when he walked past Stokes who was (the next batter in), Stokes gave him a kind of touch (on the shoulder) and said ‘brilliant mate’, not ‘you clown’.”
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